Friday, August 16, 2013

Summer recipe, Crispy Fried Okra

Now I must admit, before moving back to Kansas I had only ever fried ONCE. One time in my life (I was 40 years old). It was onion rings and it seemed like an ordeal.

Since moving back, I have tackled it - dove fingers, wild turkey fingers, jalapeno poppers, okra, zucchini. We don't eat fried a whole lot, but I am so happy to say I can now do it if I want.

I used to think it was hard and messy. But mostly it just takes a little time and care. It's not near as hard as I once imagined. I'll put the basic recipe here and walk through the steps in the photo captions.
Ingredients
1 bowl of either egg and milk whisked together or (for egg allergy) just milk with maybe a bit of applesauce or cornstarch mixed in

1 bowl of seasoned flour - I season it with salt, pepper, garlic and Head Country seasoning

1 bowl of okra, cut about 1/2 wide

1 pan with about 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom, I use canola but I'll bet olive would be glorious! 
Mess of okra from the garden. Frozen okra would work too!
Cut 'em up.
Egg and milk in this case since The Boy With Egg Allergy was out of town.
I use a slotted spoon so the egg doesn't goop up in the flour.
Fluffy flour mixture, seasoned as much or as little as you want.
I use a slotted spoon to get them out of the flour too, shaking well to lose excess before putting in a bowl to transfer to pan.
Heat oil on Medium. Get a few drops of water and flick in. If it splatters and sputs, it's ready! If not, turn heat up a little but not too much! You want it hot enough they cook fast and don't get soggy, but not so hot they burn.
Watch them fairly close. In a couple minutes, when the bottom edges looks golden, flip them over with a spoon.
Once again, a slotted spoon is your friend to minimize oil transfer.
Let cool on paper-towel-lined plate. Maybe not the healthiest (better with canola or olive oil) but has the best flavor!


26 comments:

  1. Mmmm. I love fried okra! I only have it when we go on vacation, since no one in Wisconsin probably even know what it is. Well, maybe some do. I planted okra in my garden this year, but it's been such a terrible summer, there probably no chance I'll get a harvest. Frozen is just not the same as fresh.

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    1. Oh, it is glorious. I am not a huge fried stuff fan, but these are just perfect somehow. It's funny I had it as a kid made by my from-New-Jersey mom. I'm sorry about your garden :( I know how that goes. Hope it perks up.

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  2. I love okra but have never had them fried before. This looks really good. I might have to try this. :)

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  3. We eat very little fried stuff at our house...however, we were just talking about making some fried okra the other day!! Will have to try this!

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  4. Oh, fried okra!! One of my favorite foods! Yummmm

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  5. I was just talking with a friend about how delicious fried okra is! YUM!

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  6. I've never had okra, and until just recently I hadn't heard of it, either. I'm not sure if I can get it here, but if I see it, now I know what to do with it :-)

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    1. Really? How interesting. They often have it frozen maybe at Walmart or a Dillons/Publix type store. I have had great luck growing it. It is very versatile - stewed, fried, pickled, in soups.

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  7. This is great, Stephanie! I love all of the pictures in this post, with directions in the captions. I don't fry food at home very often either, but I always want fried okra whenever we go to Cracker Barrel or KFC once in awhile. Fried okra, fried chicken, and fried catfish are three of the best foods ever made! :p

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    1. Oh boy, why oh why does fried stuff taste so GOOD!

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  8. Well except for using the huge deep frier at work I've never deep fried anything. We really don't eat deep fried food often. It is ummy when we have some though.

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    1. We don't either but it is a nice treat sometimes.

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  9. My hubby LOVES fried okra! I'll definitely have to try out your recipe! :)

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  10. I have never eaten fried okra. We never used to eat any fried foods but then it tasted onion rings for the first time. (I was 36). Now I make them about once a month.

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    1. Really? You should totally try it! Onion rings are very good too, especially with a nice zesty dipping sauce of some kind.

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  11. I love, love, love okra! I am from Louisiana so it is always around. Its good in Gumbo, or with stewed tomatoes. I even just sauté it up in a skillet sometimes. But my favorite is definitely fried! I just try not to have it that way very often but it is delish. Thanks for sharing and now I think I might just go make some lol :)

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    1. I love it with tomatoes over rice. Yum! I've never tried just sauteing it. I do that which cut up yellow squash. Might have to try it.

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  12. Yummu. Okara is one of my favorite vegetables! Thanks for sharing this!!

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    1. They're one of my favs too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Hey Steph. How are you this morning? Next Monday, 9-30-13, I am linking up to this recipe on my post At the Lake.

    Have a great day!

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