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. As there is already onion in my meat stock, I don’t bother either, although I sometimes leave out the onion when boiling the meat. I love the little flecks of red of the bell peppers in my version as well as the slight sweetness they provide.
Ingredients
- 700g fresh okro
- 3 tablespoons palm oil
- 2 red bell peppers, about 360g
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli
- 2 heaped tablespoons of ground crayfish (10g)
- 1kg cooked meat
- 300g stockfish
- 250g dried fish (washed and soaked in hot water)
- 800ml meat stock
- 25g iru (optional)
Instructions
- 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.
- Coarsely blend the bell peppers, iru (if using) and chilli with a little water.
- Heat the palm oil until slightly smoking and fry the crayfish for a minute or so. Add the chilli mixture and fry for 10 minutes until it reduces. Add the meat stock, cooked meat, dried fish and stockfish. Bring to a boil and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add the chopped okro and simmer for 5 minutes to ensure it remains al dente (or for longer if you prefer it softer).
- Serve with any fufu of your choice. Some people eat it with boiled rice.
Notes
Tip
Check the freshness of the okro by bending back the tip of a few - really fresh and tender ones will break off easily
Variations
- Add 500g of any green vegetables such as bitterleaf, waterleaf, ugu or spinach.
- Ogbono may also be added in addition to or instead of the green vegetables to increase the ‘draw factor’.
- Seafood such as crabs and prawns are popular additions, as is fish.
Check the freshness of the okro by bending back the tip of a few - really fresh and tender ones will break off easily
Variations
- Add 500g of any green vegetables such as bitterleaf, waterleaf, ugu or spinach.
- Ogbono may also be added in addition to or instead of the green vegetables to increase the ‘draw factor’.
- Seafood such as crabs and prawns are popular additions, as is fish.