Gluten-Free Fried Okra (Yep, I fried it!)
November 3, 2009 { }
I might lose some subscribers over this, but I fried okra. (They kind of look like tater tots, huh?) Actually I breaded the okra and my husband did the frying. It all started with our CSA basket full of okra. Joe loves fried okra. He mentioned it four or five times and I pretended like I didn’t hear him because I don’t deep fry food. But, the sixth and seventh time he mentioned how much he loves fried okra, I caved.
I’m always talking about balance and moderation, right? Fried okra once in a while can’t hurt. (Just so you know, this was a real stretch for me!) I would not recommend this to anyone trying to shed pounds, nor would I suggest eating fried foods on a regular basis. This was a big treat at our house – at least it was for Joe.
Joe was out of town for quite some time, so I had to freeze the okra to keep it from going bad. I breaded it and put it in a single layer on a cookie sheet with waxed paper. I froze it overnight and then bagged it – this keeps it from sticking together.
He took over the frying duties. I used to work in restaurants and made fried foods all of the time but it’s been so long. I was happy to let him do it.
It really was fantastic – crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Joe was really impressed that the breading wasn’t greasy at all. I had a little bit…it was good, it’s just not my thing. But I proved that great fried gluten-free food is totally possible. And my husband got homemade fried food – for the first and probably only time.
Do you deep-fry? Or, do you make foods on special request because it will make someone you love happy?
Tomorrow – Holiday Food Fest starts! It’s being hosted by Liz at Hoosier Homemade. Link your favorite fall dessert – or just stop by and say hello. She’s giving away a fabulous cookbook from Pampered Chef.
Baking Day - If you haven’t seen my Baking Day post, stop on over and see my very first loaf of gluten-free bread. It turned out pretty well for a first-go-round!
This post is linked to What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free and Real Food Wednesday.
Gluten-Free Fried Okra
serves 4 as a side
Adapted from The Lee’s Brothers2 large eggs, lightly beated
3/4 cup milk
2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons white rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 pound okra, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
4 cups canola oil**If you want to keep the fried okra warm in the oven, preheat it to 225 degrees.
Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with waxed paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, mix together the cornmeal, rice flour, salt, and pepper. Add the sliced okra to the milk mixture, then move it to the cornmeal mixture and toss it around to coat. It’s ok to get your hands in the mix – it works better that way. Move breaded okra to the lined sheet pan. Repeat until all of the okra has been breaded.
Heat oil in an enameled cast-iron dutch oven (I used my 6 quart dutch oven but a smaller one would work.) until the temperature reaches 375 degrees on a candy thermometer. Transfer about 1/3 – 1/2 of the okra to the hot oil, depending on how large your skillet it, with a slotted spoon or mesh frying spoon. Let cook until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a double layer of paper towels. Once it has drained, you can move that to an oven-safe crock and keep it warm if desired.
Enjoy! (Maybe…)
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Tags: breading > flash freezing > fried > gluten free breading recipe > gluten-free > okra
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About Amy Green
Nearly 6 years of living free of refined sugars and gluten has stopped my food cravings enabled me to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's SS&GF and delicious. I hope to help you do the same. Read more about my story here.
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November 3rd, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
The only thing I’ve deep fried ever were wontons that I made for a daring cooks challenge. In fact, I’ve never had okra (and only heard about it for the 1st time this year) – I guess its not that common in my neck of the woods =D. But I must say, this looks delicious – I’m glad Joe enjoyed this special treat!
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November 4th, 2009 @ 12:17 am
I love okra, but have only had it fried once. This looks way better than what I had! I’ve only deep-fried things a few times, but it’s a nice treat every once in a while. Somehow it doesn’t feel as bad for me if I do it at home.
Corn flour fries really nicely, and it browns well too. I like how there’s no need to go to extremes to make this type of breading gluten-free. Thanks for the recipe!
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Amy Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 8:09 am
@Gina (Gluten-free Gourmand), I agree completely – if I fry it, it’s gotta’ be better for me than if someone else does.
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November 4th, 2009 @ 7:23 am
These are beautiful! I know Joe loved every single one. It’s ok to cave once in a while. (Once in a very infrequent while) when it comes to frying for the love of our lives. I detest frying food and until recently was all my love wanted/would eat. Joe’s a very blessed man!
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November 4th, 2009 @ 7:29 am
Okra in any form is not a treat in our house, so I won’t be making this one. I don’t actually deep fry, but I do sometimes fry in a little oil. They like tater tots or French fries done that way.
