Mehn @exyle we eat okra a lot in Nigeria and I would say these okra you used ain't fresh. The fresh ones are often pure green and soft. We use it to make okra soup and we call the soup "draw soup" coz it's extreme slimmy.
I am suprised hearing you having okra for the first time but I guess it's coz you don't find much of it over there like you would here so ur excused (lolzz) . The dish looks quite appetizing. Mind if I have a taste?
Yeah, it's not a vegetable you would find in a regular supermarket here. I'll try to look out for 'fresher' okra next time. I had no clue :)