FOOD NEWS
Pan-Fried Okra Lets You Relish The Vegetable Without The Slimy Texture
BY JAVARIA AKBAR
To minimize okra's gooey center and make it more enjoyable to eat, slice it into rounds and fry it with a scrumptiously crisp coating of seasoned cornmeal.
Okra contains mucilage, a combination of sugar and protein residues. When heated, the viscosity of the mucilage increases, making its slimy texture even more slimy.
Frying okra, instead of giving it a long slow simmer, reduces the viscosity of the mucilage, and coating it with cornmeal lends heaps of textural interest to each bite-sized piece.
Coarsely textured cornmeal is what creates a crispy, golden crust on the surface of pan-fried okra and counteracts its sliminess by absorbing some of the viscous.
Slicing the okra into thin strips is another way to reduce their slime. From the increased surface area, the skinny strips will crisp up in the oil to give an appetizing crunch.