Originally from Africa, okra is now widely used in cuisines such as Caribbean, Creole, Cajun and Indian. It is a warm-season vegetable and essential crop in many countries due to its high nutritional value. Ridged along its length, the green, slightly fuzzy pod contains rows of edible seeds that release a sticky liquid when chopped and cooked. This has led to it being used to thicken soup and stew recipes such as Cajun gumbo, but it’s also served whole as a side dish. Okra’s flavor is quite subtle, so it benefits from being cooked with strong, spicy ingredients!
Storage
Keep okra dry and store in the crisper drawer in a paper or plastic container to stop it from becoming slimy or moldy. Avoid washing it until you are ready to use it. Use within 3-4 days.
Preparation
Wash and dry. If you are serving the okra whole as a side dish, and don’t want the liquid to be released during the cooking, trim around the stalks in a cone shape, so that the pod isn’t pierced. If you do want to release the liquid, chop or slice thickly or thinly, according to your recipe.
Farms that grow Okra
Recipes