{"id":372,"date":"2024-10-08T20:12:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T11:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yasai-yakuzen.com\/?p=372"},"modified":"2026-09-07T18:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T09:16:18","slug":"okra","status":"publish","type":"vegtable","link":"https:\/\/yasai-yakuzen.com\/en\/vegtable\/okra\/","title":{"rendered":"The benefits of okra"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okra is sweet and cool, a summer vegetable held to moisten the gut and settle excess heat trapped in the body. Its particular stickiness and crisp bite are what it is loved for, and it suits daily care when heat builds up in the body, or when you want something of the summer. From a quick blanch and chop into a dressed dish to tempura, salads and soups, it goes everywhere, and the star-shaped cut is a pleasure in itself.<\/p>\n

\"Okra\"<\/figure>\n

When okra is in season, its types, and how to choose it<\/h2>\n

If you want to enjoy what okra does, it helps to know its season, its types and how to choose it. It is a mallow-family vegetable in season in summer, loved for its particular stickiness and for the star shape it makes when cut.<\/p>\n

In season in summer, a summer vegetable loved for its stickiness<\/h3>\n

Okra belongs to the mallow family, like hibiscus, and what you eat is the young pod that forms after the yellow flower. It is in season in summer, roughly July to September, and grows fast in the heat. Kagoshima and Kochi are among the main growing areas, and the sticky texture is what it is known for. Grown too large, the pod turns hard and stringy, so if you want the stickiness and the tenderness, the small ones picked young suit. Cut across, the face makes a star, which gives colour and decoration to a dish. It works raw or lightly cooked, an easy summer vegetable to handle.<\/p>\n

Five-sided okra, round okra and red okra<\/h3>\n

Okra can be chosen by shape and by colour.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
kinds<\/th>\nWhat stands out<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Five-sided okra<\/td>\nThe most common. Cuts into a star. A good balance of stickiness and texture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Round okra (shima okra)<\/td>\nRound, with no ridges. Stays tender even when large, and rarely turns stringy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Red okra<\/td>\nA red-purple pod. Colour when raw, turning green once cooked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

For everyday use, five-sided okra is handy, with its star-shaped face. When you want something that stays tender even when large, round okra, grown in Okinawa among other places, suits. For salads and for colour, red-purple okra stands out, but since it turns green when cooked, use it raw if you want the colour. Choose by the dish and by how you want it to look and okra shows its best. The small ones, with an even coat of down, are the fresh ones.<\/p>\n

How to choose it and how to prepare it<\/h3>\n

When picking out good okra, these are the things to look for.<\/p>\n