With okra, as with most things in life, size does matter. When you’re talking okra pods, smaller is better—tender and tasty. Let them grow too big and they become tough and woody. However, when it comes to the plants themselves, bigger is definitely better. After a summer of more garden failures than I care to count, the little plot beside my house somehow managed to produce a small crop of enormous okra plants:
One of them is at least 16 feet tall; to pick the okra at the top, I have to grab the stalk and bend the whole plant over.
From these four plants, one of which is a dwarf variety, I gather about ten pods a day, which I save up until I have enough for roasting or gumbo. If I skip picking them for even one day, the pods grow to five or six inches in length and become too tough to be good to eat. Recently, I left them unpicked for two days and when I harvested the ten overgrown pods, they alone weighed almost a pound. Interesting, yes, but inedible.
With so much okra to use up, we’ve been enjoying a lot of vegan gumbo lately, with different ingredients depending on what’s the the refrigerator. Yesterday I got a craving for sweet potatoes and decided to create a gumbo to fit my mood, with tender chunks of sweet potatoes and enriched with a secret ingredient: peanut butter.
Using peanut butter in gumbo may sound a little strange until you consider that gumbo, which gets its name from the Bantu word for okra, is similar to and probably descended from stews common in West Africa, where peanuts are a staple. The one tablespoon I used here contributes just a subtle flavor, but it’s enough to make this one of my husband’s and my favorite gumbos.
Sweet Potato, Okra, and Chickpea Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 1 large green pepper , chopped
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic clove , chopped
- 7-8 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 14-16 ounces sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 16 ounces okra , trimmed and sliced
- 1-2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce (I use a favorite hot sauce that isn’t as spicy as Tabasco)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or regular)
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
Instructions
- Heat a large pot. Add the onions and a pinch of baking soda (optional but speeds browning). Cook, stirring, until onions brown, adding water by the teaspoon if needed to prevent sticking.
- Add the pepper, celery, and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add 7 cups water or vegetable broth and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Then add all the remaining ingredients except the liquid smoke and peanut butter. Simmer uncovered until sweet potatoes are tender and just close to falling apart, at least an hour to give flavors a chance to mingle, adding extra water or broth if needed.
- Just before serving, stir in the liquid smoke and peanut butter (it helps if you mix the peanut butter with a couple tablespoons of the hot broth first). Remove bay leaves and serve over rice.
Nutritional info is approximate.
More Vegan Gumbo and Okra Recipes:
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Moon Cat
September 29, 2009 at 3:22 pmThis looks sooooo good! With the weather starting to change, I have been in the mood for soups and stews and OKRA! Thanks!
Sarah Campbell
September 29, 2009 at 3:23 pmThis is perfect for the change in our weather. I wish I had more okra on hand. I will keep it for as soon as I do. Thanks.
A
September 29, 2009 at 3:44 pmI've only had fried okra. That gumbo looks fabulous though!!!
-A
Shannon
September 29, 2009 at 3:51 pmI've been reading your blog for a while but this is the first time I've posted a comment and it has to do with the peanut butter.
Have you heard of a product called PB2? It's powdered peanut butter with the fact removed. You recieve it in plastic packages, add water and ta dah! I also eat it in yogurt with fruit and some granola in the morning (ok I'm a vegetarian, not vegan hence the yogurt).
Anyway, if someone is really against that small amount of fat this is an option. You can order it online and although I'm not sure of the address, if you just google it should come up.
The Ordinary Vegetarian
September 29, 2009 at 4:02 pmFantastic! I've been looking for a new recipe for okra, this sounds perfect.
Josiane
September 29, 2009 at 4:40 pmOh, a gumbo would be so good right now, and this one looks fabulous! I'm sure the peanut butter gives it a little je-ne-sais-quoi that makes all the difference!
Nicole
September 29, 2009 at 4:41 pmHi Susan! First, let me just say that I adore your blog and reference it all the time for healthy dinner inspirations (although my husband and I love your many muffin recipes as well!) Second, I was wondering if this gumbo recipe would work with frozen okra, since that's just about all we've got up here in the Northeast? Or would it get too mushy?
Thanks.
taleoftwovegans
September 29, 2009 at 5:52 pmDrat! I just ate all of the okra I bought the other day. I roasted some of using one of your other recipes-very tasty!
This looks really good though, potentially good enough to warrant purchasing some more okra to make it.
-K
moonwatcher
September 29, 2009 at 6:38 pmHI Susan,
Thanks, this looks very good, and I enjoyed seeing the okra plants, which I've never seen. I'd like to echo Nicole's questions about the frozen okra, since I'd be lucky to find even that in the wilds of Idaho. . .might even end up getting stuck with canned. . or none. . .anyway, would welome your take on this, or anything you think might substitute well, if okra can't be found.
(Love the combo of the touch of peanut butter and liquid smoke. . and also thanks for the tip about the baking soda, too.)
xo
moonwatcher
Brandy
February 25, 2018 at 10:28 pmMy Safeway store in Chewelah, WA carries frozen okra.
Nikki
September 29, 2009 at 8:07 pmAt last, a gumbo I want to try. Susan, I've been reading your blog for several years now and I have loved so many of your entries…and you inspired me to start my own food blog. Thank you!
brannyboilsover
September 29, 2009 at 8:12 pmI know I would love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
royalflax
September 30, 2009 at 2:06 amI absolutely LOVE eating raw okra… right off the plant sounds dreamy <3
Cheese Recipes
September 30, 2009 at 6:38 amLooks good & Healthy! Thanks or the recipe.
