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(Reality Bites)
Your 2025 Christmas doesn’t have to be boring with foods you are so used to that they have become cultural and traditional, like the normal jollof rice, fried rice, or salads. You can try something new and give your family a different treat by cooking another meal aside from the popular ones. You cracking your brain on what to feed your family should not be a problem this year if you give okro soup a shot. It is a known soup, but it has not been given the attention it deserves or viewed as a must-have dish at Christmas. You can make it come first on the table if you wish, for a change.
Okra or okro soup is a popular West African dish. Loved by Nigerians across different ethnic groups, it is also known as a “draw soup” due to its slippery or “slimy” texture caused by the okra. The dish typically includes various proteins such as meats, fish, prawns, shrimp, or seafood. It is rich in nutrients and is often served with a “swallow” food like eba, fufu, amala, semo, or pounded yam, depending on your choice of swallow.
For a rich Christmas okro soup with swallow, you will need to make a flavourful base with assorted meats (beef, stockfish, prawns), palm oil, crayfish, peppers, and locust beans (iru), adding fresh or blended okra for that signature “draw,” then finishing with leafy greens like pumpkin (ugwu), uziza, or bitter leaf, serving it steaming hot with fufu, eba, or pounded yam for a festive Nigerian meal.
Key ingredients for richness
Proteins: Beef, assorted meats, prawns, crabs, stockfish, smoked fish, cowhide (kpomo).
Base flavours: Palm oil, ground crayfish, onions, peppers (Scotch bonnet/chili), seasoning cubes, salt.
Thickening/draw: Freshly sliced or blended okra, optional ogbono (ground).
Vegetables: Fluted pumpkin leaves (ugwu) or uziza leaves.
Add-ins: Locust beans (iru) for depth.
Simple preparation
Steps (for a festive batch) according to @iyalojadirect.com
Cook meats: Boil your beef, stockfish, and other meats with onions, seasoning, and a little salt until tender. Set aside some stock.
Build the base: Heat palm oil, sauté onions and peppers, then add ground crayfish, locust beans, and cooked meats/fish. Add some meat stock and simmer.
Add okra: Stir in sliced or blended okra (blend some, chop some for texture) and cook for just a few minutes to keep it slimy and not overcooked. Don’t cover the pot if you want a good “draw.”
Finish: Add your leafy greens (ugwu/uziza), adjust seasoning and salt, and let it steam for another 5 minutes.
Serve with swallow: Enjoy with hot eba, fufu, pounded yam, semovita, or a swallow of your choice.
Tips for extra richness and draw
Don’t overcook okra: Cook it briefly to maintain its slimy texture.
Use plenty of crayfish: It adds significant flavour.
Don’t skip locust beans (iru): It’s a secret to authentic flavour.
Potash (akanwu): A tiny pinch helps enhance the “draw” if you’re familiar with it, but a little water or blending technique works too.
How to make seafood okro soup
Ingredients
30 okra fingers
2 medium fish
2 cups shrimps
500 g beef
¼ cup red palm oil
2 handfuls ugu or spinach
1 sweet pepper
1 red onion
Habanero peppers (to your taste)
4 small seasoning cubes
Salt (to your taste)
Directions for making the seafood okra soup
Cook the beef with the stock cubes and half of the diced onions.
When done, remove the beef and add the fish. Cook for 5 minutes, at most 7 minutes, so it does not disintegrate, then gently take it out.
Add the shrimps and cook for 5 minutes, then take them out.
In a different pot, add the red palm oil. Once it heats up, add the remaining onions and fry briefly.
Add the okra and fry until it heats up all over. Start adding the stock bit by bit and stir very well to activate the elasticity of the okra.
When all the stock has been added, add the peppers and the spinach. Cover and cook for 1 minute maximum.
Add the fish and shrimps, add salt if necessary, and stir very well.