Okro Soup is one of many savoury soups prepared in many West African homes and eaten with ‘’swallow’’ of eba, fufu, pounded yam, amala, banku, etc. It is cooked using either fresh or dry okro that is either diced into small pieces, blended into a paste or ground when dried into powder as the main vegetable ingredient to thicken the soup and give it its natural ‘’draw’’ texture and consistency.
Okro is also known as ‘’Okra’’ or ‘’Lady Fingers’’.
To spice things up, I decided to cook Okro soup with a slightly different twist – this time using the aromatic pepper spice combination of Scotch Bonnet (Cameroun Pepper) and Uziza (Tailed Pepper).
Scotch bonnet is an extremely hot chilli with a deep smoky and fruity flavour, and should be used carefully and in small quantities (or according to how brave you are feeling). Uziza is a highly aromatic, pungent and peppery spice with a unique flavour that is quite a challenge to replicate with any other spice.
The result? A soup that was so finger-licking tasty with an amazing aroma that it got the taste buds all fired up!
You can make this soup in your usual way, and simply add the Cameroun Pepper and Uziza according to your taste to get their combined unique aroma.
My spicy Okro Soup recipe is as follows:
1.5kg to 2kg gravy beef cut into chunks (any cut will do)
4 pieces dried/smoked fish (washed in hot water, cleaned and de-boned)
1kg fresh okra (I prefer to blend mine for a smooth soup consistency when cooked)
2 tablespoons ground crayfish
3 chopped brown onions (I like onions but you can really make do with only 2)
1 ladle of red palm oil
1 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet/Cameroon Pepper powder
1 teaspoon ground Uziza/Tailed Cubeb Pepper seeds
1 teaspoon ground Dawa-Dawa/Iru
Salt and other seasonings (Knorr/Maggi/Vegeta, etc) to taste.
Method:
To Your Good Health!
Give this a try and let me know how you like it.
Shop Cameroon Pepper and Uziza Tailed Pepper
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Andrea Ijeoma Njoku-Tade; the inspirational woman behind the popular online African-based food business, Safe Journey Foods, uncovers her spectacular voyage in marketing her iconic brand throughout New Zealand and Australia.
The brand, Safe Journey Foods mainly specializes in native African foods and spices online, winning the hearts of many enthusiastic individuals in favour of the products.
Andrea's focus is mainly on authentic and healthy African local food products that were relatively rare in the African-Australian market.
Currently, Safe Journey Foods is involved in the sale of Tigernuts, which are grown and eaten throughout sub-Saharan Africa; African Breadfruit (Dried Ukwa), Roasted Ukwa Snack (Roasted African Breadfruit Seeds with Coconut aka ‘’Aki na Ukwa’’), Dried Dates, and a range of African Spices including Aromatic Pepper Soup Spice Blend, Grains of Selim, Suya Yaji BBQ Spice and Cameroun Pepper.