Okra soup facts for kids
Okra soup is a yummy dish made from the green, finger-shaped pods of the okra plant. These pods are the main ingredient! Sometimes, other veggies like ewedu or Ugu leaf are added too.
Okra soup can look different depending on how it's made. Some versions have a clear broth, while others are a deep green, just like the okra plant itself. Okra can feel a bit "slippery" or "slimy" when you eat it, which is totally normal for this vegetable! Besides soup, okra pods are also used in other stews, like the famous gumbo dish from America.
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Okra Soup Around the World
Okra soup is enjoyed in many countries, each with its own special twist!
Nigeria
In Nigeria, okra soup is a very popular and tasty meal. It's a favorite among many different groups of people, including the Yorubas, Igbos, Efiks, and Hausas. In the Yoruba language, this soup is called obe lla.
China
Chinese okra soup is often a simple, "country style" dish that families enjoy together. It's important to know that the "Chinese okra" used here is a bit different from the okra you might find in other parts of the world. It's actually a plant called ridged gourd.
Indonesia
In Indonesian cuisine, okra soup is known as sayur oyong. This soup usually has a clear chicken broth. It's often served with thin noodles called rice vermicelli (bihun) or mung bean vermicelli (sohun). You might also find slices of bakso, which are like meatballs made from ground beef.
Japan
In Japanese cuisine, okra is often added to miso soup. It's sometimes combined with a special kind of yam called nagaimo to give the soup an interesting texture and flavor.
United States
Okra soup has been a part of American cooking for a long time! The very first recipe for okra soup in the United States was printed in a cookbook called The Virginia Housewife in 1824. After that, okra soup recipes started showing up in many American cookbooks. Even The New York Times newspaper published recipes for it in the late 1800s.
Today, you can make American okra soup using fresh, frozen, or even canned okra. It's a traditional and much-loved soup in cities like Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.
How to Make Okra Soup
Making okra soup is quite simple! Here's a basic way it's prepared:
- First, you cut the okra into small pieces, whatever shape you like, and set them aside.
- Next, put a little water in a pot and heat it up.
- Add ingredients like stock fish, meat, ponmo (which is processed cow skin), crayfish, pepper, salt, and seasoning cubes. You might also add iru (a fermented bean paste) and a tiny bit of potash.
- Let all these ingredients boil together for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Then, add the cut-up okra to the pot, stir it in, and let it boil for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Finally, add a small amount of palm oil and let it steam for a few more minutes. Then it's ready to enjoy!
Gallery
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Okra pods, ready for soup
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Miso soup with okra and nagaimo
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Nigerian ofe araga okra soup
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A bowl of delicious okra soup
