Vegetables · Pods, beans & sprouts
Okra
Ridged green pods (bhindi) with tender seeds; fried crisp or stewed, where they thicken the sauce.
Also called: bhindi, lady's fingers, bamya, gumbo
Photo: ArionStar, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)
What it is
Okra pods are finger-length, ridged and tapered, with fuzzy green skin and rows of white seeds inside. When cut and cooked in liquid they release a slippery mucilage that thickens gumbos and soups. Small, young pods are most tender.
Abelmoschus esculentus
How it’s used
- Stir-fried dry (bhindi masala)
- Stewed with tomato (bamya)
- Thickening gumbo and West African soups
- Fried in batter or cornmeal
- Pickled
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mild and grassy, like a green bean.
- Texture
- Crisp outside, soft seeds; slippery when stewed.
- When cooked
- Releases sticky mucilage when cut and simmered; cooking whole, dry, over high heat or with acid reduces sliminess.
- Sold as
- fresh, frozen, dried
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for frying, Used for thickening
- Common in
- Indian, Southern US, West African, Nigerian, Egyptian, Turkish, Caribbean, Levantine
Storage
Refrigerated. Keep dry and unwashed in a paper bag in the fridge; wash and dry just before cutting. Use within a few days.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 33 kcal
- Protein
- 1.93 g
- Carbohydrate
- 7.45 g
- Fat
- 0.19 g
- Fibre
- 3.2 g
- Sugars
- 1.48 g
USDA FoodData Central: Okra, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Green beans — In dry stir-fries; no thickening.
Related ingredients
Recipes with okra
See all 20
Aseeda with mullah
Sudanese · 1 h 30 min · 504 kcal
Bamia (okra and beef stew)
South Sudanese · 1 h 35 min · 276 kcalBanku with okra stew
Ghanaian · 1 h 5 min · 640 kcal
Begova čorba (Bey's soup)
Bosnian · 1 h 35 min · 456 kcal
Bhindi masala
Indian · 35 min · 217 kcal · Vegan
Boule with okra sauce
Chadian · 1 h 15 min · 617 kcal
Calulu
Angolan · 1 h 10 min · 313 kcal
Canh chua cá
Vietnamese · 40 min · 305 kcal
Chicken and andouille gumbo
Southern US · 2 h 5 min · 771 kcalCou-cou and flying fish
Bajan · 1 h 30 min · 463 kcalDaraba
Chadian · 55 min · 304 kcal · VeganFouti
Guinean · 50 min · 515 kcal
8 more
- Hudut · Belizean
- Kajaik · South Sudanese
- Muamba de galinha · Angolan
- Pinakbet · Filipino
- Poulet nyembwe · Gabonese
- Sinigang na hipon · Filipino
- Superkanja · Gambian
- Tô with okra sauce · Malian
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