Okra Fries

Okra Fries

from today.com

Mariah Carey sampled these okra fries and said they were the best she'd ever had.

Ingredients

  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 1 pound okra, pods halved lengthwise
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup rice flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • kosher salt

Directions

  1. 1

    Pour a few inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot, preferably cast iron. Heat the oil to 350 F.

  2. 2

    Meanwhile, put the okra in a large bowl and toss with the beaten egg. Let the okra stand for 5 minutes to absorb the egg.

  3. 3

    In a separate medium bowl, whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove the okra from the large bowl, allowing excess egg to drip back into the bowl, then transfer the okra to the flour mixture. Toss the okra to dredge evenly. Lift from the flour and shake off the excess.

  4. 4

    Cook the okra in batches in the hot oil until golden and crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size.

  5. 5

    Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt immediately. Repeat with the remaining okra.

  6. 6

    Excerpted from "Harlem to Heaven" by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Copyright © 2018. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz Da Costa.