Okra is a nutritional powerhouse which has been grown for more than 2,000 years. This crop is suitable for cultivation as a garden crop as well as on large commercial farms. Or try one of Karkare’s family favorites: sautéed okra seasoned with mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves, and green chilies.Okra (Lady’s Finger), Abelmoschus esculentus, is an economically important vegetable crop grown in tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. Or briefly marinate okra in lemon juice and olive oil and roast topped with some parmesan cheese. Try roasting the pods with grape or cherry tomatoes tossed in a little olive oil. Tomatoes and okra are an especially delicious combo. Pairing okra with an acid- tomatoes, vinegar, tamarind, or lemon juice, also keeps it from getting slimy, Karkare says. Simply spritz the dredged okra with a neutral oil (such as canola) and air-fry or oven roast in a single layer at about 425º F until crispy. If you want to avoid deep frying, you can roast, oven- or air-fry okra for a similar effect. And if you need another reason to celebrate, fried okra retains its impressive fiber factor. When making it at home, you can use as little breading as you’d like. For this, sliced okra is traditionally dredged in a seasoned cornmeal-flour mix and quickly deep-fried until golden. You could start with fried okra, a crispy, crunchy beloved Southern dish that’s commonly served as an appetizer or a special summer side dish. Choose recipes that cook okra quickly with high heat such as roasting or sautéing. That means skipping the lid when you sauté okra to ward off excess steam and liquid. “When cooking okra, it is essential to keep everything dry, from the cutting board and knife to the okra itself,” says Manju Karkare, RDN, owner of Nutritionally Yours, a nutrition consulting company in Raleigh, N.C. Okra also adds body to succotash, a traditional Native American dish made with lima beans, corn, and okra popular in the south and in New England.įor a slime-free okra dish, there are a few things to keep in mind. Gullah Geechee, or Lowcountry okra soup, is a West African dish that combines okra with meat, rice, and vegetables in a flavorful broth. “This thick flavor-filled topping can be served alongside rice or enjoyed alone.” notes Feller.
You can add okra to soups and stews where its gel will blend in and thicken the dish. Think Cajun gumbo or “callaloo, a popular dish in Trinidad and Tobago, made with okra, leafy greens, and pumpkin. “From bhindi masala to Kurkuri bhindi (crispy), aloo (potato) bhindi, and bamia (stew)-we relish them all.” "As a South Asian/Central Asian dietitian, okra, or bhindi, is a regular in our diet,” says Shahzadi Devje, RD, owner of Desi~licious RD Inc in Toronto.
With its unique texture and sweet, grassy fresh flavor, okra is versatile in the kitchen. Okra might also help with blood sugar management and reduce the risk of certain cancers, but researchers say more data is needed in people to confirm these potential effects.īotanically speaking, okra is a fruit, but it’s commonly cooked and eaten as a vegetable. One cup of cooked okra provides an impressive 88 mcg of folate-22 percent of the daily value-a B vitamin that’s essential for anyone who is or might become pregnant as it helps prevent neural tube defects.īut wait-there’s more! “The phytonutrients and polyphenols in okra may help to quell systemic inflammation reduce oxidative stress by blunting free radical damage,” says Maya Feller, MS.RD.CDN, author of The Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook. You’ll also get about a third of the daily value for vitamin C, which is important for immune support, and nearly a quarter of the daily magnesium, a key mineral for energy production and a host of other essential functions in the body. That same size serving supplies 67 percent of the daily value for vitamin K, important for heart health and cognitive function. (The daily value is a measurement used on food labels and represents an average level of a nutrient someone eating 2,000 calories a day should consume.) Fiber in general helps you stay full after a meal, and a cup of cooked okra has 5 grams of total fiber-nearly a fifth of the daily value. These bacteria help break down food, synthesize vitamins, prevent bacteria that cause illnesses from getting a foothold, and bolster immunity. The gel-like substance is rich in soluble fiber, known for its potential to lower blood cholesterol and be fermented in the gut, supporting the growth of healthy bacteria. The thing some people dislike about okra-the slime-is part of what makes it good for you.
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