African Okra Soup Recipes

GRANNY'S OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, lima beans, okra, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, and tomato paste in a large soup pot. Pour chicken stock over mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes.
• Season ground beef with garlic powder, celery salt, and onion powder. Set aside.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic when butter stops bubbling; cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread ground beef evenly in the pan. Cook until it has a nice brown sear, stirring minimally to end up with mostly medium-sized chunks, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain skillet and add beef, onions, and garlic to the soup pot.
• Bring soup mixture to a boil; reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables and beef have cooked down, 1 to 2 hours.

AFRICAN OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off both ends of okra pods.
• Slice 1/4 inch thick.
• Carefully place the tomatoes into a small pot of boiling water for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from water and peel off skin.
• Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out the runny insides, discard this part. Coarsely chop the fleshy part of the tomatoes.
• Dice the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove to papertowels. Save grease.
• Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the okra is just tender.
• *1-2 Tbl. bacon grease can (and should)be added to enhance the soup's flavor.
• **The lemon can be thickly sliced and cooked right in the pot of soup, or it can be zested and halved and the fresh juice can be squeezed over each portion when served to taste, and garnished with the zest.

AFRICAN OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Boil the Meats. Rinse the meats you choose to use thoroughly then put them in a pot. Add water to just over above the meat. Add salt and seasoning cubes (Maggi) as needed. Also add half a medium onion (chopped). Cover and let it cook on high heat until the meat is tender.
• Note: start boiling tougher meats first before adding the other meats or boil all the meats at the same time then take out the ones that get tender first and leave the others to cook.
• A pressure cooker or an instant pot makes boiling the meats easier.
• Place a pot on high heat and pour in the palm oil. Let it heat up for 2 to 3 minutes then reduce the heat to medium high and add the onions and let them sauté for about 1 minute while stirring from time to time.
• Add the crayfish to the pot and stir for only a few seconds to release its flavor. Do not allow the crayfish in oil for long or the crayfish will burn.
• Add the cooked meats to the pot, followed by their stock. Bring to a simmer, spooning some of the liquid over the meats if they are not completely submerged.
• Add the smoked fish to the pot. Taste for salt then add the 2 seasoning cubes. Note that seasoning cubes are salty so be the judge and use less if your stock was salty enough. Let everything simmer together on medium heat.
• Add the habanero peppers whole to the pot. I do it this way to soften the peppers so those who want spicy soup can press some of the pepper into their soup to release its spiciness.
• However, if you want the entire soup spicy feel free to blend one habanero pepper with water then add it to the soup.
• While the pot simmers prepare the okra. Place about a cup of the okra into a blender or food processor and pulse about 2 seconds at a time to reveal a chopped consistency. (You can see how I do this in the video).Repeat the process with all of the okra.
• Add the okra to the pot. Gently stir to ensure it is evenly distributed. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the spinach to the pot and stir in. Let everything cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve hot with your fufu of choice.

LOWCOUNTRY OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Set an 8-quart Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, lay in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
• Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid ajar to ensure the pot doesn't boil over. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum that forms, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is always submerged. Cook for about 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
• While it's traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
• Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
• Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.