Widely available and inexpensive, okra may not immediately come to mind when listing vegetables frequently found in memorable dishes. Yet, with enough skill and creativity, okra can anchor tastebud-titillating dining experiences.
Conceived during the pandemic when people around the world placed increased emphasis on healthy, affordable lifestyles that support local communities, OKRA is committed to fresh Vietnamese ingredients for recipes that refuse to follow “copy-paste” flavor combinations.
Staying true to the restaurant’s name, the stand-out bone-in pork chop features pickled okra. Adhering to a classic dill recipe, it reminds Okra’s founder and head-chef Jamie Celaya of his roots in a working-class Chicago neighborhood and relies on his experience highlighting humble ingredients that diners don’t always gravitate towards. The pickled okra is joined by lime leaf furikake seasoning and a rosemary dashi gravy whose acidity helps cut the succulent richness of the roasted pork chop.
The dish exemplifies Jamie’s belief that common and cost-effective ingredients can be combined to create innovative flavors that span cultures and geographies. Okra prides itself on serving surprising taste combinations as informed by Jamie’s time in kitchens all across the USA as well as Guam and Vietnam. The pork chop’s use of Vietnamese ingredients, American recipes and a hint of Japanese style lives up to the restaurant’s aim to take big risks to deliver high-quality but accessible meals that guests have never encountered before.
Whether you are a pork chop enthusiast, okra fanatic or adventurous eater consistently in search of new flavor profiles, the dish will give you a newfound appreciation for the flexibility of familiar meats and vegetables. Knowing that everything is locally-sourced and won’t break the bank makes it all the more appealing.
