Returning to our NCR house after the holiday break yielded a small bounty from our small urban garden: a chili pods, tomatoes, eggplants and a fistful of okra:

The young okra pods were added to our seafood sinigang but a few were already too mature and very fibrous. I found some links in the web for air-frying mature okra and converting them to chip snacks. The premise is that the slimy interior will steam and allow the okra to become crispy. Below are the procedure and notes of this snack experiment.

Procedure

• Wash and cut the okra into small “chips/buttons” which I did on a bias (angle).
  • There were some recipes that recommends a lengthwise cut ala fries but I advise against doing that the same way that steak are always sliced “against the grain” to make the meat softer.
• At this point, I pre-heated the airfryer to 190-200 degrees Centigrade for 3 minutes. Our airfyer is small enough that this is sufficient time to heat the whole chamber.
• Put in a small bowl and drizzle with a bit of cooking oil – just enough to coat each chip and allow the spices to stick.
• Sprinkle salt and the spice of your choice. We have some cajun spice in the pantry so I used those. Toss the okra lightly to ensure each chip gets some seasoning.
• Air-fry at 190 Centrigrade for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway.
  • Each air fryer model is different so I was shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
• Allow the okra chips to cool and serve. You can use your favorite dip but I didnt use any.

Verdict

The resulting chips were still fibrous as hell! Next time just cut up the mature okra pods and add them to the compost. 🙁