Braised Okra with Green Beans and Sweetcorn
Chef Patricia Nunes
“Okra takes me back to being 6 years old. Back to Minas Gerais, south-east of Brazil. It reminds me of my curious spirit, moments with my grandma and my mother preparing my favourite dish - Braised Okra. It’s the simplest and finest taste and smell to my senses.
Sometimes the recipe would vary with green beans and sweetcorn, other times it would be okra with sweetcorn and chayote, or maybe only chayote and okra. However, okra was always the main ingredient, with a classic chilli and fresh parsley.
Okra’s grassy and unique flavour sparked my interest in cooking.
Since I was a child, the idea of losing my mother and grandmother made me ponder the question, ‘If they were gone, how would I eat? Who would cook my slimy okra?’ Cooking for me started with this survival instinct. I wanted and needed to eat, so I realised with innocent urgency that I had to learn to cook before they are gone.
This experience with my grandma caused me to reflect further, because she didn’t like to cook but she could still cook beautifully. This made me think, 'To cook well we don't need to know or love cooking, we just need to 'cook' to start with'. That made me feel capable.
By cooking, I learned that it is a very personal process, you need to take a chance to discover where you are in this dynamic. You may love cooking, or you're going to cook just because you have to, or you're going to hate cooking and will starve of your own flavour, taking all this treasure away with you, wasted.
Through home cooking, I learned that I love food - not only okra. I thank my family for allowing me in the kitchen and teaching me, because this connection with food shaped my life and since then it has opened the door to our next generation.”
– Patricia Nunes –
Ingredients
1 tbsp lard or coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium garlic cloves
100g green beans
250g okra
2 corn on the cob
1 chili pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Method
- 1. Peel the onion and dice it. In a medium pot, gently warm the oil or lard. Add in the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until softened but uncoloured. Mince the garlic and finally chop the parsley and chili pepper.
- Wash the vegetables well. Stand an ear of corn up on the chopping board and using a short knife, cut the kernels off from top to bottom as you rotate it. Cut the okra in 1cm pieces and the green beans to 2-3cm.
- To the cooking pot, add the green beans and the garlic, then allow to gently cook for 5 minutes. Add the okra and the corn. Stir carefully but thoroughly, then cover and cook gently for a further 5 minutes on low heat.
- Once the pot is lightly simmering, add 1tsp of salt. Stir carefully but thoroughly once more, then give the pan a light shake every now and again for further 10 minutes.
- The vegetables should slow cook for about 20 minutes in total in their own liquid. Taste to make sure they are tender and cooked through. In this recipe, the okra will be slimy. If you dislike this texture, check the notes below.
- Once done, the vegetables can sit for a while. When ready to eat, warm the vegetables – they need not be piping hot – then gently mix in the chopped chili and parsley, and any other seasoning you feel may be required.
Notes from the Chef
Okra pods are known as “mucilaginous,” which results in a slimy or gooey mouthfeel when cooked. Some people enjoy this texture, while others try to dislike the slippery nature of the pods.
If you are in the second group, to reduce the sliminess soak the okra in vinegar for half an hour before cooking. One done, rinse it and pat dry. Finally, you can pre-cook okra at very high heat by sautéing, roasting, blanching or grilling. Then add the cooked okra to your recipe.
Bear in mind, the more you cook this vegetable, the more nutrients are lost along the way.
