Lemony Chicken Okra Soup

This is a traditional West African recipe for an okra-thickened stew of chicken in a tomato and lemon sauce.



Ingredients:

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2kg of chicken, cut into small pieces
• 2l chicken stock
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 180g tomato paste
• 450g sliced okra
• 60g long-grain rice
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 scotch bonnet chillies, pounded to a paste
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Few sprigs of spinach, sliced

Preparation:

• Rub lemon juice over the chicken pieces and place in a large casserole dish and pour in the chicken stock
• Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for 12 minutes
• Add the remaining ingredients and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes more (until both the rice and chicken are tender)
• Remove the chicken pieces and shred them preferably using a fork, then return the shredded chicken to the casserole dish
• Add in the sliced spinach. Cook for a further five minutes and serve