Okra has such an undeserved bad rep, just as much for its infamous gooey insides, as its bland, almost negligible flavour. I must confess to being a huge fan of it though, however it is cooked, whether with lots of spices to enhance its naturally mild constitution or with just a few ingredients so its natural woody, grassy flavour can be enjoyed to the fullest.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Where does Okra come from?
This is a bit of a contentious issue, with South Asians and East and West Africans laying claim to its origin. Suffice it to say though that it is very popular in the cuisines of these countries as well as in Middle Eastern and South American cooking.
A vegetable by any other name, I grew up calling it lady’s fingers, bhindi or okra, interchangeably, depending on who I was talking to!
So how to cook okra without it getting all gooey?
Well, that rather depends on the dish you’re cooking itself. Certain dishes rely on okra’s sticky insides to thicken stews and soups, such as in the world renowned gumbo.
If you’d like to use it in curries, dals and stews without the stickiness, the best thing to do is to leave the okra whole, that way none of the mucilaginous content has a chance to get released.
This is not a full proof method though, as the okra cooks and softens, it does have a tendency to split.
There are 2 key elements involved if you would like a slime free dish:
1. Make sure that your bhindi is dry, very dry, before you cut it and most certainly, before you cook it. Moisture encourages the spread of the characteristic goo.
2. Cook it on high heat, this will cook off any remaining moisture and sticky liquid.
Buying Ladies Fingers
Look for the bright green, firm ones. These are the younger, fresher okra and will have less tendency to split when cooking whole. Stay well away from the khaki green coloured ones and most certainly, leave those with obvious black, brown or grey streaks.
More plants and herbs on the Edible Garden page
Huacatay, Peruvian Black Mint
Equipment
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Peruvian black mint as needed
Instructions
Using Whole Leaves
- If using the leaves whole, just snip off a few stems, rinse and add to your recipe as needed. As in our iskiate recipe above.
Chopped up leaves
- This is easy. Just rinse your stems, and chop them up finely and scatter as the recipe calls for. Be sure to remove any particularly, woody stems.
How to Use Australian Finger Limes (Caviar Limes)
Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1-2 Finger limes as needed
Instructions
- Cut in half.
- If your limes are very ripe, squeeze, to release the the pearls. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice that you can add to whatever recipe you are using.
- If your limes are resistant and not overly ripe, slice them lengthwise, and carefully, using a fork, loosen the pearls without squashing them.
- Add the juice to your recipe, and top the dish with the pearls.
Thai Holy Basil | Tulsi
Ingredients
- 2-3 sprigs Thai Holy Basil (or as needed)
Instructions
- Rinse the sprigs.
- Pick the leaves off the stems and add to your recipe, as the recipes instructs.
This looks great, Azlin. How do I know which ones to choose when I’m buying? And how do I store it best? Thank you.
Always look for the nice green coloured ones. Storing them in a bag in the fridge is the best bet.
Great stuff, very handy advice. I’ve printed and stuck on the fridge!
Thank you!
Thanks Azlin, very handy reference. That tagine looks really good, going to check it out.
A pleasure, let me know what you think of the tagine.
Thanks for this. I really, really like okra, but the whole goo thing puts me off. Will try these tips.
Awesome, let me know how it goes.
Amazing post on okra. Thank you so much. your articles are always so informative.
Thank you, Tina, much appreciated.