Okra – how to cook it properly
A common question I get asked is why okra goes slimy when cooking? This is caused by something called mucilage, which is also found in Aloe Vera; this mucilage intensifies during the early stages of cooking. I have a few tips for you; when buying okra from the supermarket it normally comes packaged, take it out of the plastic packaging and leave in the open air of your fridge. Secondly, once washed make sure it’s dry before chopping, and for my last tip add citrus to your dish which also helps to cut through the sliminess. Once chopped and in the pan cooking, you will need to allow the okra to cook through on a medium to high heat. I will be explaining how to make a dish called bindi badji, which is a lovely combination of spices, onion, tomato and fresh coriander.
Ingredients:
1 white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn ground coriander
1 tspn garam masala
50g u/s butter
2 tblspn tomato puree
175g okra
2 x tomatoes
½ lemon juice
1 cup of veggie stock
Pinch Maldon sea salt
½ bunch of fresh coriander (cooking & garnish)
Method:
Finely dice the white onion and peeled garlic and add to a warm pan with a good glug of olive oil, now add the spices and more oil if necessary; we are looking to gently fry the ingredients. This process will probably take around 5-7 minutes stirring throughout. You can now add the chopped okra to the pan. Mix well making ensuring it doesn't stick. Continue cooking the okra until it is no longer slimy, this will happen and if it hasn't, keep cooking it, it will happen. When ready, add the tomato puree and cook for a further five minutes. At this point add your chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and one cup of vegetable stock, add some of the chopped coriander. The butter can be added at this point along with salt and pepper. The okra mix can then be transferred to a roasting tray at around 140’C for around 45 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander.
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