Okra
Ingredients
Directions
Dry on a thread
String small, tender okra pods on a stout thread and hang over the stove to dry.
If drying in the oven, heat the okra before storing on trays.
Blanch and dry
Wash the okra, then blanch in boiling soda water for three minutes.
Mix ½ teaspoon baking soda with 1 gallon of water for blanching.
Dry the okra for two to three hours at 110°F to 140°F.
Dry young and small tender pods whole; cut older pods into ¼ inch slices.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Okra
- Tender pods lose their water during drying and become a chewy, concentrated piece.
- Baking soda
- Raises the pH of the blanching water, helping the pods keep a brighter green colour.
The step that matters
Dry the okra for two to three hours at 110°F to 140°F. Moisture must leave the pods steadily and fully. Pieces that stay damp can spoil or mould in storage, while overly high heat can case-harden the outside and trap moisture inside.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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