Pounded Yam and Okra Soup: An Easy Step-by-Step Recipe

Okra soup is the quick one among the classic Nigerian soups. Fresh okra is chopped small and cooked briefly in a palm oil and pepper broth with fish, crayfish and greens, until the pot turns thick, bright green and pleasantly slippery. It is a classic in Nigerian cooking, and because the okra needs only a few minutes, it is the soup to make on a weeknight when you still want a proper dinner with pounded yam. The broth is light and savory, and the okra gives the soup its characteristic slippery texture, which cooks describe as draw.

This recipe serves six and takes about 35 minutes from the first chop to the first bowl, because the protein here is fish rather than long-simmered meat. Catfish steaks and smoked fish cook quickly, and the okra goes in at the very end so it stays vibrant. You can add boiled beef or assorted meat if you like; just cook it tender first and use its stock as your liquid. Fresh or frozen okra both work, which makes this an easy soup to cook in any US kitchen. It is also the simplest of the four soups to scale up for guests, since there is no long simmering to manage.

To go with it you will need one 2 lb bag of pounded yam flour, which makes about 7 servings, so one bag is enough for six with a little left over. Pounded yam flour cooks in about 2 minutes at the stove, with no pounding. If you have never made it, our guide to how to make pounded yam with flour explains it in more detail.

Method, step by step

1. Wash the okra, pat it dry, trim the tops and tails and chop it finely, into pieces about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; a few pulses in a food processor also work and give extra draw. Chop the onion, remove the skin and bones from the smoked fish, and rinse the catfish.
2. Warm the palm oil in a large pot over medium heat for about 1 minute, then add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until softened but not browned.
3. Add the water or stock, the ground pepper, 1 seasoning cube, the salt and the smoked fish, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes so the smoked fish flavors the broth; if you are using cooked meat, add it now with its stock.
4. Lower the heat to a steady simmer, add the catfish chunks and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is opaque and just firm. Stir gently, because catfish breaks up easily.
5. Stir in the okra, the crayfish and the second seasoning cube, and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the okra is just tender and the soup has thickened and started to draw. Many cooks leave the pot uncovered and avoid overcooking to keep the okra green.
6. Stir in the ugu or spinach, if using, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted. Taste, adjust the salt and pepper, and turn off the heat.
7. About 10 minutes before you want to eat, bring 7½ cups of water to a rolling boil in a large, heavy pot and lower the heat. This is the lower end of the ratio (1¼ cups water per cup of flour), with hot water on hand to adjust.
8. Add the 6 cups of pounded yam flour gradually, stirring with a wooden spatula. Turn and fold the dough against the side of the pot for about a minute until smooth and stretchy, adding a splash of hot water if it feels too stiff.
9. Shape the pounded yam into 6 smooth balls (a damp bowl or wet hands help) and serve hot, with the okra soup ladled into bowls beside it.

Tips for a better pot

• Do not overcook the okra. A few minutes in the simmering broth is enough, and cooking it longer turns it dull and khaki instead of bright green.
• For more draw, chop the okra very small or pulse it briefly in a food processor. Larger slices give a lighter, less slippery soup.
• Frozen chopped okra works well. Add it straight from the freezer and allow an extra minute or two for it to come back to a simmer.
• You can swap the catfish for tilapia or another firm white fish. Peeled shrimp also work; add them with the okra, since they need only 3 to 4 minutes.
• Go easy on the salt at the start. Smoked fish, crayfish and seasoning cubes all add saltiness, so taste at the end and adjust.
• Cook the pounded yam last, when the soup is ready. It takes about 2 minutes and is best hot from the pot.

Serving. Bring the okra soup to the table while it is hot and still bright green, with a warm ball of pounded yam on each plate. Many people eat it with their fingers: pinch off a small piece of yam, press a hollow into it with your thumb, scoop up some okra and a piece of fish, and swallow it without much chewing. Because okra soup is lighter than egusi or ogbono, it is a good choice for a quick dinner, and it is easy to double for guests. If you like more heat, pass extra ground pepper at the table, and some cooks finish the pot with an extra spoonful of crayfish for a deeper seafood flavor.

Leftovers and make-ahead. A few notes on planning ahead:

• Okra soup is at its best the day it is made, while the okra is still bright and the fish is tender.
• Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate them in a covered container and eat them within three to four days.
• Reheat over low heat with a splash of water, and do not boil it hard, or the okra will turn dull.
• Make the pounded yam fresh, right before serving; it takes only about 2 minutes.

The pounded yam flour. This recipe uses one 2 lb bag of pounded yam flour, which costs $9.99 and works out to about $1.40 a plate. Our flour is made only from Benue yams: peeled, parboiled, dried, milled fine and sifted, with no preservatives, food coloring or chemicals added. It is one ingredient, 100% yam, in a resealable, moisture-resistant bag with the best-before date printed on it. Many instant "poundo" flours are blends of yam with other starches, so check the label, and note that pounded yam flour is not the same as elubo, the flour used for amala. If you cook a soup and pounded yam every week, the 5 × 2 lb bundle ships free within the continental US, and so does a 10 lb bag. Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours and usually arrive in 2 to 5 business days, and you can subscribe and save 10% with a reminder every 4 weeks to reorder in one click, skipping or canceling any time.

Where to get the ingredients. The soup ingredients are coming to Afri Foods Basket soon, including palm oil, catfish, smoked fish such as bonga fish, crayfish, dried pepper, ugu leaf and seasoning such as Maggi cubes and Onga. Until they arrive, many of them can be found at African grocery stores or in the fish section of a well-stocked supermarket. You can follow the full list, with a Notify me option, in the coming soon section, and browse what is available today in the shop. Restaurants and caterers can ask for trade pricing on the 40 lb case through the wholesale form.

More soups to try. When you have more time, cook pounded yam and egusi soup for a thick, seed-rich pot, pounded yam and efo riro for a spinach stew, or pounded yam and ogbono soup for something silky. All of them go with the same pounded yam.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen okra for okra soup?

Yes. Frozen chopped okra works well and saves the chopping. Add it straight from the freezer rather than thawing it, and allow an extra minute or two for the pot to return to a simmer. Cook it just until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes, so the soup keeps a fresh flavor and good color.

How do I make okra soup more slippery, or less?

The finer you chop the okra, the more it draws, so mince it small or pulse it briefly in a food processor for a stretchier soup. For a lighter soup, cut thicker slices and cook them for a shorter time. Cooking it a little longer also thickens the soup, though not for so long that the color fades.

What fish works in okra soup besides catfish?

Any firm white fish, such as tilapia, works, and peeled shrimp are a good quick addition. Smoked or dried fish adds depth to the broth, and many cooks use both fresh and smoked fish together. If you are using boiled beef or assorted meat, add it with its stock at the beginning.

How much pounded yam flour do I need for six people?

Plan on about 125 g, roughly 1 cup, of flour per person, so 6 cups (about 1 lb 11 oz) for six. One 2 lb bag covers about 7 servings. Use 1¼ to 1½ cups of boiling water for every cup of flour, and add the flour gradually while stirring.