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Soupa Canja (Okra and Palm Oil Soup)
Soupa Canja (Okra and Palm Oil Soup) is a traditional Gambian recipe for a classic soup or stew of beef and smoked and dried fish in an okra, onion and red palm oil base flavoured with hot chillies. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Gambian version of: Okra and Palm Oil Soup (Soupa Canja).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
60 minutes
Total Time:
80 minutes
Serves:
4–6
Rating: 
Tags : Chilli RecipesBeef RecipesVegetable RecipesGambia Recipes
This recipe is based on red palm oil and smoked, dried, fish as main ingredients and flavourings. Smoked and dried fish are available in Asian supermarkets. You can buy red palm oil on-line or in African or Caribbean stores. If you cannot find it, as a last resource you can use groundnut oil coloured a deep red with paprika.
Ingredients:
1kg beef stewing meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
500g smoked and dried fish, washed thoroughly and broken into pieces (remove as many bones as you can)
1l water
500ml red palm oil
1kg okra
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 to 4 hot chillies (Scotch bonnets or habaneros), pounded to a paste in a mortar
lime juice, to taste
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Season the smoked and dried fish with lime juice, salt and black pepper. Heat about 6 tbsp of the red palm oil in a pan and when hot add the fish pieces. Fry for a few minutes per side then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Use the oil remaining in the pan to fry the onions until just barely coloured (about 6 minutes). Turn onto a plate and set aside.
Place the meat in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Pour over the water, bring to a boil, partially cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in the remaining palm oil, bring back to a simmer and cook for a few minutes more. Now add the chilli paste and cook for 4 minutes more, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the fried fish and cook for 20 minutes more, or until the fish begin to soften.
Add the onions and continue to cool until the soup is very thick in consistency. Note, this is a West African soup, basically a stew that is served with fufu or with thick maize meal pap (porridge) [in West Africa, stews are served with rice].
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