Okra Soup (African Okra Sauce)

Wash the okra in cold water and chop finely.
Peel the garlic and onion. Finely chop, or preferably crush in a mortar, your garlic cloves, onion and ginger, green chili pepper and a few cowpea seeds (netetou) . This mixture is called "n'tutu" or "Nokoss".

Remove the skin and bones from the smoked fish. You can also use fresh fish.
Shell your 250g of shrimp, then precook your crabs in boiling water for 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, bring the equivalent of two glasses of water to the boil with a pinch of bicarbonate. Add your finely chopped okra, your coarsely diced African eggplant (Diakhato), the n'tutu (your mixture of garlic, onion, green pepper and crushed ginger) and mix well.
Boil for 5 minutes, then add the peeled shrimps and pre-cooked crabs.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes, then add 120ml palm oil. Continue to simmer for a further 15 minutes, then add the smoked fish (skinned and boned). Add a little salt and pepper if necessary, then cook for a further 5 minutes. When your okra sauce is ready, the palm oil should rise to the surface.

You've just made a delicious African okra soup at home! You can serve it with white rice or foufou for a change. Enjoy your meal :)