Maria is a Master Gardener, public health educator, grant-writer, artist, photographer, editor, & proofreader. She lives in coastal Alabama.

Okra: A Most Versatile Vegetable

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

1. Grilled Okra

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.

Skewers for Grilling That Okra, and Lots of Other Small Foods

2. Broiled or Baked Okra

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 at 350 F. 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.

3. Okra and Tomatoes

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's also so very 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.

4. Vegetable Soup With Okra

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.

5. Okra Soup

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.

I Love My Stainless Steel Stock Pot

6. Fried Okra

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.

Would You Cook Okra?

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.

Questions & Answers

Question: I picked three pods of okra from the garden that seemed hard to begin with. I microwaved for a half-hour in water in the microwave in increments, and they were still rather hard. Is this common?

Answer: If they are hard before cooking, they will be hard after cooking. Also, if they were hard when you picked (cut) them, they were most likely either too young or too old. The hard ones that are not young, I usually leave and let them go to seed for next year.

Question: At what temperature do you bake the okra for 20 min?

Answer: I would bake it at 350 F.

Question: How do you smother okra without slime with tomatoes?

Answer: I'm not sure what you mean by "smother". They are simply cooked together in a stewpan or in a bowl in the microwave. There is no slime because of the liquid that cooks out of the tomatoes. I suppose the acidity of the tomatoes could also help to alleviate the slimy-ness of the okra.

© 2013 MariaMontgomery

Do You Love Okra?

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on August 07, 2020:

Me, too, but I try not to eat it very often. We've been avoiding fried foods for years now, but this Southern girl remembers it sure is tasty.Thanks for reading my article.

Dalton on August 06, 2020:

I do love fried okra

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on July 30, 2020:

I hope you love it. Thanks for visiting and for commenting.

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on July 09, 2019:

Sounds good, Steve. I'll have to try it sometime. Thanks for reading my article and commenting.

Steve on July 07, 2019:

I love okra, with that said I steam mine because I want to stay away from the fried foods. I cut off the stem and the tip, wash them and put them in the steamer without season, steam for approx 16 to 20 minutes remove them into a bowl sprinkle on some ground cinnamon power and some honey, stir and eat. One must be able to tolerate the slime.

Lisa Bean from Nevada on April 03, 2019:

I've never had okra before but I just may try with one of the above mentioned ideas! :)

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on April 21, 2017:

Those sound really good. So glad you enjoyed my okra recipes. Thanks for visiting.

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on August 30, 2013:

@anonymous: Hi Janet, Your way of cooking okra sounds wonderful. May I add it to my lens and make it 7 Ways to Cook Okra? I would cite credit to you, of course. Thank you for visiting my lens, and for your comment.

anonymous on August 24, 2013:

I adore okra. As I live abroad, I make it as often as possible when it is available. While growing up in NY I don't remember ever having eaten it. Our preferred way of cooking is: sauteing onion and garlic in a drop of oil and when softened well add washed okra and sauté while mixing for a few minutes, in order to coat the okra. That way you get no comments about it being sticky or slimy. Then just add your fresh tomatoes or tomato paste and water and cook until soft. And, of course, salt, pepper and spices.

MariaMontgomery (author) from Central Florida, USA on July 05, 2013:

@Dusty2 LM: I hope some of my 6 ways to cook it were helpful. We just grilled a lot of okra yesterday for our July 4th celebration. Thanks so much for such a nice comment, for the squid-like, and visiting my other okra lenses.

Dusty2 LM on July 01, 2013:

When I saw your first two lenses about Okra, I was hoping you would have a cooking and recipe lens using Okra. I have always enjoyed Okra. The two ways I especially enjoyed Okra was stewed with tomatoes and fried. The third way if Okra wasn't stewed or fried was to have in veggie soup. Appreciate you writing and sharing this lens. Thank You for stopping by my Quick-n-Easy Tapioca Pudding Recipe lens and giving it a "thumbs up" as I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the tapioca pudding. Bon Appetit!