Orunla (Nigerian Okra Soup)
Orunla is a Nigerian soup built on dried okra rather than fresh pods. The okra is ground to a powder and stirred in at the very end, so the soup thickens in minutes and the pot stays quick to finish. Beef, ponmo, dried fish, crayfish and iru give it a deep, savory base, and palm oil adds richness. It is traditionally ladled over pounded yam, amala or fufu.
Instructions
Put the cubed beef, chopped onion, bouillon cubes and a little salt into a pot. Pour in enough water to cover the meat and boil for about 20 minutes.
Rinse the dried fish in water to clean it, then add it to the pot along with the diced ponmo.
Stir in the iru (locust bean) and the palm oil. Taste, adjust the salt and pepper, and boil for 5 minutes.
Add the powdered dried okra and the ground crayfish. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes more, until the soup has thickened slightly from the okra.
Serve hot with pounded yam, amala, fufu or another swallow of your choice.
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