Food editor Kelly Brant has a love-hate relationship with okra. She loves the vibrant vegetal flavor. She loves its versatility — it is delicious fried, grilled, roasted, sauteed, stewed. She loves its nutritional value — 1 cup of raw okra has just 30 calories, is a good source of fiber and provides about 60 percent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin K.
But … she hates the slime.
Known as a mucilage, the gelatinous substance is a combination of proteins and carbohydrates. It is also what makes okra such a great thickener. There’s no way to guarantee slime-free pods, but Brant has picked up a few tips and tricks (and debunked a few, too) along the way.
For those tips and Brant’s favorite okra recipes read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Food section.