Spicy Okra Recipe
Don’t be terribly shocked that I’m not cooking okra in gumbo. So okra is probably most popular in the southern United States and more synonymous with gumbo, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cook okra in other ways. You can be picky like me, but don’t let your pickiness come in the way of trying out new foods or recipes. I’ve learned this through many life lessons, and boy am I glad I’ve opened up my palette to new things! (Though I am still no Andrew Zimmern, and okra probably isn’t a bit bizarre by his definition’)
Anyway, this okra recipe is a family homemade traditional, tried-and-true, and perfected. (So yes, my palette’s already been accustomed to this cooking style of the okra, so okay, maybe I cheated a bit on this one.) Cooking okra with chili paste and dried baby shrimp or anchovy just spices the flavor up a few notches! If you can’t get dried baby shrimp or anchovy, you can skip this ingredient. But if you can find it, definitely try it out. The smell of the shrimp or anchovy might intimidate you at first, but once you bite into the okra, you’ll appreciate the flavor of the okra much more.
So there you go, you’ve got my family’s okra recipe. You’ll never know if you’d like it if you don’t try it! (Look to Andrew Zimmern for inspiration!)
Recipe
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
- 1 lb fresh okra, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili paste, or depending on how spicy you’d like
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- soy sauce
- (optional) few dried baby shrimps or dried small anchovies
Directions
- Cut the okras so that they are sliced diagonally, about an inch wide. Trim off the heads.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Grease the pan with oil.
- Sautee the garlic until slightly golden brown.
- Add in the chili paste. Mix well.
- (Optional) Add in dried shrimp or anchovy. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until softened.
- Add in the okra. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.
- While cooking, add a bit of water if the sauce becomes too dry.
- Season with soy sauce to taste.
- Serve over rice.
