My first blog post written in quarantine! You might expect that I would catch up on all the blog posts I have yet to write, due to having so much extra time. To be honest, my routine has barely changed, so don't expect much.
Enough about what's going on now: I actually made this meal way back in December; it's a warm, comforting, spicy okra stew for the west African nation of Sierra Leone.
The base of the stew starts with onion, eggplant, and chilis--I used jalapenos. Those are tossed into a food processor with some water and pulsed until it turns into a paste.
The eggplant paste is added to a pot with a bit of palm oil.
The paste is simmered in the pot for a while, and then some broth and seasoning. Usually fish flakes would be added in, but I just used some West African curry seasoning.
Then sliced okra goes in, followed by some baking soda. I'm not sure what this does, maybe it helps cut down on the sliminess usually associated with okra. At this point the pot is covered without stirring anything, it just kind of steams on top of the stew.
Once it steams like that for about 15 minutes, everything is mixed up and cooks again until it all melds together.
The finished product is served alongside some white rice and topped with reserved chilis. I know many people dislike okra because of the texture--many find it too slimy. It definitely does have a slimy aspect to it, but I don't mind it. I think it works well when mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
Recipes Used: Okra soup
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