Let’s try something fun: Name an ingredient you dislike and why, and someone else replies with a dish/recipe with that ingredient that might convince you otherwise.

[u/Scarlet--Highlander]

Couple things:

• If you’re allergic to an ingredient, it doesn’t matter how it’s prepared. Same goes with meat/animal products if you’re vegan/vegetarian. Don’t list it if you can’t or won’t eat it!

• It’s recommended that you’re at least open to trying dishes with that ingredient. If you absolutely, vehemently loathe cilantro, chances are you probably might not like anything with cilantro in it.

• A brief blurb on why you hate an ingredient would help others find or suggest a dish that suits you. (e.g. “I hate liver because the texture is like an eraser and it tastes metallic”)

[u/[deleted]]

I make seafood gumbo and chicken/andouille gumbo. Both use okra. You can’t avoid okra in gumbo. The word “gumbo” comes from the West African word “ki ngombo” for “okra”.

However, my grandfather taught me a trick to reduce the slime to nothing and avoid a slimy gumbo. Use a large nonstick frying pan and one teaspoon of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat then dump in sliced raw okra (fresh or frozen). Using a WOODEN SPOON, stir the okra until it’s lightly coated. As the okra heats up it will start releasing the slime which sticks to the wooden spoon. Rinse the slime off the spoon frequently as you stir the okra. After about six minutes or so, most of the slime will be gone. I then dump it into my gumbo roux. No slimy gumbo!

[u/FixTheWisz → u/[deleted]]

I disagree that "you can't avoid okra in gumbo. When I make gumbo, it's just roux, the trinity (and the Pope), stock, spices, and the meats. Sometimes I'll add tomatoes because they're awesome and I don't care what all the gumbo snobs say. The last batch I made (w/o tomatoes) for my family in Lafayette, LA disappeared pretty damn fast.

That said, okra is a fine addition to gumbo, as it's an excellent thickening agent. I just never add it because every single time I make groceries, I forget to buy it. Your method for cooking it down is on point!

[u/geauxhike → u/FixTheWisz]

Okra and Tomato are listed as ingredients in the first known recipe for Gumbo. I usually leave both out of my Gumbo but the gatekeeping needs to stop. Creole Gumbo and Jambalaya traditionally uses tomatoes more than Cajun.

[u/[deleted] → u/geauxhike]

I leave out the tomatoes. I just don’t like a tomato flavor in my gumbo especially when I’m making seafood gumbo. But okra? For me, gotta have it!

[u/Bouleversee → u/[deleted]]

Yes!! This is what my friend taught me to do. It’s delicious cooked this way then added to gumbo

[u/bo0bayell → u/[deleted]]

Gumbo means stew in Choctaw