If you like it and you find yourself around New Albany sometime, you probably need to stop by and get you some.
In 53 yrs, this batch tonight is the best I've ever had.
In 53 yrs, this batch tonight is the best I've ever had.
fried okra - Rafter's in New Albany
- Thread starter InTheIttaBenaHotSun
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Honestly, some of the best I've had was at, of all places, The Little Dooey in Starkvegas during the disastrous Tennessee weekend. I ordered it, expecting it to be average at best; I should have known better.
Is it better? 
Absolutely...Dickey's is small frozen with batter made in factory. What I had tonight was garden fresh, large and batter that must a been made by grandma. Was really good.
Okra and purple hull peas for me.....y'all can have all the rest.
Absolutely...Dickey's is small frozen with batter made in factory. What I had tonight was garden fresh, large and batter that must a been made by grandma. Was really good.Okra and purple hull peas for me.....y'all can have all the rest.
Let me put it this way. I’ve never had BAD fried okra. But I’ve also never had any that made me want to go tell the Pack about it. This okra intrigues me.
Only one way to make great fried okra, cut it fresh, salt and pepper, then put your breading on, which should be 6 parts cornmeal to 1 part flour blended. Preferably Sunflower branded meal and flour.
Simple recipe that goes back nearly 100 years or more from my grandma's family. Easier now since you can buy self rising.
Same mixture makes great cornbread, just add milk till it just barely will pour from the bowl. Melted Butter in the hot skillet and some on top.
Simple recipe that goes back nearly 100 years or more from my grandma's family. Easier now since you can buy self rising.
Same mixture makes great cornbread, just add milk till it just barely will pour from the bowl. Melted Butter in the hot skillet and some on top.
Is it better?
Okra and purple hull peas for me.....y'all can have all the rest.
I concur with you, Sir-the only thing that makes that combination better for me is a few slices of a good home-grown tomato. That combo with a piece of cornbread is near enough to being in Heaven for this ol’ country boy…
I 17ing love fried okra. Hands down, it is my most favorite vegetable dish.
I live in Virginia and have no clue where New Albany is, but I will try to get there next time I'm in Missisippi.
Same here but Replace butter with bacon grease for the cornbread. You can add butter at the table.
60 miles southeast of the MS/TN line on Hwy 78 (I-22). Basically SE of Memphis.
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As long as it is fresh cut, mama battered, pan fried, almost burnt around the edges to where it crunches when you eat it.
This pre-battered frozen stuff deep fried is plum awful. I want my fried squash and my fried okra crunchy pan fried in home made batter. Yellow and zucchini both!
Edited to add that I also prefer purple hull peas to black eyes. And give me green butter beans not speckled, not white, and not Lima.
This pre-battered frozen stuff deep fried is plum awful. I want my fried squash and my fried okra crunchy pan fried in home made batter. Yellow and zucchini both!
Edited to add that I also prefer purple hull peas to black eyes. And give me green butter beans not speckled, not white, and not Lima.
I’ve been to Rafters probably 30 times, never had the Okra. I guess I will have to try it next time.
Does anyone know of a place to regularly and reliably buy fresh okra in the Tupelo-GTR area? I'd drive a bit to get it. I'd love to grow it but we gave up a long time ago growing anything where we live. We live in the edge of town and have tons of deer, but can't shoot them. They are used to humans and the usual prevention stuff doesn't work. We don't want to fence in the back yard because we enjoy all the critters. Back to the okra, I love it fried but that's not why I want to get it. I discovered grilling it a few years ago. Take the whole pods, spay on some olive oil, sprinkle on some Cajun or BBQ seasoning to your taste, and then wrap it in bacon and throw it on the grill. Thank me after you try it.
Pontotoc does a Farmers Market on Saturdays, also I bet the Amish have some down at Randolph.
Mayhew Tomato Farm had it last weekend and Greg's Produce at Longview usually has it although I haven't been out there this year
Love cooking with buttermilk, I will absolutely never buy it to drink though. Every time I buy it I will drink a swallow because I keep thinking I will gain a taste for it. Has not come close to happening yet.
Same here. I’ve been multiple times and have never gotten the okra. But the cheese grit side is also very, very good. I’ve actually never gotten a bad meal from there
Little Dooey’s fried okra comes pre-breaded in a bag and they just throw it in the fryer. Not bad, but nothing special.
Garddog, can you freeze okra w/ your recipe? Reason being, I'm going to have a boatload of okra in the next week going til frost. Love to know how to put it up.
Shank, I got ya covered. I've probably got 200 plants in the garden close to ya. I'll let ya know when it's ready.
I miss working in my grandmother's garden growing okra and everything else. She put me out there with her when I was seven or eight years old and taught me how to till up the ground, plant seeds, and then handed me a hoe to start pulling grass. I said around and shield purple whole peas and butter beans and went through the stickiness of cutting fresh okra with her and reaching into a maze of tomato vines to grab the freshest and ripest beef steak tomatoes off to make a fresh tomato slices for a meal that was 80% vegetables out of the garden. I've never had a crew that has ever come close to tasting that good. I have hey strong feeling it's because I helped create it from seed to harvest. If there was one thing I could give my kids it would be a summer in grandma's garden from tiling to planting and then harvesting.
The last time I came back to Mississippi I went over to the old house and it was amazing how much that huge garden area has shrunk in size since the memories from when I was a kid. This is yet another instance I like my memories more than the real thing.
Yep, get you some quart freezer bags, make a big pan, then get all the air you can out, but don't crush it. Pull it out during winter, break it apart, drop it in hot grease while still frozen. If you thaw it too much it clumps. I usually pull it up halfway through and use a fork to break any clumps I do get up. Works in the skillet or the fry daddy.
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