Southern Fried Okra

My 55th recipe "Southern Fried Okra", a quick and easy snack / side. Perfect as a vegetarian option for a outdoor BBQ or an anytime snack.

When I moved to Texas a few years back, I did not have many restaurant options where I get vegetarian food. So whenever I decide to visit one of the local restaurants here, I was forced to just stick with ordering the sides. This Southern Fried Okra was one such side which I had on multiple occasions and loved.

It was different from the usual spicy fries we make in India. This was crispier and the okra still remained crunchy inside, which made it an instant hit with me. Though I liked it, I never got the courage to try it at home. But finally when I saw some okras resting in my fridge, I summoned enough courage to try these cute little fried okras. After customizing to my taste buds, they turned out perfectly crispy and delicious 😉

Southern Fried Okra

Southern Fried Okra

Revathi Palani

Southern Fried Okra is a staple in many southern style restaurants in Texas. Learn how to prepare the perfectly crisp and delicious fried okra at home.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 20 Ladies finger | Okra
• 3 Cups Butter milk (*Vegans can replace with Non-Dairy Milk)
• 1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 Cup Yellow cornmeal
• ½ Cup All purpose flour
• Salt - To taste
• 4 tsp Black pepper powder
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• Oil - For frying

Instructions

 

• First slice the okra into ½ inch thick pieces. Remove some of their stickiness by placing them on a paper napkin.
  <br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />
• Now take a bowl, add the butter milk, ginger garlic paste and mix thoroughly. Now add the okra into the buttermilk and let it soak for about 5 minutes.
  <br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-1.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />&nbsp;<img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-2.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />
• Meanwhile take a bowl, add the cornmeal, all purpose flour, black pepper powder, salt and red chilli powder, mix them thoroughly and keep aside.

  <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-3.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />&nbsp;<img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-4.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />

  
  
• Now heat a pan with oil for frying the okra. Drain the okra from butter milk, dredge it in cornmeal flour mixture and fry in hot oil for a couple of minutes until the color changes to golden brown. Place the fried okra on a paper napkin to remove excess oil.

  <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-5.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />&nbsp;<img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-6.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" /><br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-7.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />&nbsp;<img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/fo-8.jpg" alt="okra" width="47%" />
• Serve hot as an appetizer, snack or side.
  <br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/southern-okra-1.jpg" alt="southern okra fry" width="100%"/><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/southern-okra-2.jpg" alt="southern okra fry" width="100%"/>
  

Notes | FAQ

- Do not mix the okras with the cornmeal flour mixture. Instead just dredge them as we do breadcrumb coating for cutlets.

- If the cornmeal-flour mixture gets wet then it will not stick to the okra.

- I fried the okras in about 5 batches. We want our oil to be hot enough so fry them in batches. Refer cooking tips section.

- Do adjust the pepper, chilli powder and salt according to your taste. I like them spicy.

- I added ginger garlic paste per my taste preference. You can skip it if you prefer. Else you can also skip it and instead add garlic powder to the cornmeal flour mixture.