Okro Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okro soup is a staple in most Nigerian homes. Every household has their own way of enjoying this lovely soup which goes well with corn and cassava meal (Tuwo and Eba). The star ingredient in this is soup is the Okra pods which are high in fibre and vitamin C. This soup can be made plain and enjoyed with stew or cooked with several ingredients and condiments which eliminate the need for stew. This post documents my own way of making this soup so I’d call it okro soup Terry’s way.  As you will see, it showcases some ingredients which are used mostly in the northern parts of Nigeria such as ginger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

(1) Okro Pods (Kubewa) (See Note 1 Below)

(2) Meat of your Choice (See Note 2 Below)

(3) 1 Small Onion (Albasa)

(4) 2 Scotch Bonnets (Atarugu)

(5) 1 Teaspoon Crushed Ginger (Cita)

(6) 2 Tablespoons Locust Beans (Dawadawa)

(7) 2 Cooking Spoons Palm Oil (Mai Ja)

(8) 2 Stock Cubes

(9) Salt to Taste (Gishiri)

(10) 3 Tablespoons Crayfish (Blended)

(11) 1 Teaspoon Dried Pepper Powder

(12) Large Dried Prawns (Optional)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES:

(1) The quantity of okro you use will depend on how thick you like your soup. I used about 200 grams of okro here because I like my soup somewhat thick but with some naked broth. The method of processing the okro will also depend on you. It can be chopped, grated, processed or blended. I usually process mine in a food processor as I find this to be fast and efficient. Note that the smaller you process your okro, the better the stretch you will get from the soup. More out of habit than necessity, I love to grate my okro with a couple of scotch bonnets for heat and also because the soup looks great with slivers of peppers distributed through it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For crunchy okro soup, try using a mandolin slicer to slice the okro into designed thickness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) You can make use of any type of meat here. Most people have a preference for fish and seafood for their okro soup. I love goat meat a lot and decided to make use of goat’s head here which has its own unique taste which comes from the brain. Another benefit of using the head is that you get a lot of textures and flavours from its various parts: crunch from the ears, juiciness from the upper lips, softness from the tongue, roughness from the roof of the mouth, et cetera. I also love some smokiness in my okro soup. I got this from using some smoked turkey and smoked and dried catfish. Bottom line, make use of whatever meat or seafood you love in your okro soup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

The procedure here is based on the ingredients I made use of. Yours might differ based on your choice of meats.

(1) Wash the goat’s head and bring to boil with a stock cube and some chopped onions. Season with salt to taste and allow to cook for about 1-1/2 hours or until the meat is soft. Add water as needed during the boiling process. I find that adding water a little at a time gives a richer and more tasty broth than adding a lot of water at the beginning of the cooking process. As with most soups, the broth you create here would be the base of this soup. If your broth is bland, your soup will be bland. Thus, be sure to season your meat properly so the broth would be rich and tasty. This step is the longest part of the soup making process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) When the goat’s head is tender, remove head from broth and take out all the bones from the head. Return the meat to the broth, add some more water if needed and bring to a boil.

(3) Wash your smoked turkey in hot water, remove flesh from bones, chop into large pieces and add to goat meat in pot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Soak dried fish in hot water for about 5 minutes to soften, remove bones and tear into large chunks. Add this to the pot along with the smoked turkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) When the soup returns to a rolling boil, its time to add your other ingredients apart from the okro. Thus, add the palm oil, grounded crayfish, crushed ginger, dried pepper powder, dried prawns and locust beans to the soup. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. You might or might not need to use the second stock cube. Cook this for about 15 minutes. Note that the meats and fish are cooked already. The cooking here is just to blend the flavors from all the  ingredients together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) After 15 minutes, add your processed okro, mix to break lumps and allow to cook for about 6 more minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Covering the pot at this stage will affect the consistency of the soup. Okro is a vegetable and like most vegetables, it should not be cooked for long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve soup with your choice of side or if you are like me, get a spoon and dig into it alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

USING FISH:

If you want to use fish in place of meat for your okro soup, spice and boil the fish for about 30 minutes, Take out the fish leaving the broth. Follow the rest of the steps enumerated above. Return the fish to the pot of soup after mixing in the okro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For other Okro Soup ideas, try my Dried Okro Soup (Miyan Busheshen Kubewa).