How to cook okra: go small, don’t get them wet, and fry with tomatoes and spices

Okra works wonders in Alice Zaslavsky’s midweek autopilot curry – you just need to know how to treat it right. Photograph: Rochelle Eagle/The Guardian

The visceral response some people have to the merest mention of okra speaks to the way its unique textural properties stick in one’s memory – stick being the operative word.

Okra’s characteristic gloop is the product of the vegetable’s naturally occurring mucilage, which is activated by exposing its innards through slicing and through extended cooking (like in a stew). Mind you, its propensity to simmer into slime over time is part of the appeal in certain dishes like gumbo from America’s south and west African okra stew, where it acts as a thickener for the sauce.