Greedy Girl : Crispy fried okra

M...eat..less

I never really considered making Crispy fried okra before. Last week my Grand Uncle gave us some okra from his garden. They were very large beautiful okra’s, however they sat in our refrigerator for a few days because no one likes okra. We tolerate it in steamed fish, but even then we hardly ever include it because of the slime. My mother began dropping little hints about fried okra. I was hesitant to try this recipe but in truth, I needed an extra recipe for this month. When she began to really pressure into making it and then even threatening to make it herself, I easily caved. It’s quite yummy, still a little slimy but not bad at all and this is coming from a person who hates okra.

These little nuggets are quite good, I can’t even lie. The slime is cut down by at least 85 percent. If you’re an okra hater, you’re probably saying you will hate this no matter what. However pop them into your mouth and be greeted by a very crunchy well-seasoned flavor and by the time you begin to feel the slime, you have already swallowed it. What follows is your brain processing what just happened. You can’t figure out If you really like it or not. To make this determination you will pop another 6 in your mouth, and by the time you have reached number 9 you will realize and admit that yes, I actually like okra….at least breaded and fried

Why does deep frying make everything taste better?

Ingredients: (printable recipe)

3 cups of chopped okra

1 teaspoon Lawry

½ teaspoon Black pepper

1 table spoon Onion powder

½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

1 teaspoon Smoked paprika

1 cup flour

Milk wash

1 ½ cup milk

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Cornmeal mixture

1 cup cornmeal

½ cup flour

2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Lawry

Instructions:

Pre-heat oil to 375 degrees
Snap the pointy ends off the okra remove the tops and slice into bit sized bits
Season with Lawry, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika garlic and onion powder
After seasoned toss in a plastic bag with one cup of flour to coat them, shake off excess flour and set aside
Mix the milk with some seasoning salt set aside
In a shallow dish combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and Lawry’s
Drop the floured okra in the milk mixture for 1 to 2 seconds remove with a slotted spoon and place in cornmeal mixture.
Make sure the corneal mixture has coated the okra thoroughly
Drop in some hot oil for 2-3 minutes till golden brown and crunchy.

Greedy Tips:

The tips of the okra should snap off crisp and easy. If it does not or it’s hard to break, throw that okra out, according to my mother it will be old and tough.
Do NOT microwave to reheat left overs, bake them in the oven until they are crispy
I recommend using a deep fryer or a deep pot, not shallow pan frying
Serve with ranch dressing, honey mustard or bbq sauce.

Shopping:

A deep fryer is so helpful especially when controlling the temperature of the oil. This one is great for the occasional deep fryer user.