This oil-less okra soup is about to be on rotation on your dinner table. With this Nigerian soup you can definitely eat your cake and have it at the same time. It is quick, simple, healthy and above all, delicious.
Let me show you how to make okra soup in easy steps. Serve with fufu, eba or amala.
Yay! Guess who finally cooked oil-less okra soup? I seriously can’t believe it took me this long to make this guilt-free, yummy and healthy Nigerian soup. I have always known I could make it but the oil-eating habit in me shelved the idea.
Thanks to healthy eating, I now find it possible and also easy to make too. In the past, when I cook okra soup (ila alasepo) I use about ½ cup of palm oil which in my opinion is not too bad if you ask me. However, it is good to go without the oil whenever you can without compromising on flavour.
Trust me, you won’t miss a thing and this oil-less okra soup is packed with nutrients, it is a delight and budget-friendly. I made this recipe as guilt-free as possible and that is why I chose fish and not beef. You can use any protein you want and I’m sure it would taste great too.
This recipe would feed a family of four conveniently but feel free to adjust and adapt the recipe to suit your family size and pocket. Right, let’s get to it
Related post: Learn how to freeze okra for up to year in easy steps.
Ingredients
Fresh okra: substitute for frozen one, okra is also known as lady finger.
Fresh mackerel
Fresh Tilapia
Onion
Red bell pepper
Scotch bonnet chillies: You may know this as ata rodo
Fresh prawns or shrimps
Ground crayfish (optional)
Salt to taste (optional)
Locust beans, this is optional but great for flavour. If you haven’t used locust beans or ogiri in your soups before, then use this sparingly until you are accustomed to the taste.
Chicken stock cubes (I used knorr cubes)
Water
Prep the ingredients: rinse the okra clean, roughly chop with a knife then process in a food processor until desired texture is achieved. If you do not own a food processor then chop the okra with a sharp knife or a box grater.
Clean the fish, de-vain the shrimps, season with a pinch of salt and set aside. Blend the red bell pepper, onion and scotch bonnet in a food processor until coarse in texture.
How to make oil less okra soup
Place a pan on medium heat, add 2 to 3 cups of water (about 400ml), add the blended pepper mix, stock cube and bring to boil for about 5 minutes.
Carefully, add the fish and shrimp to the boiling pepper mix and simmer for about 5 minutes. you can flip the fish halfway so both sides cooks evenly. Be careful not to break the fish. Also, only cook the shrimps for a shorter time as they cook faster than the fish.
Remove the fish and shrimps from the pan and set aside on a plate (this is just to ensure that the fish doesn’t break while stirring in the okra and also not to overcook the shrimps/prawns)
Add the chopped okra to the sauce and stir until well incorporated (add more water if need be, the water should be about the same level as the okra)
Stir in the ground crayfish and salt (if using) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. check for salt and seasoning and adjust to taste. Return the fish and shrimps to the pan, gently stir to combine so as not to break the fish.
Continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes on low-medium heat. Take it off the heat and serve with any swallow of choice.
Why not try this oil-less okra soup with plantain fufu or eba? Super healthy and yummy
How to store
If you do have any leftover, you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days for optimum freshness. This soup freezes beautifully well too for up to 3 months.
To reheat: simply leave to thaw overnight in the fridge or leave out on the countertop during the day and warm in the microwave.
More Nigerian soup recipes
How to make pepper mix
If you do try this recipe, don’t forget to tag @myactivekitchen on Instagram, Facebook or simply send me an email. See you in my next post. Ajoke x
Oil less Okra Soup
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh okra chopped
- 1 whole mackerel cut in steaks, cleaned and gutted
- 1 whole tilapia
- 1 small onion about ½ cup size
- 1 scotch bonnet chillies
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 2 dozens fresh prawns
- 1 tbsp ground crayfish optional
- 1 tbsp locust beans
- Salt to taste optional
- 1 tsp chicken or beef stock cube I used knorr cubes
- water you will be needing between 3 to 4 cups depending on how thick or light you want the soup. Continue to adjust as you cook
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients: rinse the okra clean, roughlychop with a knife then process in a food processor until desired texture isachieved. If you do not own a food processor then chop the okra with a sharp knifeor a box grater.Clean the fish, de-vain the shrimps, season with a pinch ofsalt and set aside. Blend the red bell pepper, onion and scotch bonnet in a foodprocessor until coarse in texture.
- Place a pan on medium heat, add 2 to 3 cups of water (about 400ml), add the blended pepper mix, stock cube (if using) and bring to boil for about 5 minutes.Carefully, add the fish, shrimps and locust beans to the boiling pepper mix, season with salt and simmer for about 5 minutes. you can flip the fish halfway so both sides cook evenly. Be careful not to break the fish. Also, only cook the shrimps for a shorter time as they cook faster than the fish.
- Remove the fish and shrimps from the pan and set aside on a plate (this is just to ensure that the fish doesn’t break while stirring in the okra and also not to overcook the shrimps/prawns)
- Add the chopped okra to the sauce and stir until well incorporated (add more water if need be, the water should be about the same level as the okra)
- Stir in the ground crayfish and salt (if using) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. check for salt and seasoning and adjust to taste. Return the fish and shrimps to the pan, gently stir to combine so as not to break the fish. Continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes on low-medium heat. Take it off the heat and serve with any swallow of choice.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #MYACTIVEKITCHEN OR TAG @MYACTIVEKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
u are doing a great job. I will try it this weekend.
OMG
This recipe is mind blowing 🤯🤯
I tried it on a really low budget
I used only smoked "panla"
And I twitched the recipe a bit
I added scent leaves and bitter leaf🤤🤤🤤
And boy o boy
It tasted marvellous
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 😘
Would you mind if I share it with my friends???😃😄
Credits to you of course😉😊
Made this today! Tasted divine - Sadly, I didn't get much draw from my okro though. I think I may have chopped the okro too big - does the size you chop it to correlate with the viscosity?
I am glad you enjoyed this, namesake. Here are few things to keep in mind for next time.
1. use fresh okra
2. cut the okra smaller or use a food processor for some and slice the rest with a knife.
3. if the above doesn't help with the viscosity then add about 1/4 tsp of baking soda to the okra.
Nice
We definitely do need more people like you teaching us to cook and eat healthy delicious meals . I tried your recipe today and my oil-less okra came out to be way way more delicious than I expected. Thank you so much.
Happy to hear you love the recipe. Thank you so much, Deborah, for your feedback.
I have saved this post ever since I came across it on SYTYCC. I just tried mine and I just finished eating it with plantain amala. Trust me, the fact that it's oil makes it more delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Awww thank you so much for the feedback. i am glad you loved it.
I love this!
I don’t have a food processor, can I use a blender?
Also what type of food processor would you recommend please? Would like to buy one in Lagos.
Thanks
Hi Dayo, yes you can use blender. Add little water to the okra and use the pulse button (P) on the blender. I use kenwood food processor.
Why potash
I have just used our recipe and it gives me Nostalgia and deliciousness i love it
Thanks so much Milly, I am glad you love it
You wont believe this....I cooked oil less okro soup last night for the first time and here am I accidentally reading your post. The soup was very yummy and I wondered why I had to wait these long before trying it out.
I could not find fresh Mackerel so I used the smoked one instead. After eating it last night, I tried some to the office today as lunch. Looking forward to trying your own recipe next time.
Did you blend the okra..
Yes, with a food processor
This looks good , I'll be trying it soon. Thanks for the recipe
You are welcome