There is a place in Victora Island called L’Afric where I used to go just to have okra soup. There was something they added that I couldn’t place my finger on that made it taste so rich and delicious. When I was pregnant with Za, I ate so much of it that it is no wonder she can eat anything with okra soup. I have even given her okra and pasta before. Please don’t judge me, that day was one of those days.

A family friend was coming to Doha for a conference and his wife sent me some goodies including a spice mix of Uziza and Udah seeds, blended. It has such a pungent aroma that at first I was taken a back but as the scent made its way to my brain, a light bulb lit in my head and at once I knew that “thing” I couldn’t place myfinger on in L’Afric’s okra soup was this Uziza mix.

So here is my version of L’Afric’s Okra Soup:

Okra Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g chicken pieces

1 tsp each of curry and thyme

½ medium onion

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp of ginger

1 Knorr cube

3 tbs of palm oil

1 ½ tbs of locust beans (iru, dadawa)

a hand full of shaki pieces (tripe)

1 ata rodo, finely chopped (scotch bonnet, chili)

1 smoked fish, cleaned and cut into small pieces

2 tsp of uziza and uda crushed spice

1/4 cup of dried prawns

1/4 cup of fresh cooked prawns

3 pieces of dried cod fish (kpanla)

500g of okra (more if you like your okra really thick)

1 cup of thinly sliced spinach

Salt to taste

Method:

In a sauce pan, add the chicken with the curry, thyme, onions, garlic and ginger. Add the Knorr cube and boil until the chicken is cooked but not too soft. Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the stock through a sieve and discard the solids leaving only the liquid.

Return the chicken stock to the pot, add the palm oil and ata dodo and simmer for about five minutes. Add the locust beans, tripe, fish, dried prawns and chicken pieces and the uziza mixture. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes to get all the flavours in the meat and fish pieces. Check for salt.

Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat off, add the spinach and cooked prawns. Combined thoroughly and let the heat from the soup cook spinach.

Enjoy with yellow garri.