Okra, which biologically is a fruit contains protein, Vitamins C, A, K, B6, Mangnesium etc is used as one would use vegetables in most African and South Asian countries.
In the Ewe tribe from Ghana, Okra soup is a traditional dish made with either Fish, Chicken, Meat, SeaFood or Vegetables.
The soup can be made with or without oil and it’s a favourite amongst most Ghanaians and Nigerians.
Over the years the consumption of Okra has increased which means it’s readily available in most grocery shops and supermarkets across the UK.
The benefits of including Okra in your daily diet includes;
Weight loss - Okra promotes weight loss due to its high fibre content which keeps you fuller for longer; it also helps lower your sugar and cholesterol levels.
Fibre - Okra’s fibre and mucilaginous structure helps relieves constipation and stomach illnesses such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and indigestion
Blood pressure- Okra is rich in Magnesium which helps regulates your blood pressure levels. A perfect reason to enjoy it daily.
Okra is rich in the protein Lectin (which fights against breast cancer) and Folate which prevents the risks of most cancers.
Okra is packed with antioxidants which means it removes toxins from your bodies, aids in reversing skin damage, slows down the ageing process and promotes a youthful skin
With these amazing benefits of Okra it’s fair to say it’s a power house ingredient that needs to be enjoyed daily.
OKRA SOUP RECIPE 👇🏾
INGREDIENTS
450g of chopped Okra
2 large Shallots or any Onion of your choice
4 finely diced fresh chillies
6 cloves of finely chopped Garlic
1 teaspoonful of grated Ginger
2 tablespoonfuls of your preferred oil
2 tablespoonfuls of Dark Soy Sauce (optional). You can replace the dark soy sauce with Dawadawa (fermented locust beans) or Fish sauce
Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this healthy Okra recipe below;
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All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
‘Wele’, ‘Ponmo’ are basically words used to describe Cow hide in Ghana and Nigeria respectively.
Cow hide is a delicacy that’s enjoyed in both Ghana and Nigeria.
It’s an inexpensive ‘Meat’ with little nutritional contents (Protein & Collagen) depending on how it’s manufactured.
Cow hide manufactured in a hygienic way has little protein and it’s packed with Collagen which helps against aging of the skin.
When added to stews, soup and cooked in spices is does taste good.
The unhygienic way that most producers use in making the Cow hide for consumption contributed to my Mum not including it our diet.
It’s difficult to establish if the Cow hide you purchase from the market place is wood smoked and not smoked with used tyres and petrochemicals.
It’s about time a seal of authenticity is introduced by the various governing Food Standard Boards to ensure they’re only wood smoked.
I learnt how to cook from my Mum, hence the absence of the Cow hide in our diet stayed with me till my adulthood. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve enjoyed this delicacy, hence I was excited when a cousin gifted me a portion.
The natural Cow hide is dark brown in colour (due to burning of the hairs), has to be scraped and cleaned before cooking.
The cooking process can take up to 3 hrs to soften the skin, hence its best to use a pressure cooker.
The Cow hide I was gifted had a cream looking colour, which meant it was scalded , shaved and par boiled.
This meant the Cow hide had no unwanted chemicals and was cooked within an hour and a half instead of 3 or more hours with the wood smoked or tyre burnt types.
It’s imperative to source the Cow hide that has either been wood burnt or the cream looking types.
With this in mind I proceeded to include this delicacy to my Okro soup recipe which included, Prawns, Tilapia, Salmon, Mackerel and Spinach for their flavour and nutritional content.
Tip
Use whatever fish or seafood that’s available to you. I used up most of my leftover Fish for this dish.
INGREDIENTS
COW HIDE
300g of Cow hide cut into sizeable chunks
1 Habanero Chilli
1 large Clove of Garlic
2 litres of water
OKRO SOUP
300g of smoked Mackerel
300g of wood smoked Salmon
200g of fried Tilapia
150g of fried Prawns
500g of baby Spinach or Cocoyam leaves
700g of chopped fresh Okra
4 tablespoonfuls of Palm oil or Zomi
1 Habanero chilli
1 large chopped Onion
1 levelled tablespoon of Bicarbonate soda
350ml of water or your preferred stock
Salt to taste
RAW PEPPER
2 medium sized Tomatoes
1 medium sized Onion
1 Habanero Chilli
1 clove of Garlic
10g of fresh Ginger
SPICE MIX
30g of Ginger
1 medium sized Onion
1 clove of Garlic
1 tablespoonful of Aniseed
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this flavour packed soup including the use of Cow hide (Wele,Ponmo)below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
The Garden eggs and Okra looked inviting and fresh, resulting in me buying some from my local grocer.
My drive home included what I'd make out of my purchases. The decision to prepare Okra and Garden egg stew was quick, since I had some crabs and precooked spiced Lamb pieces left in my freezer.
The cooking time in making this dish was cut in half due to me precooking some elements of the dish, eg;
Tomato Passata and Steamed meat.
