The other day I went to eat with my friend Nicos and among the usual vegetables always found at the greengrocer’s was okra or gumbo or bamia.
okra is a rather unusual vegetable on our tables, being typical of North Africa and oriental cuisines. I bought it at Esselunga where I found a small package of this vegetable with which I made these two different fry-ups.
I didn’t want to cook an autumn dish like stew with meat and other vegetables, so I did some research on the web and opted for quick and crunchy okra fritters by cutting the gumbo or bamia in different ways.
Some fritters are made by cutting the okra into small rings while for the others, with a pestle and not too decisively, I broke the vegetable fibers which opened almost like a flower.
I kept the two different cuts of okra separately for 10/15 minutes in buttermilk ( Buttermilk is prepared by letting equal weight of yogurt and milk rest for 10/15 minutes and adding a tablespoon of lemon juice). After making the buttermilk, you take the okra pieces and leave them immersed in this mixture for 10/15 minutes.
Now you pass them in the cornmeal without draining them too much from the buttermilk. After doing this step, all that’s left is to fry the okra in oil at the right temperature, allowing the cornmeal coating to brown.
I really liked them, especially those left whole and only opened with the pestle…
OH GOD, READING AGAIN SEEMS LIKE A MESS :-(((((((
1) make buttermilk
2) let it thicken for 10/15 minutes
3) immerse the pieces of okra in the size you like, leaving them in the mixture for 10/15 minutes
4) take them from the buttermilk while still moist without drying them and pass them in the cornmeal
5) fry and YUM YUM!
Okra is low in calories, rich in fiber, vitamins, and folic acid. Its taste vaguely resembles that of asparagus, and a little curiosity, they are also a thickening agent thanks to the gelatinous substance present inside along with the seeds.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2/3 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients OKRA FRITTERS RECIPE
- 7 oz okra
- g plain yogurt
- g Milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- as needed fine cornmeal
- as needed vegetable oil (for frying)
- as needed salt (I use Maldon)
Preparation OKRA FRITTERS RECIPE
In the meantime, wash and cut the okra sticks (they are about 2/2.5 inches long, but larger ones also exist).
Trim the upper part without cutting the pod that contains the seeds.
Now you can cut some into rings while the other part can be “crushed” without too much force, opening it like a flower.
Put the two different cuts in the buttermilk separately.
After 10/15 minutes of resting in the mixture, drain it quickly and pass it in the fine cornmeal.
In the meantime, the oil in the pan has reached the right temperature (338°F), so all that’s left is to immerse the vegetable pieces and let the okra fritters brown.
Drain them on a special absorbent paper then salt them and serve them on the table.
Enjoy your meal with the okra fritters recipe!
Annalisa
Tips and Notes
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