6 Fun and Easy Ways to Cook Okra

Okra is famous, of course, for the Southern-fried method of cooking, and it tastes sinfully delicious when it's properly cooked that way. Unfortunately, frying everything is what has earned the southeastern part of the United States the name of "Cardiac Belt"—even though it may not look "greasy," the food soaks up a lot of the oil.

Many of us Southerners are trying to eat healthier diets, and there are other equally delicious ways to cook this versatile vegetable. Below, I will share six ways to cook okra—some I have used and loved, some I have as of yet only read about.

The 6 Ways I Know to Cook Okra

1. Grilling
2. Baking/Broiling
3. Stewing With Tomatoes
4. Adding to Vegetable Soup
5. Making Okra Soup
6. Frying

During the time since we stopped frying food about 20 years ago, we didn't eat much okra at our house. But since we discovered that we could grill okra, this method has become our favorite way to cook this vegetable.

1. I remove the caps but otherwise leave the individual pods whole.
2. Put them on two parallel skewers as shown above. When using only one skewer, the pods tend to spin around, with some turning one way and others turning another way, causing them to become difficult to handle. Using double skewers takes care of that problem.
3. Place them on your grill and watch them closely so they don't burn. You will need to turn them, of course, until they are slightly browned on both sides.

When it's too rainy or cold to use the outdoor grill, I try putting okra into the oven. I know you're wondering where I got the okra if the weather is too cold. Well, I got it from my freezer, of course! In this photo is some fresh okra ready for the oven.

1. Brush the okra with olive oil and sprinkle on some garlic powder.
2. Bake my okra for about 20 minutes.
3. Then, turn the oven to "broil" just long enough to brown the okra. Be careful not to let it burn.

I tried conducting a little experiment once. I brushed all the okra with olive oil, then put garlic powder on half and just a tiny bit of kosher salt on the other half. It was all good, but the half with garlic powder won unanimously. This has become one of our favorite ways to enjoy this delicious vegetable.

Before my husband convinced me to try it, I did not believe I would like okra and tomatoes cooked together. When I tried it, I didn't just like it—I loved it! I was truly surprised at the texture and flavor of this old Southern favorite. It is also so easy to prepare.

1. Just cut both the okra and tomatoes into small pieces.
2. Add your favorite seasonings. For me, it is a little salt and garlic powder.
3. Stew them together on the stove top or in the microwave.
4. Enjoy!

Nothing could be easier. Now that my okra plants are bearing daily, I have plenty of this delicious vegetable to savor.

I always include slices of okra in my soup. If I don't have any fresh or homegrown okra in my freezer, I buy small bags of it from my grocery store. I prefer my own homegrown veggies because I know they are organically grown, but sometimes we must buy them. If I have to buy them in season before my own plants are bearing, I prefer to go to a local farmers' market. I know the food is fresh, and I get to know the vendors.

• Developing a relationship with local growers is a really good thing, as they will often save something for you when their supply is running low, and they always sincerely appreciate your business.

I have never made okra soup. I had never even heard of it until I read Folly Beach, a book by Dorothea Benton Frank. I searched the phrase "okra soup" and found several recipes. Some are vegetarian and some are not. One used chuck roast, one used bacon, all used various herbs. Mostly, though, the photos looked very much like my homemade vegetable soup, shown here, while another looked like just okra and tomatoes in a brothy liquid.

You'll see above some okra that has been cut, battered, and salted. They are ready to be fried. Not everyone batters it. Some people just coat it with flour, some coat it with cornmeal, and others use a mixture of both flour and cornmeal. Like most Southerners of my generation, I grew up eating almost everything fried or covered in gravy. It's amazing so many of us lived to tell about it. One of the most delicious and typically "Southern" vegetables in this country is fried okra. Believe it or not, there is more than one way to fry it. Please understand, however, I am not promoting the consumption of fried foods.

When you think of okra, do you picture it battered and fried? If done right, this method is delicious, but it can go wrong in several ways:

• It'll be greasy and soggy if it's cooked too slowly or in too much oil.
• It'll be hard if it's cooked for too long.

Most people who still fry food deep-fry their okra. My mom, however, puts very shallow oil in a skillet and fries it. Most people like it crispy. She likes it soft, so she puts a lid on it and "smothers" it. Her okra has some crunchy areas but is mostly soft. Years later, I learned this was because she had some places in her mouth that were made sore by crunchy (or what she called "hard") foods. But I digress.

Drop me a note, and let me know how you like your okra cooked. If you know of any other ways to cook this delicious vegetable, please let me know. Thanks for visiting.