Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Slime-Free Market Fresh: Cooking With Okra
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Aug 12, 2011
Modified Aug 12, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Aug 12, 2011
Modified Aug 12, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Welcome back to our series Market Fresh, in which we take a look at one ingredient that's showing up in the city's Greenmarkets right now and tell you what to do with it. Last week, we looked at heirloom tomatoes, and today we're cooking with okra.
Okra, also known as lady's fingers, sometimes gets a bad rep because it can veer toward the slimy. But fresh okra, when quickly cooked with acidic ingredients like tomato or vinegar, has a lovely, slime-free snap that makes them addictive as a snack-sized finger food or as part of a larger dish. We spoke to Cafe 92YTribeca executive chef Russell Moss to find out what he does with the pods.
"I love okra and that puts me in the minority," Moss says. "However, really fresh okra cooked when it is at its peak makes me so many okra converts that I am always thinking of new ways to utilize this summer treat. This recipe includes some of my other favorite things like mustard seed and pistachio. It’s friendly to bright wines with maybe a little sweetness like big chardonnays and Rieslings. Many cooks have theories about cooking okra in order to eliminate the “sliminess” but if the okra is fresh just go with it."
Cafe 92YTribeca's Russell Moss's okra with ginger and tomatoes with candied pistachios
Serves four as an appetizer or a side
1 pound of very fresh okra
1 large tomato or 2 average size tomatoes, diced
2 ounces of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/2 medium-sized onion, diced
2 teaspoons of mustard seed
1 teaspoon of freshly ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground allspice
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
2 tablespoons of canola oil
For the pistachios:
3 oz of shelled pistachios
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of cumin
1 small pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon of water
For the candied pistachios:
Mix pistachios, sugar, salt, cumin, cayenne and water in a small bowl.
Place on a non-stick baking pan.
Bake at three hundred and fifty degrees for about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool
For the okra:
Sweat the onion with all the spices (ginger, mustard seed, cumin, allspice) in the canola oil until the onion is translucent.
Turn up the heat and add the okra, cook for about five minutes.
Add the tomato and continue cooking until the water from the tomato is almost gone.
Add the vinegar and cook for another minute.
Salt to taste
Serve topped with the candied pistachios.
Tagged
92ytribeca
greenmarket
market fresh
okra
recipe
Jamie Feldmar
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .