Soupou Kandia — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A deeply flavored stew combining okra and palm oil with dried oysters, smoked fish, and fermented locust beans, yielding rich umami depth.

Ingredients

500g fresh okra, finely chopped
1 cup palm oil
200g smoked catfish
100g dried oysters, soaked
2 tbsp fermented locust beans (netetu)
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Maggi cubes
2 Scotch bonnet peppers
Salt to taste
4 cups water
200g dried shrimp, ground

Instructions

1 Soak dried oysters in warm water for thirty minutes. Pound dried shrimp and locust beans in a mortar.
2 Heat palm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant.
3 Add ground shrimp and locust beans. Cook for five minutes, stirring constantly.
4 Add chopped okra and stir to coat with the oil and spice mixture. Cook ten minutes.
5 Add smoked fish, soaked oysters, water, Maggi cubes, and Scotch bonnet. Bring to a simmer.
6 Cook on low heat for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is thick and deeply flavored. Serve over rice.

Did You Know?

The fermented locust beans in this stew provide an umami depth that Gambians say is irreplaceable, and many families keep a secret stash stored in the kitchen.