SusanV
September 30, 2009 at 7:59 amNicole and Moonwatcher: Feel free to use frozen okra. I use it during the winter, and while it's not quite as good as fresh, it's certainly acceptable.
AudreyQ
September 30, 2009 at 8:28 amSusan, I love your blog. We're overrun with sweet potatoes from our CSA farm, and this sounds great, except for the okra, never have seen it up in NY. What's an acceptable sub that I can pick up at the farmer's market? Thanks.
SusanV
September 30, 2009 at 8:46 amAudreyQ, I'm afraid that without okra, this won't be gumbo, but it could be a very nice stew. I would suggest adding more sweet potatoes and whatever fresh green vegetables you can find. Green beans would be nice, broccoli or zucchini if you add it toward the end. If it's too watery (okra provides thickening), you could use even more vegetables to increase the vegetable to broth ratio. Good luck! And do let me know how it comes out if you try it.
Mary
September 30, 2009 at 10:26 amI've had PB in stew, and it is fabulous! I heard a story on npr recently that said okra was Americans' least favorite vegetable. What is wrong with people?!?
Sarah Johnson
September 30, 2009 at 8:42 pmFor folks that don't have okra, you might try using gumbo filé (ground sassafras leaves) to thicken and flavor the gumbo. I live in WI, but can still find filé in the spice section of the grocery store.
G3
September 30, 2009 at 8:55 pmI made this for dinner and had it with Quinoa instead of Brown Rice. This Gumbo was delicioussssssss & very filling!!!
ecath
October 1, 2009 at 9:57 amAmazing! My sister loves okra so much. I think she will definitely like this. Thanks!
the twins
October 1, 2009 at 5:43 pmThat looks great! I love gumbo, but i've never actually made it before.
mustardseed
October 2, 2009 at 12:04 amWow, awesome! I like gumbo, and I LOVE peanut butter.
What kind of pot is that? It looks awesome and user friendly. I only have metal pots, yours looks so much easier to do non stick cooking!
GeorgiaPeachez
October 2, 2009 at 7:47 amSounds fabulous and I will give it a try. I grew up in the south and I LOVE okra. Just slightly boil it for me, I like it slimy. My mom always made "succotash" and froze tons of it by just cooking together fresh okra, tomatoes and corn off the cobb.
Be sure to leave some okra on the bush and when the season is over cut them off leaving a good stem. Once dried they make a beautiful arrangment in a vase. Okra is a member of the mallow family, same as hibiscus. xo, suzy
Anonymous
October 2, 2009 at 9:17 amI was a little nervous about this recipe especially because I never worked with okra before. I should not have doubted you…It was delicious!
Nancy
October 2, 2009 at 3:11 pmThis is a great recipe with everything I love. I'm trying to switch to fat free but it's a little difficult. Thanks for this recipe!
Mandie
October 3, 2009 at 1:13 pmwhat is the serving size amount? would you say it's about 1 cup? it would just help to know so that i can store it accordingly. thanks! this looks deeeelicious!
Ms. J
October 3, 2009 at 3:39 pmHuh. I've been following your blog for awhile, but I didn't know you lived in Mississippi. I just moved to the state myself, but unfortunately I'm not near Jackson or any vegetarian restaurants!
SusanV
October 3, 2009 at 5:40 pmMandie, I didn't check the amounts but if you can divide it into six equal containers, you could figure it out. We had 6 good-sized servings, probably about 1 1/2cups or more.
Kathy
October 4, 2009 at 8:43 pmJust made this tonight, using frozen okra- the hubby and I both loved it! Thanks for the tip about the baking soda, too!
Queen B.
October 5, 2009 at 8:51 pmyummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
dining table
October 7, 2009 at 8:46 pmMy first taste of okra was not nice that is why I am still having a hard time appreciating the okra. But anyway, i got to try this one since it is getting cold and soups are what we need for cold nights.
Lovliebutterfly
October 8, 2009 at 12:24 pmIt's been ages since I last had okra! I love it. Looks very hearty!
Ellie!
October 10, 2009 at 1:32 pmI just made this today, and it is delicious! This is my first encounter with okra (I bought it on a whim). I don't even usually like sweet potatoes, but it was perfect in this!
TINA
October 10, 2009 at 10:28 pmJust Made this, and it was DELICIOUS. I added some corn chipotle salsa midstew and used Yams instead… PERFECT fall meal, I know I'll be repeating this lots!
decorators fabric
October 12, 2009 at 8:47 pmOMG!!! That sweet potato, okra and chickpea gumbo looks so delicious. Thank you for posting its ingredients and directions on how to make it. I will try to do it at home. LOL!!!
Half-Assed Vegetarian
October 16, 2009 at 9:48 amThis looks really interesting. I've never made gumbo with sweet potatoes before. Can't wait to try it! As always, thanks for the great ideas.
caroline
October 20, 2009 at 4:02 pmI made this last night and it was really good! For those that are having trouble finding fresh okra, ethnic grocery stores typically have it.
Anonymous
October 26, 2009 at 6:42 pmHey! I want to go vegan so bad now! My aunt is so now seeing these recipies, I want to be one too! Maybe I will open an all vegan cafe! Just a thought… 🙂
raja
October 28, 2009 at 7:03 pmi am going to try this recipe tonight, but I was wondering do you ever post other statistics about your dishes such as cooking time vs. prep time or how many servings a dish will yield?
SusanV
October 28, 2009 at 7:34 pmHi Raja–The number of servings is at the end of the recipe, but there are so many variables in figuring out the cooking and prep time that I haven't tried to add that. Maybe one day!