Ok, so it might not be new but you have to admit, it does have an interesting shape. I never knew how okra looked or even tasted for a matter of fact until I ordered lunch from the junior high school I was teaching at! My first thoughts were, in succession, “Ooo star-shaped”, “interesting, it’s kinda slimy”, “here we go…mmm this is good. This is really good! Man I wish they gave me more…!” Forget paying attention to the students I was having lunch with… I was so absorbed by this wonderful new experience I just wanted more of it!
Have you ever eaten okra before? I hadn’t until that fateful day and since then I’ve been seeing it everywhere. Usually I see it at my local supermarkets but I’ve been noticing them in many (okay, fine, two) restaurants.
For all you health conscious people out there, okra is a nutritional superstar, containing 30 calories in every 100g and no saturated fats or cholesterol; it is also a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. Can you guess what I’ll be including from now on in my diet program?
You can probably find a bunch of different elaborate ways in how to cook okra, but the Japanese people seem to use so little ingredients that okra really doesn’t need an elaborate list to make it taste good.
For our first recipe you’ll need okra, grated ginger, and soy sauce. First, boil the okra whole in boiling water then drain and rinse. Next, chop the okra into smaller pieces. Then, grate the ginger in to the soy sauce and serve cold. Voilà: A quick snack.
The next recipe involves raw squid (or raw octopus). Yes, raw! Japanese people love their raw foods! Basically you go through the same procedure as above, but this time you add raw squid (or the raw octopus) which is cut up into small thin strips and mixed in with the okra.
Both recipes are servedcold and you can dip the okra into the soy sauce or you can add the soy sauce to the okra dishes. How much soy sauce should you use? Easy: season to taste and enjoy!
[Source: nutrition-and-you.com]
[Photos courtesy of flickr: Make Studio | Marty Coleman, j.e.n.n.y., annamatic3000]
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i’ve had okra before and didn’t really enjoy it (at all!) but it was served greek style and cold… i’ll definitely be giving it a try japanese style!!
I particularly love okra, stir fried with salt and garlic or served in a rich curry like chicken and fish curry! It’s such an interesting gooey texture, while the seeds pop in your mouth. You just have to make sure the okra is nice and soft, I’m not a huge fan of it being tough and crunchy.
I just had tempura okra today. Shouldn’t have surprised me when we ordered the ‘mix tempura’! It was good, however, I still enjoy eating it cold. You get more of the texture of the vegetable. I think okra should be served more often. Then again, it probably is in some restaurants. Just not the ones I go to unfortunately.