This recipe for okra stew is adapted from one in Saveur magazine and is from Senegal. They credit it as a predecessor of Louisiana-style gumbo which makes sense to me, given how much of our Southern cuisine comes from African culture and the cooking of slaves. It takes a good while to cook, which is absolutely typical of West Africa food, but is well worth it. In Senegal, this would be made with eggplant, but I’m substituting the green beans from this week’s box.
Ingredients:
12 cups fish or vegetable stock 4 cups thick-sliced okra 3 bay leaves 2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped 4 tablespoons fish sauce, divided 1 big handful green beans, trimmed and broken into 2-inch pieces 2 habanero or Scotch bonnet chiles, slit in half lengthwise 24 mussels, cleaned and debearded 16 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Cooked white rice, for serving
Preparation:
Bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, then add okra, bay leaves, and onions. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until okra is very tender and stock has reduced by one-quarter, about 1 1/2 hours.
Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce, beans , and chiles to the vegetable broth, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened and okra falls apart, about 30 minutes.
Add mussels and shrimp; cover pan, and cook until mussels open and shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes.
To serve, remove from heat and stir in remaining fish sauce and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, and serve with rice.
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