Okra Recipe: Fabulous Fries

Ever think about eating fries that aren’t made out of potatoes? Why not try okra fries! These easy to make and fun to eat treats are the perfect side to your meal, or you might be tempted to have a whole bowl full. Author Chris Smith pulls this fabulous recipe from Chef Viviane Howard.

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

This recipe likely wins the most cooked recipe award in my kitchen. It is quick and easy and consistently delicious. My daughter loves it, guests love it, and I love it. That said, all of the okra recipes from Howard’s book Deep Run Roots are pretty awesome.

Here is her introduction to the okra fries:

Okra cooked in the oven like this are a revelation. The first time I did it, I planned on having them as a side with dinner, but I ate every single piece before we sat down and concluded they were more appropriate as a snack. In the spirit of kale chips, but way tastier and more substantial, these fries will cook unevenly, so expect some crispy spots mingled with more chewy bites. If you’re using large, fat okra, slice them into quarters. If you’ve got immature pods, split them in half.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 pound okra (453 g; 20–25 pods), split or quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt 10 turns of the pepper mill or ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. In a medium bowl, toss the okra with the olive oil, coriander, salt, and black pepper.
3. Spread the okra onto a large baking pan, or two pans if necessary. What’s important is that the okra have plenty of room to spread out. If they are all piled on top of one another, they will steam, not roast.
4. Slide the pan onto the middle rack of the preheated oven.
5. After 10 minutes, toss the okra gently with a spatula and rotate the pans if you are using two.
6. Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes. When the okra is done, it will be brown and crispy in a lot of places but shouldn’t smell burnt.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature as a snack.

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