A long green pod, full of seeds, the okra exudes a sticky juice in cooking. It has a flavour that resembles brinjals. It’s sold fresh and canned. Fresher ones should snap easily and the seeds firm and hard.
Use: A vegetable that is widely used in Indian curries, Middle Eastern dishes, Caribbean, Creole (an essential ingredient of the soup stew gumbo)and southern US cookery where it is also called ‘ladies’ fingers’. It’s great for thickening stews and braised dishes