Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Fried Okra


Fried Okra
Originally uploaded by TagDragon

Being from the south, I love all things fried. And fired okra is very near the top of this list. I can recall (and still do) waiting for the okra to be ready and eating it right off the platter before it even reaches the table. And we love our FryDaddy which makes really good fried okra. One pound of okra makes 3 to 4 servings or it makes 1 if you’re me.

Fried Okra is also a nice appetizer. Serve it in the kitchen as folks are waiting on dinner. It’s so fun to nibble on, maybe with a little ranch dip. For fried okra in the winter when you can’t find good fresh okra see the freezing instructions at the end.


Ingredients
1 pound Fresh Okra
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
½ cup Cornmeal
1 tablespoon Salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper
¾ cup Buttermilk – shaken
Vegetable Oil

Fill FryDaddy with oil to recommended level and heat oil.
Or fill Dutch oven with about 2 inches of oil (best if okra can float) and heat to 350 degrees F.
Or add oil to a large heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to very hot. For both the Dutch oven and skillet do not fill over halfway full.

Wash okra whole, remove ends, and cut into ½ inch pieces. Okra will shrink slightly when frying. Place cut okra in a colander over a bowl and pour buttermilk over okra until thoroughly coated. Allow to sit for a minute or two.

Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Toss okra in flour mixture until thoroughly coated. Gently place okra in hot oil. Do not over crowd the okra in the oil. No more then two pieces deep. May want to fry in batches. Do not stir or turn the okra for 4-5 minutes. Carefully turn okra after 4-5 minutes to fry evenly. Fry okra for 8-10 minutes until deep golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove okra from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.

Makes 3-4 servings


If your flour mixture starts to run out or clump together add more of the ingredients or make a fresh batch. You will be able to fry two batches before serving. I recommend using the FryDaddy and then the Dutch oven.

Freezing Instructions:
Follow instructions up until frying. Place the flour mixture coated okra onto a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. After frozen, transfer okra to a freezer bag and keep frozen until ready to use. Fry frozen okra as directed above.

3 comments:

UDCMRK said...

I always like to soak my okra (after slicing it) in a mix of 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar for about 30 minutes; rinse and then prepare as you normally would. The slight pickling seals in some of the okra ooze. (and since when is Illinois the South?)

Chris Freeland said...

Tagert, from Arkansas, wrote this one. He's authentic; I'm just a Yankee with a Foghorn Leghorn complex.

Tagert said...

I'll give the water and vinegar a try. Some people don't like the okra ooze/slime but, it's all good.