Recipe - Fried Okra or Eggplant

Iftar was a blend of two times – my moms and my mine. We did her famous mee goring or fried noodles and a recipe which I just found which fried okra is or okra fritters. The recipe for the fried noodles is on the next blog.

The fried okra recipe I found somewhere online though I am not sure where. I was looking around my recipe list and thought I would try it. Its basically okra fritters. I decided to add to the mix some baby eggplants – both the veggie fritters takes the place of the traditional banana fritters that we usually have though my mom wasn’t a big fan of it. So guess who finished it all lol . Here is the recipe for the Fried Okra ..

Fried Okra or Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 pound whole, fresh okra or 2 large eggplants or 7 baby eggplants

3 ½ cups vegetable oil – for frying

Batter

1 cup flour

½ cup cornmeal

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp cumin powder

½ tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ cup + 2 Tbsp. water

2 eggs

2 tsp hot chili sauce

Directions:

1. Wash okra and trim the ends. Chop the okra into 1 ½ inch length. Set aside.

2. When using eggplant do the following - Cut eggplants into 20 or so slices about

5 mm thick. You can however cut it into thicker and smaller pieces if you like.

Sprinkle both sides of each slice with salt. Leave to stand in a colander for

about 20 mins. Rinse the eggplants under water; drain well and pat dry with

paper towel.

3. In a large mixing bowl… combine flour, flour, cornmeal, kosher salt, cayenne

and freshly ground black pepper. Stir with spatula to mix. Add water and eggs

to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth and free of lumps. Stir in hot chili s

sauce and whisk a few times to mix well.

4. Add to the batter, the washed and trimmed okra. Stir with a spoon, making

sure okra is well coated with the batter. Do the same with the eggplants.

5. Using a large, deep skillet… heat the oil to 350°F. (Use a thermometer to be

sure.) Spoon battered okra or eggplant, one piece at a time, into the hot oil.

Fry several pieces at a time… about 2 minutes on each side or until golden

brown. Follow the same method in frying the rest of the okra or eggplant.

6. Drain on paper towels. Serve 3 – 4 people.

As with any batter, adjust the taste to your liking. I added cumin and extra cayenne pepper just because I like things a little spicy. You can dip these fritters in chili sauce or just have it on its own. It works either way. Here is a picture of the dish – not the clearest but you get the idea. And the taste of the okra with the spicy batter is indeed splendid ;)) I know I enjoyed it I guess the fact its friend makes it even nicer … I know fried foods bad but hey food were meant to be enjoyed so enjoy…..