How to cook okra without slime? Tips for choosing okra, storing okra, and chopping okra. Everything you wanted to learn about okra can be found in this post
Raise your hand if you don’t like working with okra.
Okra is one tough veggie to cook and the slime is the worst part of it.
These okra tips will make you a pro at how to cook okra and you will love how great your recipes turn out.
Getting started with okra
Don’t you hate it when okra gets so sticky and gluey?! The first step is choosing the right okra before we even start thinking about recipes for it.
Source: My personal cooking experience, Southern Living and Our Every Day Life
How to choose the right okra
- Choose okra that is long and thin.
- Choose okra that is still green and crispy.
- When you bend the okra, it should snap and not stay bent.
- Okra without fuzz are not fresh, so, always look for okra that has a little bit of fuzz
Soaking it in Vinegar
This is a technique I have seen many chefs and cooks use to help cook okra. It cuts down on the sliminess of the okra when cooking it
I haven’t had much success with this soaking method, so, I am not completely endorsing it. To me, it seems like it adds vinegar to the taste of the end recipe
But, here is how I have seen okra soaked in apple cider vinegar before cooking.
- Wash and thoroughly dry the okra first
- Place the okra in a bowl and drizzle vinegar on it
- Make sure all the okra is well-coated
- Keep it covered for 30min
- Rinse the okra and dry it completely before cooking it
Source – University of Illinois Extension
How to chop it
- Wash the okra thoroughly first
- Dry it completely before you take a knife to it. The less water you use, the less sticky it will be.
- Ideally, wash and dry the okra a day before you are going to cook them.
- Start by cutting and discarding the top of the okra
- Cut the okra into rounds. The thicker the okra rounds, the better they will cook.
- Also, thicker okra rounds will not be as sticky when cooked
- Once cut, use okra immediately. Cut okra tends to brown easily and it will also get stickier.
- Cook the okra with the seeds.
How to cut them, lengthwise
- Wash and dry okra the same way.
- Be sure to dry it thoroughly.
- Cut the top of the okra first
- Place the knife at the top of the okra and gently push down
- This will split the okra in half. Depending on the recipe, you can cut the half lengthwise again.
- If you are stuffing the okra, just make a slit lengthwise without splitting the okra into half
Nutrition in raw okra
I am not a health or diet professional, so, please consult a professional for further okra information. The information below is from Wikipedia, USDA.gov, Diabetes.org, and my own personal experiences.
Okra has no sodium, cholesterol, or fat. That’s why they are favored by diabetics. Whenever I cook okra, I always make sure I use little to no salt. Why change is a good thing, right?
It’s one of those rare veggies that are packed with vitamins! It has Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E. This makes me happy because I love getting my vitamins from foods.
For vegans, proteins and Vitamin Bs are an essential part of our daily diet.
I have a helpful guide on all things vegan. If you have more questions, feel free to comment below.
Want more tips on working with vegetables? Check out my Cabbage tips and my sweet potato tips.
How to cook it
- Make sure the pan is heated and if using oil, make sure the oil is heated too.
- Keep the heat on high and the same level until all the okra is cooked
- Do not add water to the okra. If a recipe calls for water, make sure you add other veggies and ingredients before you add the water
- Stir infrequently. This is the one thing I struggle with all the time, lol. If you have seen my cooking videos, you know that I have an unhealthy level of love for stirring frequently. So, hard as it might be, do not stir often
- To stir, use the pan-flipping method for best results. Stay away from using wooden spoons or any stirring spoons. Jamie Oliver has amazing tips on how to be an “incredible tosser”.
The good thing about Okra is that it can be cooked a hundred ways from Sunday! I love to find new ways to cook and flavor them. I have tried air fried okra, Instant Pot okra, slow cooked okra and roasted okra. Each time, the okra was super tasty!
How do you like to cook your okra?
Common questions
How to cook frozen okra
Frozen okra is great for stews and soups. I usually throw in the okra right out of the frozen bag, without thawing them. This way, the okra stays crispy and retains its unique texture.
Not thawing veggies is one of my favorite tips. I find that the cooking process does a great job of thawing the veggies. Recently, I cooked frozen peas in the Dutch oven without thawing them. Want to know how they turned out?
How to cook canned okra
Canned okra is great for casseroles and oven-baked dishes. The oven-baking process does a great job of cooking the okra. It takes away some of the aftertaste you get from eating canned food.
I have only used the canned okra once and that was for a southern casserole dish. It’s not a recipe on my blog (yet), but, it did turn out well. If you can’t get fresh okra, use the canned version.
Can okra be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze okra, but, the freezing process makes a huge difference.
First, I like to wash and dry the fresh okra. I prefer doing this a day before so that all the water is gone before I freeze it
I place the okra in a ziploc bag and write the date. The okra is whole which makes it easier to freeze.
Alternatively, you can cut it into large chunks and immediately place it in a ziploc bag. Write the date and freeze it immediately. Don’t give the chopped okra too much time to interact with oxygen.
This frozen okra is best if used within 6 months of freezing.
Is it the same as Lady Finger
Yes, okra is the same as lady finger or ladies fingers. If you had British or European educational influences, you would refer to it as ladyfinger.
How many types are there?
There are at least 13 different types of okras that can be grown. There is some purple-colored okra too! I had no idea how beautiful they looked. Sometimes, I have seen them in my local Lucky’s Market and Whole Foods.
Gardner’s Path has a list of 13 different varieties of okra. If you have a vegetable garden, grow them and send me pics of them. I would love to see which variety you like.
How to flavor it
I have seen okra used in Spanish cooking, Southern cooking, African Cooking, and Indian cooking. Other than that, it’s not a common vegetable in other cuisines.
Some of my favorite ways to flavor okra are using homemade spices
A few okra recipes
Here are some okra recipes from my blog. What kind of okra recipe would you like to see me make?
A classic Gujarati recipe made with lightly stir-fried potatoes and okra with simple spices.
Roasted okra with a cheese stick in the middle and wrapped in puff pastry
Pieces of okra rolled in flour and baked in the oven
Classic Creole recipe of gumbo but made for vegans with extra okra
Love getting to know your ingredients? Get to know Lemon Balm and Amaranth.
Cooking Okra
Ingredients
- 6 oz okra chopped into large rounds (about 4-5 rounds per okra)
- 1.5 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat pan on high for 30 seconds
- Add oil to it and heat for 30 seconds
- Set the heat to medium high and keep it there for the rest of the time
- Add the chopped okra to the oil
- Let it cook by itself for about about 3 minutes
- Add salt to the okra
- Using the pan-flipping method to stir the okra. This is going to reduce the sliminess
- Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the okra is tender
- When you can crush an okra piece easily with the back of a spoon, the okra is ready to eat
I am from the South, love steamed okra and fried okra. To fry, slice, pour a little buttermilk over and roll in cornmeal. Fry in hot shortening, when getting brown, drain on paper towels. Love the seeds in the okra, one of the best parts. Can also batter small pods and fry like French fries.
Thank you, Jeannie
The instructions on the package says to place okra in a pan cover the pan with water and boil okra for 3 minutes then drain & season to taste. Ok, what seasoning do I use?
Thank you, Eva. You can use any seasoning you have on hand. Have you tried Creole Seasoning or Greek Seasoning? Or, you use Za’atar, old bay seasoning, etc. I have even just used salt and pepper to season. Let me know what you try and how it worked.
These okra tips are so good. I always have trouble getting my okra to turn out right and now I know why!
Thank you, Jamie