RECIPES - Okra from Another Mother | The Savers of Flavor

May 19, 2026

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Find recipes from The Savers of Flavor Okra From Another Mother episode below.

Stewed Okra Leaves and Smoked Catfish

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of okra leaves, washed, thick stems removed, and chopped 
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 6 ounces smoked catfish
  • 1 teaspoon dried shrimp or crayfish powder

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat vegetable or okra seed oil, and sauté onions and diced red peppers until onions become translucent.
  2. Add chopped okra leaves, along with seasoning salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for approximately 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add flaked smoked catfish and cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in a splash of apple cider vinegar (optional). 
  4. Place greens over a bowl of Carolina Gold Rice and sprinkle with dried shrimp or crayfish powder.

 

Okra Leaf and Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Creole mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 5 cups of okra greens with thick stems removed, leaves halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips 
  • 3 cups green cabbage, cored, cut in half, then cut into thin slices (8 cups)
  • 2 cups carrots, shredded
  • 1/2 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

 

 

Okra Slaw

Instructions

  1. Mix the oil and greens in a stainless-steel bowl and massage with your hands for approximately 5 minutes
  2. For the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, and paprika in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. For the slaw: Combine the okra leaves, cabbage, and carrots in a very large bowl. Pour the dressing over them, stirring to coat them well -- season generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until the okra leaves soften and wilt slightly, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

Fried Okra Fingers.

Fried Okra Fingers

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 pound okra pods sliced lengthwise
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup rice flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more
  • 1 teaspoon Berbere seasoning 
  • 1 teaspoon tomato powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or fryer to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the okra in a large bowl and toss with the beaten egg.
  3. Let the okra stand for 5 minutes to absorb the egg.
  4. Whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, Berbere, tomato powder, onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a separate medium bowl. Remove the okra from the large bowl, allowing the excess egg to drip back into the bowl, then transfer the okra to the flour mixture. 
  5. Toss the okra to dredge evenly. Lift from the flour and shake off the excess.
  6. Cook the okra in batches in hot oil until golden and crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size.
  7. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt immediately. Repeat with the remaining okra.

Notes: Berbere, a spice mixture from Ethiopia, usually includes chili peppers, coriander, garlic, ginger, and fenugreek. It can be purchased in most specialty grocery stores in the spice aisle. Cajun spice or barbecue spice can be used in place of Berbere seasoning. Additionally, if you don't have rice flour, all-purpose flour works fine.

About the Show

Chef Kevin Mitchell and food historian David Shields are on a quest to seek out and rescue those ingredients before they are lost forever. Part documentary, part travelogue, part cooking show—The Savers of Flavor is the story of history from our fields to our finest dining rooms, of foods from humble kitchen tables to some of the most exalted restaurants in the world, gathered from the coast to the foothills and everywhere in between.

🍽️ For more recipes like the one above, visit SCETV Food. 

Ginger Cassell
Ginger Cassell
Ginger Cassell develops and creates digital learning resources for online training and works with the Education team to plan and develop multimedia projects. An alumna of the University of South...
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Kevin Mitchell
Chef Kevin Mitchell, MA
Chef Kevin Mitchell is a prominent figure in the culinary world, known for his roles as a chef ambassador, television co-host, and author. He holds degrees from the Culinary Institute of America and...
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Dr. David Shields
Dr. David Shields
Dr. David Shields is known as “the flavor saver”. He tracks down lost food crops and assists in restoring them to fields and tables: Carolina Gold Rice, Cocke’s Prolific Corn, Rice Peas, Purple Straw...
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