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November 4th, 2009 @ 8:03 am
See, you say this isn’t really your thing, and I’ve over here thinking “Oh HELL yeah!” I love fried okra. Of course, it’s not an everyday thing, but this looks amazing, and I bet it was nice and crispy. If this breading works for okra, I wonder what else it would work for? Hmmm…
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Amy Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 8:08 am
@Alta, You are a hoot. I know we have vastly different culinary points of view, which often cross nicely. I think it’s just from my days of being FAT. Fried food still freaks me out.
The breading – fabulous. If I ever do this again, I’ll make a double batch of breading because toward the end you have little clumps from the buttermilk. It’s been so long since I breaded anything that I forgot about that part.
I also think this would be great with some cayenne or ancho chili powder….don’t know why I never think to put this kind of stuff in the post.
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Alta Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 8:27 am
@Amy, I can totally understand the aversion to it. I’m honestly not huge on fried foods – I love them once in a while, but (pre-gluten-free) if I got to a point where I ate stuff like that regularly, ugh, it was so gross after a while! In a way, it kinda makes me glad that eating fast food is hard on a gluten-free diet – because it’s not good and it’s so greasy-gross! But a homemade, special treat like this? Totally worth it and delicious once in a while!
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November 4th, 2009 @ 10:13 am
The fried okra looks good to me! I think I learned to like okra when I lived in Texas. And, I’m not afraid to deep fry foods at my house. I actually bought a deep fryer when I was trying to get my celiac son to gain weight. Perhaps not the best solution, but I had tried several other suggestions from the nutritionist and it just wasn’t working. In case you’re wondering, the deep fried foods didn’t help him gain weight either. We still use the fryer, though. Makes everything nice and crispy.
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November 4th, 2009 @ 11:51 am
Can’t really embrace this one- gave up fried foods earlier this year. If anyone can make fried okra call to the yeanings of their inner soul– you have done it.
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November 4th, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I don’t think I’ve had fried okra before. Okra isn’t as popular in the Northwest as it is elsewhere. However, I am a fan of fried foods, in moderation of course.
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November 5th, 2009 @ 8:22 am
I’ve never tried okra, and am a little afraid too. I’ve been trying all sorts of new things lately but think this is on the bottom of my want to try list, hehe.
However, if like you I got okra in my CSA box I’d probably try it… that’s what drove my experiments this summer.
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Amy Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 9:13 am
@Rachel, Okra is really good – I like it raw. It has a good crunch and it’s good for you, which is why I hated to fry it.
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November 5th, 2009 @ 9:38 am
Girl, we are from Texas and LOVE, LOVE fried okra. Haven’t made it in a while, but you are tempting me with this recipe. We just found out my son has a gluten intolerance and this is perfect! Thanks so much.
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November 5th, 2009 @ 10:11 am
Ha! I can’t beleive you posted something fried! It makes me feel better though, cause my husband has been begging me to let him post his Johnny Carino’s nachos recipe. If you’ve never heard of them I think they have like 1200 calories per serving. A heart clogging mans’ dream to eat. I put my heels down and said ‘no’! (My blog is supposed to be about healthy food!) But he’s been giving me those puppy dog eyes,which means I may cave soon, especially after reading this post….
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Amy Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 10:35 am
@Chelsey, There is no such thing as a perfect diet, so once in a very distant blue moon is ok with me.
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March 3rd, 2010 @ 7:35 pm
Oh Amy… I have to commend you on your well disciplined lifestyle. I’m guilty of loving (most)deep fried foods(Nothing ridiculous like fried butter though). Although deep frying is far from healthy, I find it creates a unique flavor and texture that can’t easily be found elsewhere. Maybe it’s just the comfort I find in the nostalgia of the process, who knows but then again, I’ll eat almost anything that tastes good!
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Amy Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 9:29 am
@Vincent, I agree with you on the flavor and texture of deep frying. When I had to give up wheat, that meant most fried foods were out because they’re dredged in flour. After years of not eating anything fried, my body doesn’t handle it well anymore.
I did love eating that okra – and the truth is that the okra wasn’t greasy at all.
I had some (ok, 5 to be exact) tortilla chips at Maximo’s during Chef’s Table for HCSA and they were fabulous. I was stuffed by the time we had our main course – I’m guessing it was the extra fat. Who knows. But it was totally worth it.
Just an aside – I just ordered the study guide for our nutrition class….thanks for the head’s up. I hope it helps me on our midterm.
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