Pickled Okra

I’m a new convert to okra. Hannah, my flatmate of kale-cooking fame, is obsessed, and she introduced me. I’d read all sorts of horror stories about them being slimy, tasteless, disgusting... lies, my friends, all lies. Okra are crunchy with a sharp-sweet flavour, delicious in curries, or in jambalaya. And recently, browsing recipes online (as I am wont to do), I saw a link to a fancy online grocery store selling... PICKLED OKRA. I love pickles. I love okra. What could be better? Hannah and I had an excited Facebook exchange, but... Sadly, the shop was American, and I don’t live in America. For a moment, I was distraught, but then, well – what if I pickled some okra myself? I Googled like a madwoman, and there seemed to be plenty of (American) recipes available. I am a terrible person as far as following recipes properly goes, so this is an amalgamation and amendment of a few recipes I saw.

The okra come out really tangy and kind of spicy (and very vinegary - you might want to use a little less vinegar than I did)  and incredibly moreish.

This amount made two jars for me, but I'm afraid I don't know how big the jars are exactly - it doesn't say. I'd guess they're about 750ml each - they're short but quite fat!

You need:

Preserve jars – for pickling or jams. We had a couple hanging round the house because my Dad makes chutney, but they’re cheap, so it’s worth picking a some up - they come in handy

Okra!  And plenty of it – you want to really pack the jars

Apple cider vinegar - two-and-a-half cups

Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon per jar

Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon per jar

Chilli flakes – to taste. I used a tablespoon of mild chilli flakes per jar, and they had a little kick; you could add more if you want them HOT

A lemon

First up, you need to sterilise the jars and lids. If you have a dishwasher, you can just put them through on a hot wash – that’s what I did. If not, try following these instructions here.

Whilst that's going on, you can prepare the okra: give them a wash, then either top them, or top and tail them. I did a mixture of both, because I wasn't sure how it would affect the taste. They do taste a bit different, but both nice - Hannah says if she was forced to choose at gunpoint, it would be the top-and-tailed ones - but you can use either method, or a mixture!

Heat a decent-sized saucepan, and pop in the vinegar along with boiling water – I did two-and-a-half cups of each (that’s American cup measurements). Bring the whole thing to the boil, then turn the heat right down so that it stays warm without reducing.

Fill the jars with a slice of lemon and the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and chilli flakes, then pack the okra in on top of them. If you have any really long ones, you might have to cut them down to size!

As you can see, one of these jars cost £1.99...

Then you need to pour the warm vinegar mixture into the jars, almost but not quite to the top, run a knife around the edge of the okra and the jars to knock out any excess air. Wipe down the rims of the jars, and screw the lids on firmly. Stand the jars in warm water for fifteen minutes or so, and then stand them on a towel (not straight onto the cold sideboard) and let them cool.

Your pickled okra should be ready to eat in about 24 hours, but I left mine for a couple of weeks to let the flavours really infuse.

What recipes do you use okra in? Had you heard of pickled okra before? Do you ever make your own pickles or jams?

Love,

Emy

xxx