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    Home » Okra Dishes » Ila Alasepo

    Published: Apr 13, 2017 · Modified: Jan 5, 2020 by Ajoke

    Ila Alasepo

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    It is no news that I love okra soup either plain or as ila alasepo like it's called in my Nigerian language, in fact, I cook okra/ila alasepo at least once a week and it is always in my freezer. This effortless ila alasepo is one of my favourites and it is very easy to cook too.

    effortless ila alasepo

    Effortless Ila Alasepo

    My not so little one only jumps on the okra soup wagon. I had some salmon head recently and I was supposed to use it for pepper soup but I changed my mind and made this yummy effortless ila alasepo instead.

    I have hardly cooked ila alasepo this way but after I made this okra recipe, you can bet how quickly I changed my tune and made it for two consecutive weeks. This ila alasepo is perfect with both fish and meat. That is why I have two different pictures to show you that it works. The weather wasn't great when I took these pictures, kindly bear with.

    To make this effortless ila alasepo, I made the stew or the sauce and okra separately and oh boy was it lovely, yes the whole pot was emptied that same night. It is very basic and straightforward. Cook the sauce in one pot, cook the okra in another and combine.

    image of okra soup cooup with salmon, shrimps and ponmo

    Ingredients

    Fresh okra finger

    Palm oil

    Red bell pepper

    Scotch bonnet chillies (use according to preference)

    Onion

    A wrap locust beans (Iru)

    Salt to taste

    Beef bouillon cubes (knorr or any seasoning cube of choice)

    Beef or assorted meat cooked

    Fresh fish (I used fresh salmon)

    Fresh prawns

    Ground crayfish

    How to make effortless ila alasepo

    Prep the ingredients:

    Add the red bell pepper, scotch bonnet chillies and onion to a blender, puree and set aside

    Chop or process the okra in a food processor and set aside

    Cut the meat or fish into  manageable chunks and set aside

    how to cook stewed okra

    Place a pan on medium heat and add the palm oil, leave for about 1-2 minutes then add the puréed pepper. Leave to cook for another  5 to 10 minutes.

    Check at interval and stir  to avoid burning add seasoning and little salt,  add the fish and prawns if you are using or meat/assorted meat and cook for another 5 minutes. Take the fish and prawns out of the stew into a bowl and continue to cook on low heat (leave the meat/assorted meat in the stew)

    image collage of stew cooked with palm oil

    Whilst the stew is cooking

    Place a new pan on the hob; add just about enough water to cover the processed okra in the pan. Add the locust beans and allow the water to boil (this should take about 3 minutes) add the okra and stir vigorously to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes and reduce the heat.

    Finally, add the cooked stew to the okra and stir to combine. Taste for salt and seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add ground crayfish, the fish taken out earlier stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes.

    image collage of how to cook okra and stew together

    Turn off the heat and serve the stewed okra with a swallow of choice.

    effortless ila alasepo
    ila asepo in a bowl.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Ila Alasepo (Stewed Okra)

    It is no news that I love okra soup either plain or as ila alasepo like it’s called in my language, in fact, I cook okra/ila alasepo at least once a week and it is always in my freezer. This effortless ila alasepo is one of my favourites, it is delicious, quick and very easy to cook too. Serve with any swallow of choice.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: African
    Keyword: ila alasepo, okra soup, stewed okra
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ajoke

    Ingredients

    • Ingredients
    • 500 g fresh okra finger
    • ⅓ cup palm oil
    • 500 g beef or assorted meat cooked
    • 500 g fresh fish I used fresh salmon
    • 1 cup fresh prawns
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • Scotch bonnet chillies use according to preference
    • 1 medium-size onion
    • 1 wrap locust beans Iru
    • Salt to taste
    • Beef bouillon cube Knorr cubes or any seasoning cube of choice
    • 2 tablespoons ground crayfish

    Instructions

    • Prep the ingredients: Add the red bell pepper, scotch bonnet chillies and onion to a blender, puree and set aside.
    • Chop or process the okra in a food processor and set aside. Cut the meat or fish into manageable chunks and set aside
    • Cook The Stew: Place a pan on medium heat, add palm oil, heat for about 1-2 minutes until hot then add the puréed pepper. Leave to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Check at interval and stir to avoid burning add seasoning cube and salt to taste, add fresh prawns and fish if you are using or meat/assorted meat and cook for another 5 minutes. Take the fish and prawns out of the stew into a bowl and continue to cook the sauce on low heat (leave the meat/assorted meat in the stew) Whilst the stew is cooking
    • Cook the Okra: Place a new pan on the medium heat, add 1½ cups of water, locust beans and bring to boil (this should take about 3 minutes) add the chopped okra and stir vigorously to combine. Cook another 2 minutes and reduce the heat.
    • Mix the stew and okra: Finally, add the cooked stew to the okra and stir to combine. Taste for salt and seasoning and suit taste. Add ground crayfish, the fish taken out earlier carefully stir to combine and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat and serve the stewed okra with a swallow of choice

    Thank you and kindly leave me feedback when you try this recipe or any of my recipes. Let us be friends on Instagram! See you on my next post

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Caxton says

      June 22, 2020 at 2:27 pm

      5 stars
      Wish I could send the image, awesome as in oohlala

      Reply
    2. Ummu Husni says

      June 12, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      I love this now way of preparing okra,am going to try it,thanks

      Reply
    3. IBK says

      May 13, 2019 at 10:42 pm

      Hi A joke,
      Thanks I stumbled on this tonight and made it tonight and ate it tonight and it was really delicious.
      Kudos

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        May 14, 2019 at 5:07 pm

        Thanks for the feedback IBK! I am happy you love the recipe

        Reply
    4. Bisoo says

      May 07, 2019 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars

      Tried it and it came out well.
      Great job ma’am.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        May 07, 2019 at 8:04 pm

        Hi Bisoo, thank you for feedback. I am glad the recipe worked for you

        Reply
    5. Kaye says

      March 24, 2019 at 10:35 pm

      Thank you. I will try this recipe.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        March 25, 2019 at 8:40 pm

        Thank you Kaye

        Reply
    6. Anita Edareno says

      November 02, 2017 at 6:20 am

      I love your cooking and explanations but please most of these leaves let's try to write the Yoruba names English or botanical names so we know if we are to by eg iru(locust beans,ugwu pumpkin leaves so many like that please we learn everyday there are so many names I don't know....thank you.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        December 01, 2017 at 11:22 am

        Thanks Anita. noted

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

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