Baked Okra Recipe
I’m not sure if I’ve told this story before, but during my university years, the place where I was doing my internship took us out for lunch one day. At the meal, someone who was probably around the age I am now ordered okra. Back then, I was so shocked that someone would go to a restaurant and willingly agree to pay a considerable amount of money for okra that, even after all these years, I still haven’t forgotten the incident.
By the way, the reason this surprised me wasn’t because I disliked okra. I actually love it. But as someone who came from a lower-middle-class family, I still carried this mental distinction between “foods you eat at home” and “foods you eat at restaurants.” Okra belonged firmly in the “home food” category. Kind of like how many people find ordering pasta at a restaurant pointless.
Would I order okra at a restaurant now? Probably still not. But this time, for a different reason. Honestly, I’m not sure I could find a place that makes it better than the way I cook it at home, exactly to my own taste. At least, I wouldn’t want to take that risk. Of course, if I ever get the chance to try kuru bamya in Konya, I definitely wouldn’t pass it up.
Now, back to baked olive oil okra... This is basically the oven version of the classic Turkish olive oil okra dish. Unlike my usual recipe, I didn’t add flour this time. That’s because it cooks with very little added water, mostly in its own juices and the juices from the tomatoes, and oven dishes naturally tend to have a thicker consistency anyway. Especially after they’ve rested for a while after cooking. Since I prefer olive oil dishes warm rather than piping hot, it reaches exactly the consistency I like at the temperature I enjoy eating it. But if you’d like it to be thick while still served hot, you can add about 1 teaspoon of flour. On the other hand, if you prefer it more soupy, you can simply increase the amount of water.
The fresh herb I think pairs best with okra is dill. But of course, I’m well aware that plenty of people dislike dill, so I didn’t want to skip mentioning it. If you don’t like dill, you can simply leave it out. You don’t have to replace it with anything, but if you enjoy it, parsley would work nicely too.
Enjoy...
Ingredients
- 800 g cleaned okra
- 1 large onion,
- 1 red pepper,
- 1½ cups grated tomato,
- 1/2 cup water,
- 1 tsp salt,
- 1 tsp sugar,
- Juice of 1/2 lemon,
- 4–5 tbsp olive oil,
- A pinch of chopped dill.
Preparation
- Slice the onion into half moons,
- Sprinkle with a little salt and rub until it releases its juices,
- Spread the onion over the bottom of a suitably sized baking dish,
- Spread the okra on top,
- Add the grated tomato and water,
- Sprinkle with the chopped dill,
- Add the salt and sugar, then drizzle with olive oil,
- Cover with a sheet of wet parchment paper,
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C until the okra is tender.
Enjoy...