Derere — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Fresh okra cooked with tomatoes and bicarbonate of soda to enhance its natural mucilaginous texture, traditionally eaten with sadza using bare hands.

Ingredients

500g fresh okra, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water

Instructions

1 Wash and slice okra into thin rounds, about half a centimetre thick, discarding the stem tops.
2 Heat oil in a pot, sauté onions until softened, about four minutes over medium heat.
3 Add tomatoes and cook until broken down into a sauce, roughly five minutes.
4 Add sliced okra, water, and bicarbonate of soda, stirring to combine everything evenly.
5 Cover and simmer for ten to twelve minutes, stirring occasionally, until okra is very tender and slimy.
6 Season with salt and serve with sadza. The slimy texture is intentional and helps the sadza slide down.

Did You Know?

The slimy texture of derere, which might surprise outsiders, is specifically cultivated and considered essential for the proper eating experience with sadza.