Ila Alasepo

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

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.

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)

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.

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

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

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