dried okra soup | miyan busheshen kubewa

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Dried okra soup is a very popular soup from the northern part of Nigeria known in the local dialect as miyan busheshen kubewa, Drying of okra is an ancient way of preserving okra when there is an abundance of it and coupled with the abundant sun in the north, it makes sense why this soup is common in the northern part of Nigeria. The dried okra is pounded into powder and used in making this delicious finger licking  soup. This is a good substitute for miyan kuka if you don't like miyan kuka. It is very easy to make, delicious and very viscous.

• Blanch (cook until it comes to a boil) the meat for a few minutes. Discard the water, rinse the meat and put it back into the pot with a little water. To that, add the pepper and onion blend, seasoning cube and salt to taste. Cook meat for about 40 minutes to an hour or until done.
• Once meat is done, add cooked cow legs, palm oil, dadawa (fermented locust beans), ground crayfish, dried shrimp,dried anchovies and about 3 - 4 cups of water; cover to cook for about 15 - 20 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to mix together and build a unique flavor.
• After 15 minutes, add periwinkle and salt to taste, cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. After that, sprinkle in the dried ground okra into the soup while simultaneously stirring it in. This would prevent lumps from forming. Continue to add it gradually until you are satisfied with the consistency. Some people like it thicker while others like it thinner. Cook for about 5 - 10 minutes and the soup is ready. Enjoy with tuwon shinkafa or any swallow/fufu of choice.
• NB.... If you prefer a thicker soup, use less water. And if your soup is too light on the first day, don't worry because it will continue to thicken up as the days go by.And when that happens, you could add water to loosen it if you prefer a lighter soup. You can use any fish or meat of your choice to make this soup. In case it is not too viscous, add a little bit of baking soda or potash/kanwu. You can throw a little bit of potash into the soup or you could dissolve it in water and add the water to the soup just the way it is used when cooking fresh okra. A little goes a long way.This would improve the viscosity. 

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried okra powder

Goat meat

cow's leg

3/4 cup palm oil

1/2 cup dried anchovies

1/3 cup ground crayfish

1/2 cup dried shrimp

1/2 tbsp dadawa/fermented locust beans

1/2 cup periwinkles

3 habanero peppers

1 onoin

2 seasoning cubes

salt to taste

4 cups water