William Meppem (main)
It’s the vegetable that even vegetable-lovers love to hate. But we’re quite certain these okra recipes will convert even the most stubborn anti-okra diner – there’s Tony Tan’s stir-fried okra with garlic and ginger, or an addictive crisp-fried okra recipe with lemon and cumin.
We have side dish recipes for okra, such as Japanese okra skewers with ponzu, as well as Middle Eastern recipes with okra such as bamya – a lamb and okra stew. Plus, Christine Manfield shares her recipe for okra and pomegranate salad.
When choosing okra, look for small, green pods, free of bruises and blemishes, and tips that will snap off like fresh green beans. Slicing open okra pods releases their mucilaginous fibres – if you’d prefer to avoid this, keep the okra whole where possible.
Here are our best okra recipes.
Sean Moran’s heirloom tomato salad with feta, pistachio pesto and fried okra
Crisp pork belly stir-fry with snake beans and okra
Luke Burgess and Deborah Blank’s pickled okra
Stanbuli’s fava bean pâté with beetroot, carrot and pickled okra (Bakla ezmesi)
Stir-fried okra with garlic and ginger
Christine Manfield’s crisp okra and pomegranate salad
Couscous with roasted okra, dates and preserved lemon
Beef rib-eye with chilli and herb sauce and roast okra
Stanbuli’s Turkish-Cypriot fragrant village bread
