Soupou Kandja (Soupou kandja)
Overview
Soupou kandja is a rich okra soup from Senegal. Large amounts of sliced okra are cooked down with onion, chilli and red palm oil until thick and glossy, giving the dish its typical slippery texture. Smoked or dried fish, fresh fish, prawns and sometimes beef or crab are simmered in the pot, along with a little fermented locust bean or fermented fish called guedj for a deep savoury flavour. A whole scotch bonnet is often cooked in the sauce for heat. The soup is ladled over plain white rice, and families share it from one large bowl at lunchtime.
History
Kandja is the Wolof word for okra, and soupou kandja is one of the classic midday dishes of Senegal and neighbouring Gambia and Guinea. It belongs to the same family of West African okra and palm oil soups that travelled across the Atlantic, and it is often named as a relative of Louisiana gumbo. It is sold in small restaurants called dibiteries and gargotes in Dakar.
Main ingredients
Okra, palm oil, smoked fish, prawns, scotch bonnet, onion. The soup is built on fish stock and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups
Recipe
Method
- 15 min
Fry the onions in the palm oil for 5 minutes.
- 225 min
Add the okra, smoked fish, fermented beans and 1 l water and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often.
- 310 min
Add the scotch bonnet and the fresh fish and cook for 10 minutes.
- 43 min
Add the prawns, cook for 3 minutes, season and serve over white rice.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 10m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
