Fried Okra with Buttermilk Herb Sauce Recipe
Fried Okra with Buttermilk Herb Sauce
I would be remiss if I didn’t post a fried okra recipe on a blog about southern food. So… here it is! I think we all fondly remember food from our childhood and the ultimate comfort meal for me would include fried chicken, black-eyed peas, creamed corn, and collard greens. My mother and most southern cooks would almost always serve fried okra with a traditional meal such as this. During the summer, okra occupied a prominent place in most Aberdeen, Mississippi vegetable gardens.
In the old South, where vegetables were cooked to death, okra was sometimes boiled along with other vegetables, such as black-eyed peas or butter beans. When overcooked, okra becomes very slimy and in my opinion, not very appetizing. I much prefer the fried preparation!
Although the origins of okra are disputed, most agree that it probably originated around Ethiopia. Its cultivation spread throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East and in the 1700s, okra came to North America, probably brought by slaves, and it became a common part of the southeastern U.S. diet. In Louisiana, the Creoles learned from slaves that it could be used to thicken soups. Today, okra is still an essential ingredient in gumbo.
Clearly, fried okra is not a regular part of my diet today, but when I make it, I give myself total license to enjoy it without guilt!
Fried Okra with Buttermilk Herb Sauce
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- 1 tbsp minced flat leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- For the okra:
- 1 lb okra, stem end trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Canola oil
Instructions
For the sauce:
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the okra:
1. In a medium bowl, pour buttermilk over okra and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Mix flour, corn meal, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.
3. In a large cast iron skillet, add oil to to about 1/4 inch deep. Heat to approximately 350 degrees or until a pinch of flour/corn meal mixture sizzles when dropped in oil.
4. With a slotted spoon, drain 1/3 of okra and place in flour/corn meal mixture. Toss well, shake off excess and place in oil.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning a couple of times, until golden brown.
6. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
7. Repeat process in two more batches with remaining okra.
8. Serve immediately with buttermilk herb sauce.
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http://www.southernboydishes.com/2013/05/24/fried-okra-with-buttermilk-herb-sauce/
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