June 1, 2021

Fungee

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , |
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Fungee

June: National Okra Month

We had a few pods of okra left over and did not want to waste them. So we chopped them up and incorporated the little green bits into cute cornmeal balls called fungee (funjie). This simple side dish is from Antigua and Barbuda but many other Caribbean countries have a similar version. The recipe is easy, and it is often served with stews like pepperpot and fish dishes. We ate ours with grilled pork chops and bacon wrapped bananas. Savor the flavor of a year-round summer like in the Caribbean and during National Okra Month with a fun food from Antigua and Barbuda: fungee.

Recipe

(Adapted from National Foods)

Ingredients

  • 6 okra
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cup cornmeal
  • butter

Directions

Chop the okra pods into small rings. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add salt. Then cook the okra in the salted water for about 5 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

In the same pot, add the remaining 2 cups of water and cornmeal and keep stirring until it becomes like a thick paste consistency (5-10 minutes). Fold in the okra.

Add a little more water if the paste is too dry. Generously butter a small deep bowl. Scoop a handful size of paste and form a rough ball shape. Place in the buttered bowl and swirl it around quickly to keep the round shape. Place each on a flat surface. Serve warm.

 

June 1, 2019

Oven Roasted Okra

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , , |
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Oven Roasted Okra

bakedokra

June: National Okra Month

The lazy days of summer are upon us and we also get lazy about cooking complicated meals around this time of the year. So we keep things simple by oven-roasting seasonal vegetables like okra. We normally don’t go out of our way to make it because of okra’s “slimy reputation”. But because our neighbors and friends give us an abundance of organic okra from their garden and farm, we do not want their hard work of picking the pods to go unappreciated (besides, we are lazy to pick them ourselves, unless we pick them up in packages at the grocery store). We also find the easiest way to cook okra—in the oven. Just trim and toss them with a little olive oil and spices and roast them. Roasted okra is our lazy “ladies’ fingers” recipe post for National Okra Month.  

Recipe

 Ingredients 

  • 1 pound of okra
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon seasoning blend (see Notes)

Directions

Wash the okra and dry with paper towels. Trim off the top and end of each okra pod. Cut into ½-inch slices.

bakedokrasteps1

In a large mixing bowl, mix the olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the okra in the olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with seasoning blend (optional).

bakedokrasteps2

Spread them out onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Serve hot.

 bakedokrasteps3

 Notes