Okro Soup
Ever have a meal you hated as a child but as an adult now it is simply one of your best meals? That’s how I feel about okro. Growing up I hated the slimy dish that you ate with fufu. It just didn’t seem sophisticated and reminded me of another green slime that came from your nose when you had a cold. I know that went south rather quickly :) but can you blame me?
Thankfully I grew up. And I learned to stop judging a book by its cover and in the process discovered the deliciousness that okro soup. So what exactly is okro? Some refer to it as okra but really okra/okra same thing. In the Louisiana south of the United States okro is used in the dish called gumbo and you will also find it in some Asias dishes. Anyway okro is this thick green vegetable with many round white seeds on the inside. It is a powerhouse of a vegetable as it is low in fats and calories, high in fiber and vitamins A, C and K. It also contains folate, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Considering all this it is no surprise that it can help lower cholesterol, improve digestion and lower blood sugar levels.
You will find different variations of okro soup throughout West Africa - from Cameroon, to Nigeria to Ghana, Ivory Coast and beyond. Some people put all different kinds of meat and fish when making their okro but I make what you might refer to an an “economy” okro soup and considering the current inflation climate, I’d say this is not a bad idea. Also is you are concerned about reaping to truth health benefits okro, then you might reduce the add-ins as much as you can. Here’s how my recipe for my “economy” okro soup. Serve it with fufu/garri or my toddler’s favorite over some rice. This recipe will also work well if doing a whole30 challenge.
Here’s an instagram reel of me making this okro soup
OKRO SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
· 3lbs chicken (drumsticks or thighs or combo)
· 1 large onions, chopped and divided
· 1 tablespoon salt, divided
· ½ tablespoon paprika
· ½ tablespoon herb de provence
· ½ teaspoon white pepper
· 1 tablespoon garlic paste
· T tablespoon ginger paste
· 1/2cup of water + 2cups of water.
· 2 tomatoes, chopped
· 1 lb okro, chopped (you can pulse 3-4x in food processor)
· ½ cup ground crayfish
· 1 scotch bonnet pepper (may blend/chop for more heat)
· 1 teaspoon fish sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
PREP the chicken – I use a combo of drumsticks and thighs and cut each piece into 2. This is optional (I don’t like large pieces of chicken ). To a pot add chicken, half of chopped onions, salt, paprika, herb de provence, white pepper, garlic and ginger paste. Add 1/2cup of water and place on medium low heat to steam for about 15mins.
PREP okro – Cut okro into large chunks then add to food processor and pulse 3-4 times to further chop onion. You don’t want the okro fully blended. Note the more blended your okro, the more slimy it will be as it cooks. Mix okro with 1/8 cup of water and set aside.
ADD tomatoes and remaining onions to second larger pot. Season with dash of salt and pepper. Cook till onions are soft and translucent and tomatoes are cooked and sweet. May need to add 1/4c water at a time to prevent tomatoes from burning. This will take about 10-12minutes.
ADD cooked chicken to pot with tomatoes and onions. Add chopped okro, chicken stock, crayfish, scotch bonnet pepper, remaining salt, fish sauce and 2 cups of water to the pot. Cook uncovered another 15mins making sure to stir occasionally. Cooking uncovered will ensure the okro remains slimy. Cover the pot if you don’t want slime.
Optional: Add some fresh spinach the last 5 mins of cook time for added nutrients
- Blend pepper or poke holes into it for release of additional heat depending on you spice tolerance. Keeping the pepper whole infuses flavor while limiting the amount of heat.
- Serve with fufu, garri, cauliflower rice (or during your food freedom over some white rice. That’s how I offer it to my toddler and she tears it up!).
- Most West African cooking involves maggi/bouillion cubes. I skip that in all my cooking and use fish sauce for that same umami flavor
