Okra In Tomato Sauce - Vegan Lebanese Recipes by Zaatar and Zaytoun (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put vinegar in okra? ›

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.

I dumped the still-frozen okra in a glass bowl, drizzled it with some simple spices, spread it out on a cookie sheet and baked it until it was golden and crunchy. This dish smells heavenly, and eventually he wandered into the kitchen to ask what I was making.

Okra's distinctive sliminess becomes an invaluable feature when stewed, and it's a natural thickening agent that defines traditional gumbo recipes. Alternatively, searing and dry heat transform okra into a caramelized crunchy delight with hints of grassy flavor without a slimy texture.

Acidic ingredients like citrus juice, vinegar and even tomato are known to help too. Okra is often used in gumbo recipes, where they are cooked for a long time – this breaks down the parts of the okra that may become slimy, and makes the okra very tender, juicy and full of the flavour of the stew.

Why do we put baking soda in okra? Adding baking soda into a pot of okra soup halfway into cooking will yield a mucilaginous (drawy) texture.

Okra is low in calories but packed full of nutrients. The vitamin C in okra helps support healthy immune function. Okra is also rich in vitamin K, which helps your body clot blood. Antioxidants are natural compounds that help your body fight off molecules called free radicals that can damage cells.

When you are ready to cook the okra, rinse it well under cool running water, then pat it dry with a towel or paper towel before cutting into it. To trim okra, slice off the top stem end where the okra was snipped off the plant. Make sure not to cut into the body of the seed pod and release the mucilage yet.

Depending on how you like to enjoy your okra, you can either chop it into bite-sized pieces now or leave the okra pods whole. If you plan on frying the okra, you can go ahead and toss the okra in your cornmeal mixture before freezing.

Do you thaw frozen okra before frying? We prefer fresh okra for its texture and flavor, but if you're in a pinch, you can use frozen okra instead. Frozen okra needs to be thawed completely before cooking, but just be warned, the thawed okra will be wet (which can make it mushy).

Freeze slices on a parchment-lined tray before placing into freezer bags. Frozen blanched okra works well in gumbo, boiled, stewed, smothered, or fried. It's usually simplest and easiest to freeze whole pods, and it's a cinch to prepare them later.

What is the healthiest way to eat okra? ›

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!

My favorite way to cook raw okra is in a stir-fry with onions. If you can eat nightshades, okra is also fantastic with tomatoes, a natural pairing since okra and tomatoes are part of the same late summer crop.

On top of all those flavors is the slime-reducing nature of high-heat preparations. Meanwhile, there are many who will tell you that the only way to eat okra is fried. It is certainly the way many people are introduced to okra, probably as a side at barbecue joints or Southern diners.

One popular way to reduce okra's sliminess is to "soak it in vinegar for 30 minutes [before cooking with it], which helps to break up and dissolve the slime," says food scientist, food industry consultant, and author Bryan Le.

Because tomatoes are acidic they don't need the vinegar. Since Okra isn't you have to add the vinegar for the acidity. If you aren't sure, you can always freeze it. I prefer to can it because of saving freezer space and avoiding freezer burn.

Some say soaking the okra in vinegar for 30 minutes to one hour before cooking can reduce the sliminess. Just make sure to pat it completely dry before cooking.