Snackable Okra With A Sweet and Sour Glaze
Summertime!
I guess I just have a thing for controversial vegetables. If you follow my blogging, you’ll have seen my previous apologia for radishes, celery, and Brussels sprouts. I feel drawn to vegetables that a lot of people hate because I believe in the transformative power of proper technique. There are no bad ingredients, only bad recipes. That is doubly true for today’s contender: okra.
Many, many people claim to hate okra. I was once one of them. I don’t even remember seeing it served anywhere when I was growing up in the Northeast US. The South is the only region I’ve been in where okra is a fairly commonplace ingredient. Not coincidentally, Southern cooks are more likely to know how to prepare okra correctly than cooks anywhere else.
Okra’s least popular attribute is the mucilaginous slime that it produces after being cut or put in contact with water. Some okra fans love the slime, and it’s great for thickening soups and gumbo, but today I’m sharing a recipe for slime-haters.
This recipe produces an addictive side dish that’s easy enough for as weekday dinner. I simply split and broil the okra and finish it with a vinegary, spicy glaze inspired by Carolina vinegar barbecue sauce. It can all be ready in 15 minutes.
Hot and Sour Charred Okra
Ingredients:
1 lb okra
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp red chili flakes
Lots of black pepper
3 large cloves of garlic
Set your oven to broil. Find a pan you can put under the broiler and line it with foil, then oil the foil. Split the okra longways and arrange in a single layer cut-side up in the prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt. Put under the broiler, ideally about 4 inches away from the heat. Check every 4 to 5 minutes and rotate as needed for even browning.
While that’s cooking, mince the garlic and add to a small saucepan with all the remaining ingredients. Cook on high heat until the mixture has lost about 1/3 of its volume and smells slightly less acidic.
Pull your okra out of the oven when it’s fairly well browned all over the cut side, with a little bit of char on some of the edges. This should take 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. Pour the glaze over the okra, mix it around a bit, and return to the broiler for one to two minutes. Watch it the whole time! You want to cook it so there’s no liquid glaze left, but if you go too long it burns easily during this stage of the process.
Taste one piece of okra. Yum! Does it need more salt? Add a little more to taste. Serve alongside any protein you desire, cut some bread, and that’s dinner. Just don’t be surprised when the okra steals the show.
