Okra Marshmallow Delights

Did you know you can make marshmallows out of this peculiar plant? Anything is possible when it comes to okra! Whether it’s a treat you’re creating at home with your family or an on-the-go snack, okra marshmallows will certainly become one of your favorites. Check out this amazing recipe by Katrina Blair.

The following is an excerpt from The Whole Okra by Chris Smith. It has been adapted for the web.

This creative recipe falls squarely into the you’ve- got-to-try-it-to-believe-it category. For anyone already familiar with Blair’s book The Wild Wisdom of Weeds (Chelsea Green, 2014), that should come as no surprise. I have a mind to keep a stash of these perfectly sweet, deep green, chewy treats in my bag at all times so I can hand them out whenever someone tells me they don’t like okra (which happens a lot).

Katrina noted that the mixture tends to flatten out while dehydrating, which is why she created strips (a little like making fruit leathers) and formed the marshmallow shapes afterward. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could follow the same process using an oven at its lowest temperature setting; check regularly so the okra doesn’t overcook. The aim is tacky-chewy, not hard-crunchy.

Makes 15–20 pieces

Ingredients

2 cups (200 g) sliced fresh okra
1 cup (225 ml) water, plus more if needed
1/2 cup (170 g) honey
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup (60 g) cashews, raw or roasted

Procedure

• Blend the okra with the water, honey, and vanilla in a high-powered blender until it creams up and becomes thick.
• Pour the mixture onto a dehydrator sheet in long strips and dry at 115°F (45°C) for about 6 hours. The mixture is dry enough once it can be peeled off the dehydrator sheet.
• Remove the strips from the sheet and tightly roll them up. The rolls can then be cut and formed into marshmallow-esque pieces.
• Powder the dry cashews in a food processer.
• Transfer the powder to a shallow bowl and roll the individual pieces in the powder until they appear white. These marshmallow treats can be eaten raw or skewered on a stick and warmed over a fire.

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Gretchen Kruesi

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