What does adding okra do for the gumbo? Okra, with its distinctive, thick mucilage, is one of the traditional thickeners in gumbo. The others are filé — a powder made from dried and ground ...

Okra, known as lady’s fingers or the perfect villager’s vegetable, is a culinary symbol that goes beyond its distinct taste ...

If you're making a gumbo in which okra is a core ingredient ... which many versions do, then go easy on the thickening powders. You might otherwise end up with an overly stodgy pot of gumbo.

Do not leave unattended. Lightly whisk the egg whites until frothy and shake the rice flour out onto a plate. When the oil is hot, take each sliced okra piece ... Finish the gumbo with a good ...

West African slaves brought okra from their native lands to the southern United States. The vegetable, which they called kimgombo, also gave gumbo its name. In the 1840s, hundreds of Louisianans ...