Fried Okra

I first had fried okra at Memaw's house along with fried green tomatoes.  However, I do not remember her growing okra so I don't know where she got the okra.  (Likely from a neighbor who had a bumper crop!)  Recently Laura visited with her fella.  They seemed to like it so I said I would post the recipe.

Without being 100 miles south of the Mason-Dixon line, good fried okra can hard to find.  Outside of the south, okra is generally found frozen, pre-coated, and heavily breaded.  In the summertime, it is easy to grow and has gorgeous Hibiscus-like flowers, and it is simple to grow from seed.  Out of ten okra plants, I harvest the pods daily when they are about 4 to 5 inches long.  I keep them in the fridge in a colander until I have enough to fry.  I will get four servings worth about every two or three days.  

Slice the okra into 3/4 inch slices and drop in a bowl with a beaten egg.  Mix it well so that the okra is thoroughly coated.  Let it set for 20 minutes in the fridge stirring to re-coat it often.  

While the okra sets in egg, mix up the coating.  Equal parts of white cornmeal with all-purpose flour, salt and pepper, and whatever else you might want.  (Garlic powder, HotShot, cayenne, etc.)  

The egg will "soak" into the okra quite a bit and the okra will be very sticky.  Remove the okra from the egg and toss in the coating ensuring it is covered.

Don't worry if you get a bit of clumping.  Once coated, place in hot oil.  (I like avocado oil because it has a very high smoke point.)

Gently stir often until the okra is fully cooked and browned to your liking on all sides.  

When done, drain well on paper towel or in metal basket.  Season with salt/pepper to taste.  I really like okra.  I have several okra recipes that I like to make, but this one seems universally enjoyed even by people who "don't like okra."  My other recipes do not have family ties though but I may post them anyway!

I will sometimes fry green beans using the same method!  Tasty!