Version from Senegal
Soup Kandia — Senegal
A Senegalese okra stew simmered until thick and glossy in palm oil, with fresh and smoked fish, served over rice.
- 25 min
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 6
- Servings
- Medium
- Difficulty
Soup kandia takes its name from kandia, the Wolof word for okra, and describes a thick, dark stew built by simmering okra down until it breaks apart and binds the sauce, enriched with palm oil, fish and, often, a portion of meat. It belongs to the broader Senegalese repertoire of rice-and-sauce dishes.
It is reported as a classic of Senegalese home cooking, served over rice as a main family meal, and prepared with a mix of fresh and smoked or dried fish depending on what a household keeps on hand. Some cooks add beef alongside the fish, others keep it fish-only.
Preparation begins with browning any meat used, then softening onions before tomato paste is added and left to darken slightly. Water goes in along with the fish and ground dried shrimp, and once it simmers, chopped okra and a whole chili are added, left to cook down slowly until the okra has broken apart and thickened the sauce to a glossy, dark consistency, palm oil folded in near the end.
What marks this Senegalese version is the depth given by combining fresh fish with smoked or dried fish and ground shrimp, and the length of time the okra is allowed to break down, which decides how thick and dark the final sauce becomes. Other okra stews found along the coast use different fish and different thickening times.
Preparation
Brown the beef cubes in a little palm oil, then add the chopped onions and soften.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes until it darkens.
Add the water, the fresh and smoked fish, and the ground dried shrimp, and bring to a simmer.
Add the chopped okra and the whole chili.
Simmer gently, stirring often, until the okra breaks down and the stew turns thick and glossy.
Add the remaining palm oil and season with salt.
Remove the chili and serve hot over rice.
