flipOkra and Salt Cod Kalalou
Okra and Salt Cod Kalalou
Why this dish? Toussaint, it is said, maintained a sober diet despite his rank: a stew of okra and salt cod, poured over a few bananas or some kasav, is the everyday dish on the heights of Breda, where the child Toussaint worked before becoming a coachman and then a general. Okra is the direct legacy of Africans deported to Saint-Domingue.
A binding and velvety stew of okra, flavored with spring onion and a touch of chili, where desalted cod melts. It is eaten on a starch base, with a spoon, in an earthenware bowl.
My friends, do not be deceived by my general's coat: at my table we serve simply. Here is the kalalou, as the old women of the plantation taught me when I was a child. Sweat the spring onion in fat, throw in the finely cut okra — they give that velvet which binds the sauce — then the cod well desalted in plenty of water. A hint of chili, no more: sobriety befits him who would command men. Pour it over the banana, and you will stand upright from morning to night.
- •Fresh okra — a good full handful (thickener, base vegetable)
- •Salt cod — a piece (protein, salt)
- •Spring onion (cive) — a few stalks (aromatic)
- •Scotch bonnet pepper — one small, whole (flavor)
- •Pork fat or oil — a little (fat)
- •Lime juice — a few drops (acidity)
Okra and Salt Cod Kalalou
A binding and velvety stew of okra, flavored with spring onion and a touch of chili, where desalted cod melts. It is eaten on a starch base, with a spoon, in an earthenware bowl.
Why this dish? Toussaint, it is said, maintained a sober diet despite his rank: a stew of okra and salt cod, poured over a few bananas or some kasav, is the everyday dish on the heights of Breda, where the child Toussaint worked before becoming a coachman and then a general. Okra is the direct legacy of Africans deported to Saint-Domingue.
My friends, do not be deceived by my general's coat: at my table we serve simply. Here is the kalalou, as the old women of the plantation taught me when I was a child. Sweat the spring onion in fat, throw in the finely cut okra — they give that velvet which binds the sauce — then the cod well desalted in plenty of water. A hint of chili, no more: sobriety befits him who would command men. Pour it over the banana, and you will stand upright from morning to night.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh okra — a good full handful (thickener, base vegetable)
- Salt cod — a piece (protein, salt)
- Spring onion (cive) — a few stalks (aromatic)
- Scotch bonnet pepper — one small, whole (flavor)
- Pork fat or oil — a little (fat)
- Lime juice — a few drops (acidity)
Ingredients
- Fresh okra — 300 g (thickener, vegetable)
- Salt cod fillet — 250 g (protein, salt)
- Scallions / spring onions — 4 stalks (aromatic)
- Scotch bonnet pepper — 1 whole (not pierced) (flavor)
- Neutral oil — 2 tbsp (fat)
- Garlic cloves — 2 (aromatic)
- Lime — 1 (acidity)
- Water — 500 ml (broth)
Method
- The day before, desalt the cod in several changes of cold water (6 to 12 h), then poach for 10 min, drain and flake, removing bones and skin.
- Wash and slice the okra into thin rounds; chop scallions and garlic.
- Sweat the scallions and garlic in oil, add the okra and stir for 5 min.
- Pour in the water, add the whole pepper (without piercing) and simmer for 20 min: the sauce thickens and becomes silky.
- Add the flaked cod, cook another 10 min on low heat, remove the pepper, adjust with a squeeze of lime.
- Serve over boiled plantains, rice, or cassava flatbread.
How it was made : Okra arrived in the Antilles in the holds of slave ships; its name and thickening technique are West African. Salt cod, caught off Newfoundland, was the cheap protein distributed in slave colonies. It was cooked over charcoal, in earthenware canaris, and the chili remained whole to flavor without burning the palate.
The contemporary twist : Serve the kalalou in a hollowed-out half coconut, with a roasted plantain base placed alongside, for an unapologetic "Creole roots" plating.
Toussaint Louverture · Charactorium
