irhyslee: Finally, an actual recipe amongst all the dicks and shit… although with the other posts, was half expecting a dick to pop up half way through as a troll.
TheLadyEve: **About Okra**: Okra is a vegetable that was first cultivated in Northeast Africa. It’s a member of the mallow family, which makes it related to cotton and hibiscus. The seed pods are the part of the plant that are cooked and eaten. If you’ve had okra, then you might know that it can be a little slimy if not prepared properly. That slime in the okra is actually great as a culinary thickener, which is why okra is sometimes added to stews and is also a very common gumbo ingredient.
However, if the okra is cooked with a sufficient amount of acid, the sliminess will disappear. That’s how okra and tomatoes came to be! Even though they originated on separate continents, okra and tomatoes are a classic combo in the American South. Okra was introduced to the American South in the 18th century during the Atlantic slave trade, and has since become common vegetable not just in African American cuisine but in Southern cuisine more generally.
**Okra and Tomatoes**
Source: [Southern Living]( https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/classic-okra-and-tomatoes-recipe)
1 pound fresh okra
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut in wedges
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon water
Cook the okra in boiling water to cover in a saucepan 10 minutes or until tender; drain, cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Cut the okra into ¼-inch-thick slices, discarding the stems.
Heat the bacon drippings in a saucepan over medium-high; add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, lemon, and okra. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir together the flour and 1 tablespoon water until smooth; add the okra mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 or 3 minutes or until thickened.
**Okra tips:** Wash the pods well before you cut them and cook them–and dry them well, too. Also, you can soak the okra slices before you stew them. This is not necessary, but can further help the texture and cut the sliminess. You can use a weak vinegar solution (4 oz of vinegar in 500ml of very cold water will do it) and let the cut up okra sit in it for an hour or so. Also, if you listen to my mother, don’t cover the pot while you’re cooking the okra and tomaotes! The steam trapped in the cooking pot can actually make it come out more slimy, or so I grew up hearing.
**A word about cooking vessels:** If you’re going to cook an acidic food like this in cast iron, make sure it’s damn well seasoned. Acidic foods can strip your seasoning if left in long enough, so you have to be careful. I avoid this issue by using an enameled Dutch oven.
harryputtar: Okra or Bhindi is very widely available in India. One thing that I noticed the recipe does which is slightly off – putting is that the Okra was boiled and then immediately cut into smaller pieces. In India, we would typically wash the Okra first and leave it out to dry, and then cut it. This ensures that the Okra doesn’t slime while being cut, and it then retains much more flavour. Saute the dry cut Okra before adding the onions, and then add the tomatoes last, for the best effect.
MacrosInHisSleep: I read somewhere that you completely lose the green color if you cover the lid and that it’s better to leave it open. Same goes with spinach.
Ryparian: So why boil the okra first? This dish was a childhood staple for me but we always just added it straight to the onion and tomato raw. Maybe just personal preference for texture?
Lederhosenpants: Eh I give this recipe a 4/10. Not enough dicks.
Strange_Dog: This looks a great vegetarian recipe… then you use bacon drippings 😂 sub for olive oil and add some paprika for some smokey flavour
Danielle082: Make a little roux w those drippings and add some shrimp. It will be perfect.