Okra Stew

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups okra
• 2 cups mushroom/vegetable stock
• 1 small eggplant finely diced
• 1/8 tsp baking soda (optional; please see note)
• 2 onions (1 roughly chopped and 1 finely diced)
• 2 tbsp palm oil (sub with coconut oil)
• 1 large thumb of ginger
• 1 sprig of green onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
• 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero)
• 3/4 cup firm tofu chopped (1/3 of firm tofu block)
• 1 cup assorted mushrooms (I used a mix of shiitake and oyster mushroom)
• 1 cup of kale or spinach chopped roughly
• 1.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp onion powder
• 1.5 tsp curry powder
• 1.5 tsp anise seeds
• 1.5 tsp coriander seers
• 2 tsp dawa dawa (fermented locust beans; see note)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Purée the roughly chopped onions, spring onion, garlic, tomato, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper and dawa dawa.

2. 2

   In a pot, sauté the finely chopped onions and mushrooms in the palm oil

3. 3

   Once the onions are soft, add the puréed mixture, tomatoes, and the spices. Add enough salt that the sauce is slightly salty. We will not be adding salt when the okra is added because it will change the texture so if you do not add enough salt, the finished product will be under salted. The sauce will also taste over seasoned. This is normal because adding the okra will dilute the seasoning in the sauce

4. 4

   Let the sauce cook for 15 minutes at medium heat, covered

5. 5

   Wash the okra and grate or chop with a food processor

6. 6

   In a pot add the okra, the mushroom stock, and the eggplant

7. 7

   Let it cook for 15 mins, sprinkle in the baking soda half way (see note). Do not stir it much

8. 8

   Once the 15 minutes has passed, add the okra mixture and tofu and fold it into the stew. Do not stir it!

9. 9

   Let everything simmer at low heat for another 10 minutes uncovered

10. 10

    Add the kale at the end and turn off the heat

11. 11

    Serve with choice of swallow