Okra recipes have been in use for the longest time, dating back centuries ago. In today's post, I will be sharing with you some amazing Okra recipes from across Africa that you might find enjoyable.
Monotony is one thing that can make your food experience boring. I never wanted to be a foodie because I felt I had limited options and I started to hate the monotony and repetition.
Then I realized that I was stuck in a box as I needed to explore recipe websites and food bloggers who had found ways to spice up this thing called food.
Okra is one such vegetable that I thought could be eaten in only one form. Once I started exploring, I had the time of my life and realized that one food could have multiple variations. The Okra recipes I have discovered have blown my mind (Not literally, but you get the drift).
So if you have been bored lately with the monotony of how you cook your Okra, I am here to enlighten you on amazing Okra recipes from across Africa.
Before we get into the Okra recipes properly, let us get to know the intricacies of Okra as a vegetable.
What is Okra?
Okra/Okro also known as ochro or ladies’ fingers, is a warm-season vegetable. It is a good source of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. It contains a sticky juice that people use to thicken sauces.
Origin of Okra
The origin of Okra is often disputed amongst the Western, Northern, and Eastern parts of Okra as they all claim that it originated from their parts of the world. However, history shows that it most likely originated from the Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries who used the Arabic word for the plant, bamya.
Okra is said to have come into Egypt from Arabia, but earlier it was probably taken from Ethiopia to Arabia. The plant may have entered southwest Asia across the Red Sea or the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to the Arabian Peninsula, rather than north across the Sahara, or from India.
The scientific/botanical name for Okra is Abelmoschus esculentus.
you should have mentioned how much easier it is to chop the okra finely if you use a quick pulse in the blender when short on time. ila alasepo is my absolute favourite on cold evenings. buying fresh okra in the UK can be hit or miss though, half the time the ones from Sainsbury's are woody so i just get the frozen rings from the local African store now.
Ag, that blender pulse trick is a total game-changer when you are short on time! We get the same woody okra here in Pretoria if you do not catch them young. I actually like tossing fresh ones onto the braai grid for a quick char before chopping, it is baie lekker and brings out amazing flavour, just like my ouma se resep. Frozen rings are definitely much less hassle!