As a foodie north of the border, I always worry that my attempts to make cuisine from the Southern United States will be laughable. But, as always, my curiosity got the better than me, so soon after making Gumbo and Collard Greens I did some digging and created two deep fried okra recipes.
Fried Okra (Egg and Cornmeal Breaded)
When researching a recipe you frequently come to a fork in the road. Half of the recipes say to do one thing, and half the other. In this case, many of the recipes simply tossed the okra in cornmeal and seasoning, relying on okra’s natural stickiness to have the cornmeal stick. The other kind, first tosses the okra in an egg batter and then the conrnmeal, resulting in a heavier breading.
Generally speaking, if I am not sure, and there are two equally good looking paths, I split myself in two and try both.
Fried Okra (Just Cornmeal Breaded)
Though I believe the eggs are authentic, our household preferred the less breaded, lighter version of the okra. Maybe I need a trip down South to make a more educated decision. Have you made or had fried okra before, what was it like?
Fried Okra
Fried Okra recipe #I - less battered and quicker
1 cup okra, stems and tips removed cut into 1 cm rounds
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne
1/3 cup cornmeal
(For Tips on Deep Frying Check out my series on How to Deep Fry.)
Prepare the okra by washing it, cutting off the tips and stems and cutting into approximately 1 cm rounds. Sprinkle and toss with salt and cayenne. Toss in cornmeal. Heat oil to 350-375F and fry for 3-4 minutes until just slightly brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Fried Okra recipe #2- thicker batter with egg, non-vegan
1 cup okra, stems and tips removed cut into 1 cm rounds
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne
1 egg
a few dashes hot sauce
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon flour
Prepare the okra by washing it, cutting off the tips and stems and cutting into approximately 1 cm rounds. Beat egg with hot sauce and in a separate bowl combine flour and cornmeal. Sprinkle okra with salt and then add to egg. Toss with egg and then add to cornmeal to dredge. Heat oil to 350-375F and fry for 3-4 minutes until just slightly brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I love okra but have never had it fried. I’d probably be inclined to go with the lighter version…then again, I’m a Yankee so what would I know?
Ooooh, fried okra! I’m with you, like the less breaded version. Also a Yankee
Lovely.
Joanne & Stephanie love all this “yankee business, so funny!
I’m a Georgia boy, 7th generation, and I have eaten a passel of okra in my 50 years. I have seen them both ways down south. I prefer the heavier breading, so the egg is good. You’ll notice most of the slime is on the inside of the okra, that is why the cornmeal only sticks to the cut ends when no egg is used.
A nice spice variation instead of salt and cayenne is to use Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning. (As much as you can stand.) Yum!
By the way, I made your healthy peanut butter, oatmeal, coconut cookies, and they were great.
Joseph – of course, you are so right about how the cornmeal sticks on the less breaded version, too funny! Thanks so much for your opinion, I love that you are 7th generation, adds so much credibility. tee hee.
Thrilled you like the cookies.
This Texas prefers the heavier-breaded version. The less-breaded one looks a bit silly to my eyes. But equally tasty, I’m sure. I will try making the egg version!
Alicia – let me know who it works compared to what you are used to! Yes, the less breaded one may look a bit “silly”. hee hee
I will. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds great, will have to try your versions! My grandparents in Kansas ate a lot of Southern veggies like okra & collards, so I’ve grown to love (and grow) them myself. I’ll take okra any way but prefer crispy…pickled or fried. Try this recipe from Mark Bittman for a little international twist…has good notes about how to keep crisp. I’ve learned to either cook it fast or long to avoid the gooey middle ground.
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/crispy-okra-salad
Jimbo – wow that is different but it sounds really good! Thanks for the link.
pickled did you say? Now I am intrigued.
Hi! I’m from Alabama, so I’ve grown accustom to heavily breaded okra, but it’s just so filling! It makes it entirely too hard to save room for dessert!
So to make the more lightly breaded version, I stir in just a tiny bit of milk to the freshly cut okra to lightly coat it. It allows just enough cornmeal to stick to ensure a “seemingly” healthy crunch.
Good eatin’ to ya!
Niki – thanks for the info, I will have to try that!
Hey, ya’ll!! I am from Georgia, and have grown up eating fried okra all my life. My granny always made it with the egg, and when I made my first batch, I tried it without the egg, and the batter seemed to fall off in the pan. To me, the thick, crunchy breading is what makes it truly Southern. When you use the eggless recipe, the okra taste is more detectable. However, down here fried okra should have alot of that fried cornbread taste to it!
Fried cornbread taste, I love your description.
Born and raised in FL and I grew up on southern food. Fried okra has always been one of my favorites and to be honest, I have never seen okra cooked with light breading. The breading is what makes fried okra, so for me and most southerners I know, heavy breading is the only way!!
I love getting the insiders scoop! Thanks Jennifer.
I too like the more breaded okra. I am a Mississippi boy and I have made it several ways. My favorite way and the one I find the easiest is by using milk. I have a separate bowl of milk and a large gallon size freeser bag with the cornmeal. Season cornmeal with your favorite seasoning, then I dip the okra in the milk and let sit for about 15 seconds then use a slotted spoon to strain and transfer to the bag and then shake which ensures uniform coating. Then transfer to grease
Thanks Bobby! I love the conversations happening here.
I’m from Texas and my mom and grandma have always just sliced the okra thin (1/4-1/2 in) and coated it in corn meal and salt and pepper. I’ve recently added a bit of corn starch just to give it a little more coatimg and crunch! We love it!! The bad thing about eating okra out is it is usually frozen and breaded. Its hard to get the okra done without burning the breading so the inside is still slimy. To quote Alton Brown “that’s not Good Eats!”
Great info! Maybe I should be glad that I can’t get it locally
In my Tennessee community we always used the lighter version slicing the okra thin to make better use of the “slime” we also dice green tomato into the mix for a yummy different taste
So as not to use “corn meal” because of my husbands special diet (NO CORN and no white refined flour) to keep it lower glycemic and healthier, I used stone ground whole wheat organic flour after soaking/tossing in eggs with the usual seasoning and some kosher salt and fried it in Olive Oil. It was GREAT!
Wow, and alternative, neat thanks Jill!