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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Chicken-Shrimp-Okra Gumbo





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4 comments:

  1. I`d love to cook this but I`ve got completely no idea what okra fruit is. =| Should I use mixed okra fruit pulp? How can I get it and how should I prepare it?

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  2. A bunch of folks from the Southern US are smiling and rolling their eyes from your comment and question. But, I guess I too have taken for granted that everyone knows what okra is. Okra is an interesting plant that produces a fuzzy elongated fruit tastes great when its fresh, but can get slimy if its not. Its used in gumbos, stews, and can be pickled or fried. It is a common accoutrement to many Cajun and southern dishes. Its also commonly used in cuisines throughout the world, and is known by other names such as 'lady fingers',
    'bamia', or 'bhindi'. You can learn more about okra on Wikipedia.org, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra.

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  3. Thanks for your question.

    I like to grow my own okra when I can. The best time to harvest okra for this type of gumbo is when the pods are around 4 inches, or less, in length. That is when the okra is the most tender. The fruit tends to get tougher once it grows past this length.

    I chop the pods into half-inch sizes (discarding the blunt end which was attached to the stalk) and add them to my gumbo at the beginning of the cooking cycle, but only after I have turned the heat down to medium-low.

    It is important to constantly stir your gumbo after you add the okra because if you don't it has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

    If the okra begins to stick to the bottom of your pot do NOT scrape it up because to do so will ruin the entire gumbo. If that happens you should stir about an inch off the bottom.

    If you don't grow your own okra, you can buy some already cut-up in the frozen food section of your local grocery store.

    I hope this helps you.

    Thanks for visiting Real Cajun Cooking.

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  4. I get it. =) Thank you for comprehensive directions. I know I made culinary slip-up, but in Europe, especially my country, it`s not well known at all. I`m going to cook it and I`ll let you know what`s my impression.

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