I was craving okra soup lately because the African spirit in me was sick of cheese burgers and needed something stronger. So I decided enough was enough and went ahead to prepare this okra soup recipe I’m about to show you guys. Keep in mind that this okra soup recipe is vegan as I am currently on a plant based diet. Therefore, if you happen to be a meat lover and are trying to make okra soup, then you may need to substitute.
As an African myself (Nigerian to be specific), I feel like many of our dishes do not cater to the vegan community. Most ingredients in our dishes require meat or meat stock. Thus, whenever I’m craving African dishes and want to prepare some, I often run into roadblocks.
Thankfully, I have given myself enough time to research some substitutes that can replace many of these meat options. And so far, these alternatives have not disappointed me.
That being said, for my vegans and healthy eaters out there, I would suggest eating this recipe with oatmeal swallow. It just happens to be a healthier alternative to fufu, garri or pounded yam. Plus it’s gluten free, making it attractive to those who have certain health concerns.
For this recipe, I decided to replace the meat with mushrooms, because of the many health benefits mushrooms provide. This is completely optional if you do not like mushrooms. However, I personally don’t mind the umami taste of mushrooms and decided to go along with it.
Another alternative to mushrooms would be tofu or vegan meat, which I personally haven’t tried. But I’m very sure it would a great source of extra flavor to this dish.
If you are a meat lover, you can substitute the mushrooms with goat meat and add some crayfish for extra flavor.
As mentioned in several posts of mine, an alternative to crayfish as a vegan would be seaweed. Thus, if you are looking for that extra fishy flavor as a vegan, definitely consider adding seaweed.
Related Post: Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium red onion diced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups Baby Bella mushrooms chopped
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp curry
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2 red bell pepper
- 1 bunch scallion diced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 24 oz okra cut into chunks (about 2 bags)
Instructions
Making The Pepper Mix
- To a blender, add in two red bell peppers and one medium onion. Blend until you achieve an even consistency
Preparing The Okra Soup
- Heat up vegetable oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat.
- Add in diced red onions and fry until the redness slowly starts to fade.
- Add in mushrooms and cook until tender
- Add in garlic powder, salt, curry, thyme, ground ginger, ground pepper, scallions and blended pepper mixture. Combine well.
- Add in vegetable stock and mix. Cover pot and leave to simmer for 5 minutes
- Next, add in okra and spinach and combine.
- Leave to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy
4 Responses
I made this, with tofu and mushroom and ogbono. It all worked out well.
Thank you! This recipe is perfect and tastes amazing! 🫶🏼
Can you double check the okra and the stock amounts on the recipe? It doesn’t seem right x
The recipe has been updated with links to get the okra as well as the required stock amount.