I have so many opinions about everything, but I'm still unclear on how I feel about okra. I don't dislike it, but it wouldn't be my first choice from a menu with other options. I love nattō, so it's not like I'm opposed to slime as a texture in food. It's more that I'm just not bothered, and that upsets me because I want to be bothered.
Nobody talks about okra, but it can't be that boring. I mean how many courgette recipes exist? And that's pretty much the most boring vegetable in the universe.
I picked some up the other day when I went shopping while hungry, which is the best time for me to go shopping since I buy 10,000 kilos of vegetables that I end up eating out of waste guilt. If I go shopping when I'm not hungry, I harass my partner by making animal sounds and other sound effects at his face (close range) and maybe buy a packet of pasta.
Anyway, so I bought some okra and decided the best option would be to deep fry it because a) everything tastes better that way and b) everything tastes better that way. It's not a revolutionary concept (deep fried okra is well known in Indian cuisine), but it's really easy and tastes nice.
Deep Fried Okra Chips
Deep fried okra chips aren't a new concept, but they remind me that okra can be more than a slimy vegetable in sauce. Serious Eats sums up why to use a wok for deep frying, and if you have one then that’s my recommendation too. You can get creative with the flavourings, but I love the simplicity of flaked sea salt, nooch, and onion powder.
- 175 grams okra
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Enough vegetable oil to fill pan 1 inch
- Generous pinch or three Maldon sea salt
- Extra nutritional yeast + onion powder
- Top and tail the okra and slice lengthways into quarters. Coat with the vinegar and then toss with the cornflour and nutritional yeast. Throw the okra in a mesh colander and shake lightly to remove any excess coating.
- Heat oil to medium high and fry okra for 5-8 minutes, or until crispy. Drain on kitchen roll.
- Sprinkle with a salt, extra nutritional yeast, and a pinch or two of onion powder.
Love okra and I love it baked, but I can't deny the southern in me for good ol' fried okra. I can't wait to try this out; it looks yummy and amazing.
The jury is still out for me on whether I like okra in all forms, but I feel like I can't go wrong with frying anything. I'll have to try baking it too, though. That vat of oil on the hob calls to me daily – it's just to easy to fry everything!
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