Quiabos Tostados com Pimenta (Brazilian Chargrilled Okra with Chiles)
This simple yet delicious recipe, adapted from Brazilian Food by Thiago Castanho, is one of our favorite ways to enjoy okra. Tossed in lime juice with cilantro and hot chiles, it gets terrific umami from tiny dried shrimp. Castanho’s recipe calls for aviú — tiny dried, salty shrimp from Brazil — or “chopped regular dried salt shrimp” or Japanese bonito flakes. We used tiny dried shrimp from China, about a quarter inch long and thin as paper, which worked great. Katsuobushi — the Japanese bonito flakes — also sound good; we’ll try that next time. Choose small or medium okra, as firm and unblemished as possible.
Castanho is chef-owner of Remanso do Bosque, a modern Brazilian restaurant in the state of Pará.
READ: Captivating, versatile and rich with meaning, okra is an intrepid citizen of the world
Serves 6.
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds okra, stem ends trimmed but pods not pierced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons aviú or other tiny dried salted shrimp, or 1/2 cup bonito flakes
1 tablespoon Maldon salt or other flaky salt
2 fresh hot red chiles, sliced thin
4 tablespoons cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
1. Rinse the okra and pat it dry. Place it in a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss to coat evenly.
2. Heat a cast-iron grill pan on high heat until very hot. Distribute the okra on the grill pan and let cook without moving it for 3 or 4 minutes, until you have nice grill-marks (you may need to do this in two or more batches, depending on the size of your grill pan). Turn the okra and grill 3 or 4 minutes on the other side.
3. Place the okra in a bowl with the dried shrimp or half of the bonito flakes, the salt, red chiles, cilantro and lime juice, and toss well. Transfer to a serving dish. If you used bonito flakes, garnish with the rest of the bonito flakes. Serve immediately.
MORE OKRA recipes from Cooks Without Borders:
RECIPE: Anjali Pathak’s Crispy Sumac Okra
RECIPE: Bamieh Bi Zeit (Lebanese Okra with Tomatoes)
RECIPE: BJ Dennis’ Okra & Shrimp Purloo
RECIPE: Shrimp Sauté with Texas Vegetables
RECIPE: Marcus Samuelsson’s Spicy Okra
RECIPE: Charred Okra with a Little Spice
Quiabos Tostados com Pimenta (Brazilian Chargrilled Okra with Chile)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds okra, stem ends trimmed but pods not pierced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons aviú or other tiny dried salted shrimp, or 1/2 cup bonito flakes
- 1 tablespoon Maldon salt or other flaky salt
- 2 fresh hot red chiles, sliced thin
- 4 tablespoons cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Rinse the okra and pat it dry. Place it in a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat a cast-iron grill pan on high heat until very hot. Distribute the okra on the grill pan and let cook without moving it for 3 or 4 minutes, until you have nice grill-marks (you may need to do this in two or more batches, depending on the size of your grill pan). Turn the okra and grill 3 or 4 minutes on the other side.
- Place the okra in a bowl with the dried shrimp or half of the bonito flakes, the salt, red chiles, cilantro and lime juice, and toss well. Transfer to a serving dish. If you used bonito flakes, garnish with the rest of the bonito flakes. Serve immediately.
