Dried okra soup is a winter classic, especially around Amasya and Tokat. The slippery substance okra releases can cloud the soup; adding the lemon early prevents that from the start. It works with fresh okra too, but the concentrated flavour of the dried kind is something else.
Ingredients
For the soup
For the top
Method
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Fry the meat
Cook the diced lamb in butter for 10 minutes, until it releases its liquid and takes it back up.
-
Add the onion and paste
Fry the onion for 4 minutes, then the tomato paste for 1 minute.
-
Add the water
Pour in the hot water and cook for 40 minutes, until the meat is tender.
-
Add the okra and lemon
Add the dried okra and the lemon juice together. Going in early, the lemon stops the okra turning slippery.
-
Simmer
Boil for fifteen more minutes, until the okra is tender.
-
Finish
Add the salt and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Tips
- Add the lemon at the same moment as the okra, not after. Added late it can no longer fix the sliminess.
- When you take the dried okra off its string, do not cut the stalks; the slippery substance comes out of the cut.
- If you use fresh okra, cut the cooking time to 8 minutes.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.