
Okra soup is one of the many vegetable soups that is widely eaten with swallow in Nigeria and other West African countries. Okra (also called okro) is either cooked plain or in a sauce with condiments and fish or meat (ila asepo/ila alasepo). Plain okra needs a stew to make a complete accompaniment, while ila alasepo (Nigerian okra soup) is a complete soup.

When okra is cooked, it becomes very viscous and “slimy”. This mucilaginous property, which is not liked in most cultures, is one of the reasons why it is revered as a soup in Nigeria. It coats the swallow nicely and makes it easy to go down the throat. The skill of winding your hands so that the “slimy” soup does not get everywhere when you are eating is essential and passed down from parents to children.
Nigerian okra soup is easy to prepare. It is a lifesaver when you don’t have a lot of ingredients at home. All you need to do is buy the okra, then dig into your cupboard and freezer for other ingredients to whip up a delicious pot of soup.
Is Nigerian Okra Soup Healthy?
Okra has high fibre and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is a good source of vitamins C and K, iron, and calcium. It also contains some vitamins A and B6.
Nigerian okra soup is highly nutritious as okra is combined with other vegetables and condiments like locust beans which are all good sources of vitamins and minerals.
How To Prepare Okra Soup
Here are the ingredients you need...
- Okra
- Smoked mackerel
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Scotch bonnet pepper
- Palm-oil
- Fermented locust beans
- Ground crayfish
- Prawns
A few notes about the ingredients...
- Okra: Buy deep green, tender okra pods for this soup. The bigger, more mature pods are usually tougher to cook and not as mucilaginous. The way to identify good okra when buying is to bend the tip slightly. If it snaps off and separates easily then it is good and should make a viscous soup. However, if the tip does not separate cleanly with fibrous bits holding it to the okra, it is a tough one and will not be very viscous after cooking.
- Meat/Fish: Ila alasepo can be as cheap or as expensive as your pocket. Cook with only smoked fish, and you will have a delicious pot of soup, or go large and add other protein of choice. Beef, goat meat, smoked turkey, fresh fish and mixed seafood all work well with this soup.
- Fermented locust bean (Iru): If you can access fermented locust beans, you must not leave it out of the Nigrian okra soup recipe as it is essential for the traditional umami flavour. If, however, you can’t get it or you find locust beans too strong, then you can omit it. You can buy fermented locust beans in the freezer of African shops or Etsy.
How To Make It...
You will need two pots to get a good pot of Nigerian okra soup. One to cook the sauce and the other to cook the okra. The two will then come together at the end of cooking.
Wash the okra pods, then cut off the stems. Prepare for cooking by chopping with a knife or food processor, grating or blending coarsely. If you are using a blender, add a small amount of water and pulse at intervals so the okra does not become a puree.
Add the okra into a pan with 3 cups of water. Wash the fermented locust beans and also add to the pan and stir properly. Do not cover the pan.
Cook for 7 mins, add some salt to taste, and stir until the okra is soft to bite. Total cooking time should be around 10 mins as overcooking makes okra lose the precious mucilage.
Make the pepper base by blending the bell pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and onion into a puree. Debone and fillet the smoked mackerel.
Heat palm oil in a pan for 1 min, then pour in the pepper mix and cover the pan. Leave to cook for 10 mins, then add 2 cups of water. Pour in smoked mackerel and ground crayfish and allow to cook for another 10 mins. Add the prawns and cook for 3 minutes.
Combine the okra and the pepper base in a pan. Mix in very well.
Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. If the stew is too thick, you can also add some water to thin here. Leave for 2 mins, then remove from heat.
Save time by doing things in parallel, so start with the pepper base, and while it is cooking, you can prepare the okra.
What Can I Serve With Okra Soup?
Okra soup is very versatile and works very well with any “swallow” of choice;
- Eba/Garri
- Amala
- Fufu
- Tuwo
- Pounded Yam
- Semovita
- Banku
Okro soup can be frozen immediately after cooking. It will last months in the freezer. Bring out to defrost when you are ready to eat, then warm in the microwave. Do not cover okra when warming and use a deep plate so it doesn’t boil over. It will also keep for many days in the fridge.
It is best to leave the pan open when cooking okra as it tends to boil over and make a mess. It also loses some of the revered mucilaginous properties in the process.
Related Recipes
How to make Nigerian Pepper Mix
Other popular soups in Nigeria to try...
Nigerian Okra Soup with Smoked Mackerel and Prawns
Ingredients
- 500 g Okra
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Fermented locust beans
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Onion
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper
- ¼ cup Palm-oil
- 4 fillets Smoked mackerel
- 2 tablespoons Ground crayfish
- 1 cup Prawns
Instructions
- Wash the okra pods, then cut off the stems. Prepare for cooking by chopping with a knife or food processor, grating or blending coarsely.
- Add the okra into a pan with 3 cups of water. Wash the fermented locust beans and also add to the pan and stir properly. Do not cover the pan.
- Cook for 7 mins, add some salt to taste, and stir until the okra is soft to bite. Total cooking time should be around 10 mins.
- Make the pepper base by blending the bell pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and onion into a puree. Debone and fillet the smoked mackerel.
- Heat palm oil in a pan for 1 min, pour in the pepper mix and cover the pan. Leave to cook for 10 mins, then add 2 cups of water.
- Pour in smoked mackerel and ground crayfish and allow to cook for another 10 mins. Add the prawns and cook for 3 minutes.
- Combine the okra and pepper base in one pan and mix very well. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. If the stew is too thick, you can also add some water to thin here. Leave for 2 mins, then remove from heat.
[…] If you love fish, like I do, you can also try Caribbean Fish Curry and Okro Soup with Smoked Mackerel. […]