Also known as ladies’ fingers, okra are a favourite vegetable ingredient of Indian and Creole cuisines. Buy bright green firm pods without dark blemishes. Okra are often cooked whole because inside the pod is a sticky substance that acts as a thickening agent. Trim just before cooking to avoid the sticky juice oozing out unless they are intended to be used as a thickener.
To prepare whole okra, trim the very tip of the stalk, then peel the sides of the stalk working around it. Try not to cut the tip completely off.