Plain Okra Soup How To Cook Okra Food

GRANNY'S OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, lima beans, okra, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, and tomato paste in a large soup pot. Pour chicken stock over mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes.
• Season ground beef with garlic powder, celery salt, and onion powder. Set aside.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic when butter stops bubbling; cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread ground beef evenly in the pan. Cook until it has a nice brown sear, stirring minimally to end up with mostly medium-sized chunks, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain skillet and add beef, onions, and garlic to the soup pot.
• Bring soup mixture to a boil; reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables and beef have cooked down, 1 to 2 hours.

PLAIN OKRA SOUP (HOW TO COOK OKRA)

Steps:

• Wash prawns and de-vein, rinse the locust beans clean and set aside
• Wash the okra and cut off the pointed edge (optional) cut the okra into manageable size leaving out the stalk. Add into a blender or food processor and process until the desired coarse size is achieved. (use the image as a guide)
• Note: Using a blender will require adding water to aid blending and if care is not taken, the okra could be puréed. I suggest you pulse at an interval to achieve a coarse texture. The food processor does not require water to achieve the desired texture.
• Chopped okra may require the addition of potash or baking soda (Blending or grating aids viscosity in the okra)
• Add hot water into a pan and place on medium heat, add the fresh prawns if using, a pinch of salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes (till it turns pink, don't overcook or it will be chewy and rubbery) Take the prawns out of the pan and set aside.
• Add the chopped okra to the prawn stock and stir vigorously to incorporate with the stock. Cook for another 2 minutes, add the locust beans and stir to combine. Continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the cooked prawns back to the okra, add salt, seasoning and ground crayfish (taste for salt and seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add more water if needed)
• Cook for another minute and serve with Buka stew. Plain okra soup can be enjoyed with any swallow of choice.

LOWCOUNTRY OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Set an 8-quart Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, lay in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
• Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid ajar to ensure the pot doesn't boil over. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum that forms, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is always submerged. Cook for about 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
• While it's traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
• Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
• Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.