Fried Okra from Grandy’s
I’ve been eating fried okra since I was a young kid. Growing up in the south, it was a regular side dish. My grandmother made it often. Her mother made it too. My Mom didn’t make it, but went ate plenty together when we dined out. I probably would have never touched the stuff had it not been deep fried with tasty breading. The only green things I would eat as a kid were beans or peas. I’m sure glad they got me to try it, because I loved it, and it remains one of my favorite vegetables today.
The biggest problem with fried okra — locating some. It’s rare in the fast food world. At the time of this writing, Church’s is the only chain I recall that currently offers it besides Grandy’s. If anybody reading this is aware of others, please let me know.
The fact of the matter, lots of people don’t even know what okra is. And all these years later I won’t come near it myself unless it’s breaded and fried. A few quick facts: Okra is a flowering plant that comes from the same family as cotton and cocoa, and produces a green edible fruit. When this fruit is still young, it’s harvested and eaten as a vegetable, boiled, steamed, pickled and fried. It’s also chopped for soups, rice, seasoning, and the leaves get used in salads.
All this from a plant my brother calls “Alien” and most of my friends wouldn’t eat unless they were starving. The weird appearance bothers people. It’s covered with hairy strands on the outside, and the inside is an odd pentagon shape with seeds that look like tiny white balls. Finding a solution for this strange look was easy in the South. Cover it with breading, and deep fry it. That’s what we do with everything.
What does it taste like? That’s a tough question. This is the first time I’ve had trouble thinking of a description for food. I called my friends that also enjoy fried okra and asked them to describe the taste. They also drew a blank. The only things that came from the conversations were “fried asparagus” or “fried green beans” but we agreed that neither was accurate. Okra is a real challenge to explain.
It’s not a strong flavor. It’s light and mellow. It tastes veggie-like and you know you’re eating something green, but it’s hard to pinpoint. Not quite asparagus, zucchini, or green beans, but not completely different. Perhaps a combination of the three.
The texture of the okra is soft and tender inside. Being deep fried keeps the center from becoming slimy, a problem that boiled and pickled okra can often suffer. In the case of Grandy’s, the outside is covered with a medium thick breading. Each piece is evenly coated, golden brown and only a small peek of green showing thru occasional cracks in the tasty shell. It’s not crunchy, but it’s crisp and chewy.
The Fried Okra from Grandy’s is very good. It has the right balance of crisp breading and soft tender veggie center. It’s not as good as my Grandmother used to make, but it’s satisfying and enjoyable. Fans of fried okra will definitely be happy.
Price: $1.39 side, or plated meal option / Website: Grandys.com
Fast Food Critic Score: A
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Nutrition Facts - Grandy’s Fried Okra.
Calories - 235
Calories from Fat - 90
Total Fat - 10 grams
Carbs - 32 grams
Saturated Fat - N/A
Trans Fat - N/A
Cholesterol - 0 milligrams
Sodium - 582 milligrams
Protein - 5 grams
