Crispy Fried Okra (Easy Recipe with Cornmeal!) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to boil fresh okra before frying it? ›

Okra is a nutritious vegetable that can be cooked by boiling or frying. Regardless of your cooking method, wash and slice your okra first. You can boil okra in slightly salted water. You can coat okra in cornmeal and then fry it in a frying pan.

The trick is to use plain milk — not buttermilk — and let the chopped okra soak in a combination of milk and egg for 15 minutes or so prior to frying. The moistened okra adheres to the breading during frying. Breading does not stick to dry okra.

Frozen okra needs to be thawed completely before cooking, but just be warned, the thawed okra will be wet (which can make it mushy). We recommend draining it and patting it dry completely with paper towels before breading and frying.

Lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, vinegar, or a splash of wine will not only add depth to your recipe, but it will also lower your slime quotient. A vinegar bath also does wonders to reduce the slimy consistency. Before cooking, soak the pods in vinegar for 30 minutes to help break up and dissolve the slime.

In order to not make it slimy, I wash okra thoroughly and let it sit on a strainer for sometime. Then,wipe it well with dry cloth to ensure that it is completely dry. Next, I slit it lengthwise and deep fry it. Once fried and crispy,sprinkle some salt,pepper and squeeze lime juice and tangy okra is ready.

Whether picking it yourself or shopping for it at the store or farmer's market, you want the tender, young okra. Bigger is not better. The larger okra pods have tough husks and are too chewy.

I much prefer this made with fresh okra, but in all honesty, frozen cut okra works really well. And a lot of the work is already done for you being that it's been washed, trimmed, and cut into bite size pieces. You'll just need to thaw it completely first.

But since it's often fried in bacon drippings, frying oil and Crisco, fried okra definitely isn't healthy. It's loaded with saturated fats and trans fats, which raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels.

Okra is rich in magnesium, folate, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins C, K1 and A. It may help support healthy pregnancy, heart health, blood sugar. it may even have anticancer properties.

Roast okra is a healthy snack alternative to the fried version, although it does have quite a few uses in the kitchen! Turn it into a variety of other dishes like stuffed peppers, gumbo or even Spanish rice to add a nice roasted flavor. Most commonly though, they're great as a starter, side or delicious snack!

How do you prepare fresh okra? ›

Bring the water to a boil, add 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, and allow the okra to boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the okra can be easily pierced with a fork, it is ready! Be careful to not overcook the okra, as this will make it slimy and mushy.

Boiled okra is one of the most delicious, healthy, and simple ways to prepare okra.

If that's not to your liking, okra can be eaten raw, pickled, fried, succotashed, roasted, grilled, crisped to shards, or cooked an infinite number of ways that celebrate all that's special about this vegetable, and it freezes gorgeously to boot.