pickled okra recipe

Pickled okra is included in many salads and is also used as a savory snack. Some hear about this unfamiliar vegetable for the first time. Okra (second name) is often used in vegetarian cuisine and in the southern regions of the country, where it grows. Fresh okra spoils quickly. But there is an ideal solution: when the product is purchased, retain all the useful properties and add spice with the help of preservation.

Benefits of pickled okra

The popularity of “ladies’ fingers” brought its composition and taste, reminiscent of something between asparagus and eggplant. Canned okra, in addition to its rich vitamin composition, fiber and minerals, contains folic acid, which is necessary for pregnant women and to stimulate recovery processes.

Useful properties of okra marinated in different ways:

1. Included in the diet menu due to its low calorie content. 100 g of the product contains only 30 kcal.
2. Removes toxins from the body, excess cholesterol, has a choleretic effect.
3. Regular use of pickled okra will help develop joints and strengthen blood vessels.
4. Strengthens the nervous system.
5. In America, okra occupies a leading position among the means to combat cancer. The product has a high content of glutathione, which fights free radicals and suppresses the effect of carcinogens on cell DNA.

Of course, this is not the whole characteristic of pickled healthy okra, which has practically no special contraindications, except for allergic rashes and individual intolerance.

Features of preparation

You will need to select okra first. Chefs advise for pickling young, even immature fruits, no less than 5 cm and no more than 10 cm in size. The fact is that the “old” fruit does not have pronounced taste qualities and is rather hard.

Before preparing a very tasty pickled okra, rinse the pods well under the tap and remove small hairs from the surface. The heat treatment process is short-lived, because okra can simply fall apart. Pods should be processed within a day.

The following varieties of okra are more suitable for canning:

• Sultanie;
• Tsarigradskaya;
• Kavakliskaya.

The experiment may fail if all the rules are not followed.

You can serve the pickled product as a snack, as part of salads or as a side dish for meat dishes.

Ingredients

The recipe chosen is the simplest and will not take much time.

For pickling, you will need the following products:

• okra – 1 kg;
• garlic – 10 cloves;
• vinegar (essence) – 4 tsp;
• water – 2 tbsp.;
• dill – 2 tbsp. L.;
• salt (preferably sea) – 4 tbsp. l.;
• chili pepper – 2 pods;
• black peppercorns – 2 tsp;
• cloves – 10 pcs.

You can “play” with the ingredients if you are not satisfied after the trial canning. For example, during pickling, add or reduce the amount of pepper. Use table vinegar, white wine instead of essence, the main thing is that it is enough. It is he who will give the crunch to the finished product.

There are still options when people do not like too spicy dishes. Then you can take only one pod of hot pepper or replace it with mustard seeds. Add sugar preservative. Some people simply prefer to buy packaged marinade seasoning mixes.

pickled okra recipe

Step-by-step photos that are attached to the cooking instructions will help to properly preserve okra:

1. For okra marinated in any way, wash the jars thoroughly under the tap with a soapy soda solution. Be sure to sterilize over steam for at least 10 minutes each and set aside, abscessing the neck with a kitchen towel so that dirt does not get in.
2. Wash the okra thoroughly and cut off the tail, but not to the seeds. Sprinkle with citric acid and rub. Leave for a couple of hours so that it loses its slippery coating. This will make the color lighter. Rinse again, wipe and arrange in prepared glass containers. Peel garlic and divide into jars. If it’s too big, chop it up.

   

3. Remove seeds from hot peppers. Rinse under tap and chop. Send along with dill, black peppercorns, salt and cloves in a saucepan to the fire, filling with water. As soon as the composition boils, turn off and add vinegar essence. Mix.

   

4. Pour the hot marinade evenly over the jars, being careful not to get the spices into each. The liquid should completely cover the okra.

   

5. Leave for an hour so that the composition is infused without lids. Can be covered with paper towels. When the temperature is equal to room temperature, tighten the lids. Transfer first to a cool place, and then refrigerate.

   

The taste qualities of canned okra are gaining over time. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it immediately. It is better to let the jars brew for about a month.

Terms and conditions of storage

The shelf life of pickled okra and the conditions depend on the ingredients in the composition, the method of preservation.

Here are some of them:

1. When using the classic method of preparing pickled okra with a sufficient amount of preservatives and hermetic twisting with tin lids, the jars can stand from 0 to 25 degrees in a dark place for almost 3 years, if there are no large temperature changes.
2. Pickled okra is put in the refrigerator when using additional vegetables. These can often be: carrots, tomatoes, eggplant and sweet peppers. This is especially true if a nylon cover is used, which allows oxygen and microbes to pass through. Then the storage conditions will change. Banks will need to be placed in a refrigerator or cellar, where low temperatures are kept.
3. An opened jar of pickled okra should be stored in a cold place for no more than 3 days.

If initially dirt got into the container with pickled okra, and the quality of the preservative and products left much to be desired, the jars may become cloudy. Their use is dangerous to health.

Conclusion

Pickled okra is practically the only way, other than freezing, that allows you to save a healthy product for the entire cold season. It is worth stocking up for the future to cook delicious dishes in the winter.