Gambia | Soup

Supakanja

Name: Supakanja
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Gambia, West Africa
Ingredients: 500 g fresh okra, finely sliced; ¼ cup red palm oil; 200 g dried or smoked fish, soaked, deboned, and flaked; 200 g shrimp or mixed seafood, cleaned; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers, left whole or minced; 1 cup chopped spinach or bitter greens; 3 cups water or fish stock; salt, to taste

Gambian okra soup with palm oil, dried fish, shrimp, chile, and a silky draw texture for rice or fufu.

Country

Gambia

Region

West Africa

Time

60 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Gambia recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Soup

Okra

500 g fresh okra, finely sliced

Soup

¼ cup red palm oil 200 g dried or smoked fish, soaked, deboned, and flaked 200 g shrimp or mixed seafood, cleaned 1 large onion, chopped 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers, left whole or minced 1 cup chopped spinach or bitter greens (optional)

Liquid

3 cups water or fish stock

Pantry

salt, to taste

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Knife & board

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Gambia

5 steps 20 min prep 40 min cook (check method) 60 min total medium

Draw the okra

Heat palm oil and add sliced okra. Cook, stirring, until glossy and beginning to draw.

Cook okra 10:00

Add fish and aromatics

Add onion, dried fish, and peppers. Stir gently until fragrant.

Build soup 05:00

Simmer

Add water or fish stock and simmer until the soup thickens. Add greens if using.

Simmer 15:00

Finish seafood

Add shrimp or seafood and cook just until done. Season with salt.

Cook seafood 05:00

Serve

Serve hot with rice or fufu, making sure each bowl has fish, okra, and broth.

Some cooks add leafy greens, crab, smoked fish, beef, or extra dried seafood.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Everyday meals. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 60 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

White rice, fufu, cassava, or rice balls

Regional lane

Gambia national table. A structured Gambia dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.

Recipe illustrations

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Illustration of Supakanja: glossy okra soup with smoked fish, shrimp and palm oil. — Supakanja finished dish · AI-generated illustration

Chef board

Build the table around Supakanja

White rice, fufu, cassava, or rice balls

Best route from here

Gambia national table

Collections to keep cooking

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