INGREDIENTS
350g of chopped Okro
350g of Garden Eggs
1 large diced Onion
250g of Crabs
GINGER BLEND 1 (Crabs)
30g of peeled Ginger
1 large Onion
1 teaspoonful of Aniseed
1 Habanero chilli
NDUDU’s PASSATA
300g of Tomatoes
2 cloves of Garlic
20g of Ginger
GINGER BLEND 2 (Lamb)
30g of peeled Ginger
1 teaspoonful of Aniseed
1 teaspoonful of Carom seeds
1 large Onion
500g of diced Lamb, Goat meat, Fish, Seafood or any Poultry of your choosing
20g of Tomato paste
4 tablespoonfuls of Vegetable oil or your preferred oil.
Salt to taste
Optional chopped Coriander for garnishing.
Method
PASSATA
Blend the Tomato, Garlic and Onion into a smooth paste.
Transfer the blended Tomato into a saucepan and place on a medium heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until you have a thick double cream consistency.
Once cooled down, transfer the mixture into a container with a lid and use it when a recipe requires it.
STEAMED LAMB
Blend the Ginger. Onion, Aniseed and Carom seeds into a smooth paste.
Marinade the Lamb pieces for a minimum of 3 hours.
Transfer the meat into a saucepan and place on a medium to low heat.
Cook on a low heat for an hour and use when a recipe requires it.
Watch the full recipe on how to make this stew below;
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All recipes, photos and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Paying homage to my tribal, Ewe dish of Banku and Okra soup (traditionally known as Akple and Fetri Detchi ).
Okra soup can be made with either Seafood, Fish, Poultry or meat. My favourite is with seafood and fish, hence I made a decadent, smoky soup to pay homage to my tribal dish.
This is an over indulgent and inspiring recipe hence you can omit some of the fish options and use what's readily available to you.
Watch another way of making Okro soup on my YouTube channel.Don't forget to subscribe, like the video and share.
I prefer to hand cut my Okra , hence you can use bicarbonate soda or edible potash, (when it's readily available). Adding the bicarbonate soda increases the mucilagenous characteristic of the Okra.
One can pulse the Okra with water, using a food processor , to activate the mucilagenous texture of the Okra and omit the edible potash or bicarbonate soda.
There are various Okra recipes on my blog and YouTube page, including one version made with no oil.
Okra soup or stew is a versatile dish, where the recipe can easily be adapted to a Vegetarian, Vegan or a Pescetarian one. Try adding garden eggs, aubergines, mushrooms or your preferred vegetables to the recipe.
3 tablespoonfuls of Zomi (spiced Palm oil) or Groundnut oil
2 Habanero chillies
Half a teaspoon of edible potash or 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
1 litre of Fish stock or Vegetable stock
1 Shrimp stock cube
300g of Kale of Spinach
3 large blended tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Fish & Seafood
150g of Shitake Mushrooms or your preferred Mushrooms
2 large grilled Mackerel
150g of smoked Haddock pieces
150g of cubed Salmon
150g of cubed Cod fillets
200g of shelled medium sized crabs
150g of smoked Tilapia
150g of Prawns
Method
Sauce;
Pour the oil in a large saucepan and place on a medium heat.
Add 1 finely diced onions and fry gently for 2 minutes
Slice 1 habanero chilli into thin strips.
Add the chillies to the onion and fry for a further 2 minutes
Add 30g of the blended Ginger and fry for 3 minutes .
Add the blended tomatoes and cook gently for 3 minutes.
Add the smoked Tilapia and cook for another 5 minutes.
Okra
In a separate saucepan, on a medium heat, add the Onions, Okra, Stock cube, remaining 20g of the blended Ginger and Habanero chilli.
Dry fry whilst stirring for 3 minutes and add the stock.
Cook for 2 minutes and add the edible potash (Kaun) or bicarbonate soda and stir vigorously (careful not to spill). Cook for another minute and take it off the heat.
Add the Okra, mushrooms and crab to the sauce, mix and cook for 2 minutes. Add the washed Kale, Cod, Salmon and Haddock.
Cook for a minute, taking care not to break the fish when stirring.
Add the grilled Mackerel, chopped Onions and Prawns.
Turn the heat off, cover the saucepan with a lid and let it steam for 5 minutes.
Tip;
The prawns will be juicy and tender.
Serve on its own or with Rice, Banku, Akple or Kenkey. (Steamed fermented corn dumplings).
Watch how to make Akple on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'.
Watch how to make Okra soup on my YouTube channel,'Ndudu by Fafa'.
All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
Saute onions and chilli for 2 min on a medium heat
Add the chopped Okra , a tbsp of freshly ground ginger, garlic and star anise and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Add half a pint of water and cook for a further 5 minutes
In a separate pan fry onions and 4 tablespoon full of blended tomato and a teaspoon full of the ginger mix. Reduce to a double cream consistency At this stage add your smoked mackerel and stir for a further 2 minutes. Coating the mackerel in the sauce. Then pour the okra mix into the sauce Add the prawns
Rinse the spinach and add to the soup. At this stage take the soup off the fire and leave to cool for 3 minutes covered before you serve.
