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Four delicious soups you can make with okra

Okra is quite a popular, staple vegetable in Nigeria. Asides from it’s many nutritional benefits, it can be used to make some of the easiest...

Okra is quite a popular, staple vegetable in Nigeria. Asides from it’s many nutritional benefits, it can be used to make some of the easiest, quickest and delicious soups you’ll taste; many tribes have different ways of cooking it. Ila Alasepo is common way to cook okra in the Western part of Nigeria, Gbagbafofo is popular in the South-South part of the country and also Efere Etighi. There are many more ways to cook and enjoy okro soup. These 4 Recipes are sure to be a hit anytime.

GBAGBAFOFO
Gbagbafofo is a marriage of pepper soup and Okra-It is fast and delicious when it is cooked fresh and is perfect for rainy days. This soup is oil-less meaning it is great option if weight gain is a major concern.

Ingredients
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Stock
3 Tablespoons Peppersoup Spice
1 Tablespoon Beletientien
3 Tablespoons Ground crayfish
Seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
3 Scotch Bonnets
3 Cups Okra, Chopped
Fresh King Prawns (Optional)
Seafood Mix
Handful Scent leaves

Preparation
In a pot, pour in stock, and then add water, pepper soup spices, some chopped scotch bonnets, crayfish and seasoning.
Cover the pot and allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Now add seafood mix, cleaned prawns and cook for 5 minutes, till the prawns turn bright orange.
Add chopped okra, then stir together.

Cook for another 5 minutes

VEGETABLE OKRA
Instead of serving up plain boiled Okra and Stew, try dressing it up by adding a few more ingredients. Your taste buds will thank you for this. The major difference between this method and Gbagbafofo is the use of peppersoup spice.

Ingredients
3 Cups Okra, chopped
Handful Ugu leaves, chopped
Handful Uziza leaves, chopped
1 Teaspoon Ground Uziza Seeds
1 Teaspoon Ground Cameroon Pepper
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons Ground Crayfish
1 Cup Water

Preparation
Wash and chop / grate okra fingers then transfer to a pot.
Add water to the pot and combine with the Okra.
Add Ugu and Uziza vegetables, also ground Uziza seeds and crayfish
Combine and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
Add salt to taste.

Serve with stew
ILA ASEPO
Ila Alasepo is simply known as combination okro. Put a bunch of ingredients together and it will result in a delicious soup.
Ingredients
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Beef Stock
3 Cups Chopped Okra
½ Cup Palm Oil
1 Cup Big Dried Prawns
1 Smoked Catfish, deboned
3 Tablespoons Ground crayfish
1 Smoked Mackerel, deboned
¼ Cup Locust beans (optional)
Precooked Goat Meat
Precooked Offal’s
Salt to taste
Seasoning to taste
3 Scotch Bonnets
1 Bell Pepper
1 Medium Onion

Preparation
In a large pot, add water, beef stock, precooked Goat meat, precooked offal’s, smoked mackerel, smoked catfish, blended pepper mix, palm oil, locust beans, dried prawns, some crayfish and cover the pot to let it cook together for 15 minutes (till the palm oil is cooked)
Add chopped okro to the pot and then stir till well blended. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes.
Taste for salt. Usually the seasoning in the stock is always enough for the soup so do not add any more salt or seasoning until the stock has been added.
Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

OKRA AND BANGA SOUP
If you love Banga Soup (made from Palm nut extract) and you like okra soup, then the combination of both is a perfect match! Palm nut extract is a great base for many Nigerian soups, so give this a go.

Ingredients
4 Cups Palm nut extract
Salt to taste
Seasoning to taste
2 Tablespoons Ground crayfish
1 Cup Periwinkles
Dried Fish
Ground Yellow Pepper
2 Scotch Bonnet
1 Teaspoon Ground Yellow Pepper
2 Medium Sized Onion
2 Tablespoons Banga Spice mix
1 Tablespoon Beletientien leaves
1 Banga Stick (Oburunbebe)
3 Cups Okra, chopped
Handful Smoked Big Prawns
1 Kg Goat Meat
4 Cups Water

Preparation
Place Goat meat in a pot, add 1 onion chopped, water, season with salt and bouillon cubes according to taste. Cook till almost tender.

Once the Goat Meat is almost cooked, add palm nut concentrate (if using tinned concentrate, dilute with 3 cups of Water, if freshly extracted then omit adding water)
Also add deboned dried fish, some ground crayfish, smoked prawns, Banga spice mix, blend scotch bonnet and onion, then add also.

Taste for salt and if lacking, then add some more to season the soup.
Add 1 Banga stick to the soup, stir the contents, cover the pot and allow to cook for 20 minutes
Add Beletientien leaves and cook some more (5 minutes) till the Palmnut extract reduces/thickens (For thicker soup allow to cook more, to make it light, add water to the soup).

Once oil floats to the top, it signifies that the Banga soup is cooked. Using a tong, take out the Banga (Oburunbebe) stick. Do not discard because it can be reused.

Add chopped Okra to the Banga Soup, add more ground crayfish, stir the soup and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.

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