If you have ever tried your hand at a Louisiana gumbo, then you may have come across okra before. It is a very low calory vegetable that is most often used in stews as a thickening agent. But it can also be grilled, roasted and fried to be used as a side dish.
Okra is not the most common ingredient when it is out of season or the most affordable. So, what can you use instead?
Our 4 Substitutes for Okra
Depending on how you cook okra, it can be unpleasantly slimy. But if cooked right, okra will take on a range of textures.
Its unique taste will also take on different forms depending on how you cook it. Raw okra is fresh and earthy but fried it is nuttier.
Here are our top 4 substitutes for okra:
1) Courgette
Also known as zucchini, courgettes are just as versatile in texture and flavour as okra and so make the best substitute in any dish or as a side dish.
Courgettes are a good go-to ingredient when your soup or stew is looking a little lacklustre. Though they will add bulk, they will not thicken the dish itself.
Courgettes tend to be slightly sweeter than okras, making them a great food to bake with.
They are a much healthier natural sweetener, and there are already plenty of recipes out there using courgettes in desserts.
When raw, it may seem like courgettes are a completely different texture to okras, but the magic of cooking will make them the perfect substitute.
Balance Sweetness With Salt
If you find courgettes to be too sweet for your stew, then you can add some extra salt to your dish to balance out its flavours.
2) Simple Roux
Though it sounds like a fancy French cooking technique, roux is a very easy thickening agent to make at home and is extremely inexpensive.
In fact, if you make your own homemade sauces, then you are probably already making a roux without realising it.
Roux is just the combination of butter and flour. When heated together, butter and flour will form a thickening paste that you can then add to a liquid-based dish to thicken it up.
The butter aspect of roux does make it a better substitute for okra in creamier sauces or stews but can be used in any dish requiring the use of okra as a thickening ingredient.
To make a roux, simply add one part flour and 1 part butter to a pan and heat up until the butter starts to brown.
Use Lard, Not Butter
Lard is generally the healthier choice of fat to use in any dish but is not as common or as cheap as it used to be.
3) Green Beans
The unique flavour of okra is often compared to the unique flavour of green beans, even though they do taste different in their own ways.
Green beans are full of fibre which is good for your body but can be bad for the texture of your meal.
They have a stringier texture than okra and are extremely juicy, no matter how they are cooked. For this reason, they are better used as a substitute for okra’s flavour rather than as a thickening ingredient.
Green beans are sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste but mostly their favour is hard to describe. You either love it, or you hate it.
Green Bean Benefits
Even those who are not a fan of green beans try to incorporate them into a meal for their substantial health benefits. They are known to help lower blood pressure and help to prevent diabetes.
4) File Powder
Also known as gumbo file, file powder is mostly used as a thickening agent like okra.
It is a fine powder made from the ground leaves of an American sassafras tree. This is what makes file powder such a desirable ingredient: Its natural, unprocessed thickening properties.
Though the powder is mostly tasteless, it does have a distinguishable aftertaste that some people may not be fond of.
You can add file powder to your meals towards the end of its cooking time, or you can sprinkle it on top of each serving.
Add Towards the End
File powder is a great thickening agent but can work too well. If you add it early on in the process, then your dish will become incredibly thick. Instead, wait until you are about to serve and then add the powder.
Other Substitutes for Okra
If you are not a fan of some of the more unique tasting substitutes listed above, then here are a few more that are less controversial:
- Aubergine – Coming from the same family as courgette and okra, aubergine will work in a similar way to a courgette but may be a little sweeter.
- Corn Starch – A well-used thickening agent used all over the world, corn starch will not add any flavour to your dish but will make it thicker.
Summary
Few ingredients match the versatility of okra, but courgettes come close in flavour.
However, you will need to use a thickening agent like a simple roux to make your soup or stew the desired texture.