Prep Time
5minutes
Cook Time
10minutes
Yield
Serves6
Equipment
Large saucepan
Slotted spoon
Wire rack
Ingredients
150g (1 cup) plain flour
1 egg, lightly whisked
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
500g okra, ends trimmed, thickly sliced
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
Sea salt flakes, to serve
HOW TO FRY OKRA
STEP 1
Place flour in a large shallow dish. Season. Combine egg and milk in a separate shallow dish.
STEP 2
Use paper towel to pat okra dry. In batches, dip okra in egg mixture, then in flour, pressing firmly to coat.
STEP 3
Pour enough oil into a large saucepan to come one-third of the way up the side of the pan. Place over high heat. Heat to 180˚C on a cook’s thermometer. Deep-fry okra, in batches, for 2-3 minutes or until golden all over. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
STEP4
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes to serve.
How should okra be cooked?
It can be boiled, steamed, sauteed or fried, although quicker cooking methods (frying and grilling) produce a crisper, generally more pleasing, texture. Add okra to stews, casseroles and curries, or saute with chilli and garlic for a quick side dish.
How do you cook okra so it’s not slimy?
Keep okra pods intact when briefly cooking (like stir frying or grilling) to minimise sliminess (which comes from inside the pod). Acidic ingredients like citrus juice, vinegar and even tomato are known to help too. Okra is often used in gumbo recipes, where they are cooked for a long time – this breaks down the parts of the okra that may become slimy, and makes the okra very tender, juicy and full of the flavour of the stew.
Does okra need to be soaked before cooking?
The short answer is no, you don’t have to soak it before cooking, but some recipes suggest soaking the okra in a vinegar mixture to reduce sliminess. To soak okra, pour 125ml (1/2 cup) vinegar into a bowl. Add 500g okra (the ratio of vinegar to okra is 125ml vinegar to every 500g okra). Turn the okra to coat.
Set aside for 30 minutes to soak. Discard vinegar. Rinse okra well. Thoroughly dry. Proceed with your recipe.
Check out these recipes –
Okra and cauliflower pakoras
Cajun-style swordfish on corn and okra rice
Chicken gumbo
