Okro Soup - Nigerian Okra Soup

❤️ Why You'll Love It

This loaded okro soup is a staple in West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. Okra soup is deliciously satisfying, nutritious, and loaded with proteins and healthy fat. It is also excellent for busy weeknights because it can be prepped ahead and even frozen!

🥘 Equipment Used

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To make your own okra soup, you'll need a blender or a grater to break down your okra, a cutting board and knives, and a large pot or Dutch oven.

🧾 Ingredients Used

• Okra: For this recipe, I used about 25 pieces of okra pods, which came to about 4 cups chopped. The amount doesn't have to be exact; you can eyeball the okra and approximate the amount. But remember the more okra, the thicker the soup.
• Proteins: You can use any combination of meat or fish to cook this, but the cooking time will vary. I used goat meat, smoked catfish, Iru (fermented African locust bean), and fresh shrimp. The more proteins you add, the more filling it is, and the chunkier the soup. I actually prefer it this way, but it's up to you.
• Red Palm Oil: This is the best for traditional African soups, but you can use olive oil if that’s what you have. The flavor will not be exactly the same, but you will still have a tasty okro soup dish.
• Other vegetables: The traditional Nigerian okro soup is not cooked with bell peppers, but I added it because I think it gives more texture and flavor.
• Spices: I used bouillon, ground crayfish, cayenne pepper, and salt.

🔪 How To Make This Recipe

For this okra soup recipe, you have to prepare the okra first if you're using fresh okra.

Prepare the Okra

1. You can use frozen okra if that's all you have, but I promise you, fresh okra is so much better. For the longest time, I used frozen, but when I tried it with fresh okra, I realized what I had been missing.
2. You can control just how smooth or chunky you want it to be. To make it very smooth, use a blender and blend until it's pureed. To make it chunky, cut it with a knife into smaller pieces, use a grater with a large-hole shredder, or chop with a food processor.
3. The easiest and fastest way is to chop with a food processor as this makes the okra chunks uniform in size, and it is ready in about 2 minutes.

Make the Okra Stew

1. Cut the meat you chose into small pieces. Add salt, black pepper, seasoning cubes, and enough water and cook until tender. Don't toss the meat stock; it will enhance the soup's flavor.
2. If you're using smoked fish and locust beans, soak them separately in hot water for 5 minutes, break apart the smoked catfish, and remove the bones. Then, wash and drain the locust bean.
3. Add palm oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until they just begin to turn brown, then add the chopped okra. Stir in for about 5 minutes, and the okra will start to turn a bit slimy.
4. Add in the meat stock from boiling the meat or just water if you have none. Since the meat stock is usually very flavorful, you might need to add more spices to bring out the flavor if you just use water.
5. Bring to a boil and add the spices, meat, shrimp, bell pepper, smoked catfish, and locust bean. You can add or subtract anything on this list; just make it your own!
6. Add some spinach to make it even more filling. When cooking the okra, let it boil for 5 minutes, then check the texture of the soup with a slotted spoon. At this point, I am usually okay with the texture, but if it is too crunchy for you, let it boil for a few more minutes.

🥫 Storing and Reheating

Store your leftover okra soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, either microwave it in 1-2 minute bursts until fully reheated or let it come to temperature in a saucepan on the stove.

You can also freeze your leftover okro stew in a freezer-safe container for 1-3 months. Be sure to let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

💭 Tips and Variations

• For a vegan option, you can substitute the meat with mushrooms.
• If the mucilage in the okro stew bothers you, there are ways to reduce it slightly. Cooking or frying the okra in high heat will cut down the slimy texture, while cooking on low heat for a prolonged period will increase it.
• Be careful not to overcook it, or the okra might begin to turn brown.
• You can add a hot pepper, like a habanero pepper, for more heat.
• If the okra soup is too thick, you can add a little water to dilute it.
• Feel free to tweak the seasonings to your preference. You can always add more spices, such as onion powder and bay leaves.
• For extra heat, top this okra soup with hot sauce, like my African pepper sauce or super hot pili pili sauce.

🍽️ What Can I Eat Okro Soup With?

In Nigeria, okro soup is usually served with eba, amala, or pounded yam. Since I am on a keto diet, I like to enjoy mine with low-carb fufu.

👩‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe