This is a classic ‘slimy’ or ‘draw’ soup from Sierra leone, typically served with a swallow (fufu or similar). It’s a white soup as no tomatoes or red oil are used. The fish used here are cold smoked rather than being smoked and dried.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 45 minutes/Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500g (1 lb) beef, washed and sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 whole smoked fish (pollock and or mackerel is good), flesh taken off the bones and cut into chunks
15 king prawns (jumbo shrimp)
6 small crabs
2 onions
10 small habanero chillies
30 okra, ends removed and sliced thinly
2 maggi cubes
6 tbsp egusi
500ml (2 cups) holy basil leaves
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Place the beef in a pot with a little salt to season. Cover and cook for 15 minutes then remove the beef and set aside.
Peel the prawns, and pull out the vein (actually the digestive tract). Reserve the heads and shells for making stock.
Remove the backs from the crabs and take out the intestines and gills then wash in a bowl of water.
Pound together onions and the chillies in a mortar to a paste (or chop in a food processor).
Combine the peeled prawns and crabs in a bowl with a crumbled stock cube and steam in their own juices for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.
Heat 1l (4 cups) water in a pan. Once boiling add the egusi and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in any leftover broth from cooking the beef and crumble in the remaining maggi cube. Bring back to a simmer then add the prawn meats and the crabs before seasoning with salt.
Now stir in the pounded onion and habanero mixture. Stir well to combine, then pound half the sliced okra in a mortar to release the slime. Add the pounded mixture to your pot, breaking the mass up with a wooden ladle and incorporating into the soup. At this point add the remaining sliced okra, stirring well to combine.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes then add the beef to the pot. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Chop the basil leaves then shred finely. Add to the soup and cook in for 2 minutes.
Serve with your choice of swallow.
