Okro Soup (African Okra Soup)

Okra soup (African okro soup) is made with okra vegetables cooked in a delicious mixture of palm oil, shrimps, goat meat, fish, and African spices and simmered to perfection!

This loaded okro soup is a staple in West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. Okra soup is deliciously satisfying, nutritious, and is loaded with proteins and healthy fat.

It is also excellent for busy weeknights because it can be prepped ahead and even frozen!

​What is Nigerian okra soup made of?

• Okra: For this recipe, I use about 25 pieces of okra pods which came to about 4 cups chopped. It doesn't have to be exact; you can eyeball the okra and approximate the amount. But remember, the more the 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 African traditional soups, but you can use olive oil if that’s only 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, especially if you're eating it alone as a meal like I do.
• Spices: I used bouillon, ground crayfish, cayenne pepper, and salt.

How to make okra soup

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

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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 till it's pureed. You can also cut it with a knife into smaller pieces to make it chunky, 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 assortment of meat or protein you choose into small pieces. Then add some salt, black pepper, seasoning cubes, and enough water and cook until tender. You will need the meat stock to enhance the soup's flavor, so don't toss it.
2. If you're using smoked fish and locust bean, 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. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add some palm oil. Fry some onions till it just begins 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.
7. 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.

Tips & Variations

• For a vegan option, you can substitute 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 mucilage, 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 some habanero pepper for more heat.
• If the okra soup is too thick, you can add a little water to dilute it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Eat Okra soup with

Serve and enjoy this okro soup alone or with fufu if you like. I make mine very loaded, so it is a complete meal all by itself.

Try these low carb fufu dishes for a keto option!

Cauliflower Fufu

Coconut Fufu

Eggplant Amala Swallow

Cabbage Fufu

Enjoy these other low carb African soups and stews!

Egusi Soup

Bitter Leaf Soup

Efo Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew)

Banga Soup

Ogbono Soup

📖 Recipe

Okro Soup (West African Okra Soup)

Okro soup (African okra soup) is a delicious soup commonly eaten in Nigeria and other West African countries and served with fufu dishes.

5 from 21 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: African

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Tayo Oredola

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Ingredients

For goat meat

• ▢ 1 lb goat meat
• ▢ 1 tablespoon bouillon powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

For Okra Soup

• ▢ 25 okra pieces 4 cups chopped
• ▢ 1.5 cups shrimp
• ▢ 1 smoked catfish
• ▢ ½ cup palm oil
• ▢ ½ onion
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Iru locust bean, optional
• ▢ 2 mini bell peppers
• ▢ 1 tablespoon bouillon powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground crayfish
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or dry ground pepper
• ▢ Meat stock can substitute with water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preparation

• Wash the goat meat and place in a large pot.
• Chop half an onion and add salt, black pepper, bouillon powder.
• Boil for about 30 minutes, stirring intermittently. The meat should be quite tender but not too soft when done.
• If applicable, soak the smoked catfish and locust bean, separately in hot water for about 5 minutes.
• Break apart the smoked catfish and remove the bones.
• Wash and drain the locust bean.
• Trim the ends off the okra, wash, and pat dry.
• Chop okra using a food processor and set aside.

Instructions

• Pour palm oil in a large pan on medium heat.
• Add onions and stir fry for 2 minutes till it turns just a bit brown.
• Add okra to palm oil and stir for about 5 minutes.
• Pour in the meat stock from boiling the meat. You can add water if you don’t have any but might need to increase the spices added.
• Add the meat, shrimp, bell pepper, smoked catfish and locust bean and bring to a boil. You can add or subtract anything thing on this list, just make it your own!
• Mix in the spices - black pepper, ground pepper, ground crayfish, bouillon powder, and salt.
• Let it simmer for about 5 minutes if you’re ok with a coarser texture, or a few minutes longer if you want a finer texture.
• Add more salt or spices if you desire a stronger flavor.
• Serve and enjoy with low carb fufu!

Notes

This recipe contains 12 servings with 2 net carbs per serving.

• You can make this okro soup as loaded as you want. Add beef, fish, shrimps, snails, or any combination of these. Substitute with mushrooms for a vegan option.
• You can add spinach or other greens for a wonderful variety.
• Okro is quite slimy in nature. If the mucilage really bothers you and you want to reduce it, cooking or frying in high heat will reduce the mucilage while cooking on low heat for a prolonged period will actually increase it.
• Be careful not to overcook it or the okra might begin to turn brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 404mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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