Gullah / Geechi style southern food doesn’t get as much attention as other styles. But if you don’t know about it, Gullah/Geechi culture refers to African descendants that landed in coastal South Carolina and Georgia. These folks were able to keep a lot of their west African traditions and foods. But for my dad’s generation, it was considered bad to acknowledge it. So it was kinda undercover.
They ended up in this area because they were cultivating rice at home in Africa, and that expertise was needed to grow rice in the region. Hence this area has rice as a staple – people in SC eat rice every day. And these traditions are a big influence on the local cuisine.
Ok that is a long intro. My dad used to make okra and tomatoes for himself. Mom hated okra. I was a picky eater and also ignored any food eitger parent hated. So while I saw dad make it in occasion i never tried it. While traveling to SC last week, i went to a relative's home for dinner and it was on the menu. i found it pretty tasty. But I also knew I would make some tweaks.
My dad's version us much like this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143249/okra-with-tomatoes/
My aunt added smoked meat and mixed vegetables and Lima beans.
I landed somewhere between. I used fresh cranberry beans, a mix of fresh and a can of tomatoes. I added fresh chilies. And I added some fresh corn at the end as well.
My process was:
– sautéed onions, green peppers, a Serrano pepper, and a Fresno chili. I used a teaspoon of bacon fat for flavor. And olive oil for the rest.
– spices I used a mix of a smoked dried chili, Kashmiri peppers, garlic powder, thyme, and a bay leaf
– I added a little tomato paste, and later the tomatoes with frozen garlic cubes. And some red wine vinegar. This was all on a low simmer.
– I added some water and chicken broth concentrate. After cooking the tomatoes for 15-20 min I added the cranberry beans, and let them cook for another 15. Okra was added for the last 10. Corn at the end.
Served it with white rice. Because that was available at the moment. This turned out really tasty and fresh. Okra is not slimy because it gives up,it’s liquid to thicken your stew. The creamy beans make it more hardy. Feel free to swap canned ones. I really like the sweetness and crunch from the corn. I did a drizzle of olive oil. My version wasn’t vegetarian, with the bacon fat and chicken broth but those are easy omissions. I’d add cumin and smoked paprika though. They will replicate some of the bacon-y flavor.
I included a pic of the pot and my plate.
by PlantedinCA