How I Cook Okra [for Cajun Rice]

I tend to get a little overzealous when I go to the store sometimes.

I saw prepackaged fresh okra for $2.12 at this great international market and I couldn't not buy it.

But it sat in my fridge for about a week before I put it to good use.

Now okra isn't for everyone. And cooking it isn't necessarily hard particularly if you're using it in a stew (a la gumbo). However, if you're particular about the amount of slime that may secrete from your okra in your dish then I say follow my simple method of cooking it.

Now I'm sure someone with a more sciencey background will refute my method but this has worked for me for years so I'll just stick to my method if you don't mind.

The key to reducing okra to minimal slimeyness is to keep it as dry as possible the whole time you handle it.

After washing okra, allow it to dry on a paper towel before cutting into it.

When you are cutting it, make sure your knife and your cutting board is as dry as you can get it. When cutting your okra, slice the tops off and discard them. That's the slime source. You don't want that.

Even with all the precautions there's still a little slime on the knife.

Finally, cook all of your other vegetables before you are ready to cook your okra. This is important because the vegetables you cook will release their moisture and if the okra's in there those veggies will trigger its need to secrete. Trust me on this one.

If you follow all of this you should have relatively slime-free okra for dishes such as the one I will talk about now!


Cajun Rice

Ingredients
Rice, cooked and allowed to cool
Okra, sliced (follow directions above on how to prepare the okra)
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
Frozen corn kernels
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Cajun seasoning and/or Old Bay (I used a little bit of both)
Oil

Directions
Cook the rice (How to cook rice tutorial will come soon. I have gotten lazy at the ripe old age of 26 so I just use a rice cooker) and set aside to cool.

Heat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet to medium high heat and add a little oil in the pan. Once heated, add onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan.

Once the  vegetables caramelize,  add the frozen corn kernels and cook for 3 minutes or until the corn is thawed.

Add the okra and cook for 7-10 minutes stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the cajun seasoning and Old Bay.

Turn off the heat and fold the rice gently into the vegetable mix.