We have had a bumper crop of okra this season! Okra-bundance!!! (As my husband Todd says.) Okra seems to love the warm days and wet weather of the rainy season here, but it is not a typical Costa Rican vegetable. Few locals are familiar with it, but more should be! Its beautiful flowers and productive, vertical growth make it a beautiful (and delicious) addition to our homestead. Although at our house we love our fried okra, stewed okra with tomatoes, and pickled okra, I have been dreaming of okra in hush puppy form… a corn-based batter that is a bit crispy on the outside with that unique okra crunch on the inside. I also wanted the okra hush puppies to cook up nicely in the air fryer. Well, here it is! My air fried okra hush puppies! I hope you love them as much as we do!
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What do I need to make okra hush puppies?
Well, good quality okra to start. You don’t want hardened, overly large, or crispy okra. Ever. If it crunches like celery when you slice it, send it to the compost pile. Yuck!
Now for our okra, we are not going to slice the okra like for stewed tomatoes or fried okra. We are instead going to cut it into approximately 1/4 inch pieces. (I cut it lengthwise into quarters and then chop it up). It should look something like this:
You will also need onions… and green onions. Have I mentioned that green onions are probably my favorite vegetable? Well, as you will see, I use green onions in a lot of dishes.
Also, given that this is a hush puppy, we need some dry ingredients to make a batter. In this case corn flour (more on this in a second), all-purpose flour, salt, ground black pepper, ground turmeric, baking powder to give it a slight rise, and a little natural cane sugar (or your favorite sweetener).
For the wet ingredients, we just need an egg and a little bit of milk.
Now, let’s talk about corn flour….
Now, this is a corn based batter (ahem, they are okra hush puppies after all), and typically cornmeal is used for hush puppies. Well, cornmeal is very hard to come by here, but corn flour (which as far as I am concerned is practically cornmeal in a more powderized form) is readily available for things like tamales, empanadas, and tortillas.
Being a pragmatic cook, I like to use what is readily available to me whenever possible… so for my okra hush puppies, I am using yellow corn flour. I tend to buy one of two brands of corn flour here. The first type is Juana Maíz Cascado de Maíz Amarillo. The second is Insta Masa Masarepa de Maíz Amarillo. These are made from precooked corn, as is the case for corn flour in Latin America. Cornmeal, on the other hand, is made from uncooked dried corn.
What if I live outside of Costa Rica?
To make these okra hush puppies if you live outside of Costa Rica, I would look for pre-cooked corn flour in the description. It can also be called pre-cooked cornmeal (strangely enough). There are several brands available around the world. Here are a couple of options:
Note, however, that brands that say masa harina are not the same thing, which refer to corn that has undergone the limewater (nixtamalization) treatment. I suspect it would work okay in this recipe, but I have not tried it.
Do I have to use an air fryer to make okra hush puppies?
No, these should work well scooped out into a deep fryer as well. They just won’t be as healthy!
Now let’s get to cooking!
How do we enjoy our okra hush puppies?
We eat them plain as a side dish or with a dipping sauce (our favorite is my homemade hot pepper jelly). They have that nice crunch of the okra but in hush puppy form!
We also enjoy them in sandwich form… our Buffalokra burger. This baby has a homemade bun, lettuce, tomatoes, okra hush puppies, and buffalo sauce. Mmmmmm…..
Hungry yet? I hope you enjoy my recipe for okra hush puppies! If you try it, let me know in the comments!
Where can I find okra seeds in Costa Rica?
Semillas Plantae has a great selection of seeds, including okra.
Air Fried Okra Hush Puppies
Notes
If you don’t have an air fryer, you could also scoop out the hush puppies into a deep fryer and cook until browned, stirring occasionally.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1/2 cup corn flour
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or less, to taste)
- dash turmeric
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or your favorite sweetener)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetables:
- 1 1/2 cups diced okra (around 1/4 inch size pieces, not sliced)
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
Wet ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- Add in vegetables and stir to mix.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk milk into egg and then add to okra/flour mixture.
- Stir until all ingredients are evenly mixed and coated and no flour remains at the edges or bottom of the bowl.
- Preheat your air fryer to 200 degrees Celsius (around 390 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Oil or spray the base of your air fryer with a small amount of oil.
- Use cookie scoop to transfer hush puppies into base of air fryer.
- Cook approximately 10 minutes, turning at half way point.
Nutrition Facts
Air Fried Okra Hush Puppies
Serves: 4
|
Amount Per Serving: 1/4 of recipe
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 168 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 2.2g | 3.1% | |
| Saturated Fat 0.7g | 0% | |
| Trans Fat 0 | ||
| Cholesterol 42mg | 14% | |
| Sodium 370mg | 15.4% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 24.2g | 8% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 12% | |
| Sugars 3.3g | ||
| Protein 4.8g | ||
| Vitamin A 0 | Vitamin C 0 | |
| Calcium 97mg | Iron 1mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Jungle Living with Jill
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