Okro or Okra is a green vegetable which looks like a capsule and contains numerous creamish seeds. It is native to West Africa though also well known in many other parts of the world. Commonly referred to as ‘lady’s fingers’, Okro can be used in a variety of dishes and its cooking varies very widely amongst different groups of people.

Here, we describe one of the ways of cooking Okro soup as it is popularly done in West Africa.

Ingredients

Fresh Okro

Meat (Beef, chicken, Tripe, Cow foot e.t.c)

Dry fish

Dry/Smoked Prawns or Crayfish (Ground or whole)

Dry ground pepper

Palm Oil

Stock cubes (Maggi, Knorr, Jumbo e.t.c)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

• Wash the fresh okro in water ensuring they are clean of any dirt
• Gently chop, blend or grate to get okro into small bits (the size of the bits is a personal preference)
• Season the meat with onion, curry, thyme, salt, onions and any other meat seasoning of choice
• Let the meat cook till tender
• When the meat is tender, leave the stock in and add Palm oil, dry ground pepper, dry fish, smoked/dry prawns and allow to cook for some minutes
• If available, add Iru (locust beans paste), add salt to taste
• When the mixture starts to thicken, reduce the heat and add the chopped okro
• Leave the pot uncovered and allow the okro to cook for about 5 minutes stiring ocassionally
• Taste to check that the okro is soft; if it is take off the cooker
• Serve with any of Yam flour, Pounded yam, Gari (Eba), Semovita, Ground rice e.t.c.

Fried Plantains (Dodo, Aloco)

Plantains are similar to Banana both belonging to the genus Musa. In contrast to banana which is soft and eaten in its raw form, plantains are usually cooked before they are eaten. Its cooking varies with choice and it is usually the case that the prevalence of one cooking method over another varies amongst different groups of people.  They can be boiled, roasted, baked or simply fried. Furthermore, they can be served as a snack, a starter or an addition or side dish to a main course such as Jollof rice.

Here, we describe the simple steps to follow if you are trying this dish out for the first time.

Ingredients

Ripe plantains

Cooking oil (Sunflower oil, Vegetable, Groundnut oil, Palm oil)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

• Use a clean knife to carefully peel off the skin
• Cut the plantain into slices of medium thickness
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt and shake well to mix
• In a frying pan or deep fryer, heat up some oil (any cooking oil of choice can be used)
• When the oil is heated up but not fiercely hot, add the plantain slices
• Allow to cook on medium heat for a few minutes on each side till golden brown, then turn and allow the same on the reverse side
• When brownish on both sides, remove from oil and place in a strainer to remove any excess oil
• Serve