so i was cooking dinner last night
as i was prepping our fried okra
i started thinking about my mom's fried okra,
as i usually do when i make this seasonal dish
a couple of time a summer,
my mom's fried okra has always been
my all time favorite food! ever since i can remember
maybe a little unusual for a child's favorite food?
well, her's rocks!
& as far as i can remember, it is the only thing that she has ever fried
you would think...fried chicken, fried shrimp,
fried onion rings...maybe?
nope...just fried okra
so, when i got married, our first summer together,
i wanted to show off one night and make
a delicious, fresh, summer, farmer's market meal for my sweet hubby:
fried okra, silver queen corn, ripe sliced tomatoes,
lady peas, and boiled squash with onions
i had never made fried okra before
but i have seen her make it a hundred times
so i just experimented a little and...
walla! it was deliciousa!!!
maybe even better than moms! (luvyamom!)
recipe for 2 adults and 2 small children:
fresh okra / 2 or 3 handfuls of medium size...better smaller than larger)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (my secret ingredient)
lots of black pepper
tsp or so of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
peanut oil
• wash fresh okra and chop into 1/2 inch or slightly smaller pieces
• put all ingredients in large ziplock or tupperware container
• shake gently to coat
• in medium sized frying pan pour a little less than
1/2 inch of peanut oil
• bring to medium heat
• test oil by putting one piece of prepared okra in center of pan,
when it bubbles, the heat is at the correct temp
• gently place prepared okra to line the bottom of pan
(check top photo above...you will probably have to fry 2 batches)
• turning every so often, bring to a toasty golden brown
(as shown in bottom picture above)
_____________________________
yummy yummy!
the trick is that it is not "breaded" or "squooshy"
like the frozen kind
the added sugar gives it even more "crunch"
first time i made this dinner for hubby: "is there a meat?"
me: "the peas are your protein"
him: "oh, ok"
it is not that he was being ungrateful,
i honestly do not think he had ever had a dinner
(or supper, as i like to call it)
without meat!
he loved it!
except, to this day he will not put squash past his lips!
man, this is hard, because i really like it
but don't like cooking it just for 1
got our youngest to love my fried okra last night!
oldest wouldn't put it past his lips...
i will turn him into a fried okra lover before long though
& hubby will try & like squash one of these days!
(his mom says she called it "golden surprise" when he
was younger...he ate it & like it...
until one year he figured out it really was just "squash"
hope you will enjoy some yummy fried okra soon!
sorry for the rambling post...but i sure enjoyed this walk
down memory lane with you!
until then check out some of our
Back Yard Baby
(click link above)
