Okra, okro, lady’s fingers – opinion is often divided on the attractiveness of this vegetable, however it is one of the most popular soups in Nigeria. It is often one of the first soups given to weaning children as it is easy for them to swallow. It is referred to as a ‘draw soup’, because of the gelatinous nature of the chopped okro. 

Many people don’t add onions to their okro soup as they feel it reduces the draw. 

To prepare, wash the okro, cut off the bottoms of each pod and discard them. Some people find the chopping process tedious, and use a blender with a small amount of water to speed things up. It’s a therapeutic process for me, besides I prefer the texture and appearance of the hand-chopped version. I like my okro fairly chunky and so simply make rough chops across the pod. For a finer cut, make a few cuts lengthways on each pod and then cut across horizontally as finely as you can (it will draw more the finer it is cut). Several pods can be chopped horizontally at the same time.

In my Aunty Gloria’s garden, Abuja