Kalalou Haitian

Medium·25 min

A rich, slippery Haitian okra stew thickened by the okra itself, simmered with crab, shrimp or salt beef, leafy greens, garlic and epis. Soupy and deeply savory, it is ladled over rice or paired with pounded breadfruit (tonm tonm).

Kalalou is one of the clearest survivals of West African cooking on the Haitian table. Its name is the Haitian Creole word for okra, from the Kimbundu kalulú (okra, or an Angolan vegetable stew); the dish is a sibling of Louisiana gumbo, whose own name comes from the Bantu ngombo (also "okra")—two African languages, one shared lineage of okra cookery carried across the Atlantic by enslaved West Africans. In Haiti it is a beloved comfort food, often eaten on Fridays and served with crab around Easter, especially in the south, where its silky texture and seafood richness make it a centerpiece of family meals.

Silky and slightly viscous from the okra, with sweet bursts of crab and shrimp and a green, herbal backbone. Savory and warming, with a creeping scotch bonnet heat that builds spoon after spoon.

Okra contains soluble fiber (mucilage) that dissolves into the liquid as it cooks, naturally thickening the stew into its signature silky, slightly slippery body without any added starch.

Variations

with salt beef or pig's tail, with djon-djon mushrooms, vegetarian with just greens

On the Palate

Where Kalalou Haitian sits in the Haitian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

1Scotch Bonnet Pepper

How it's made

8 steps · 25 min

1
12 min
Wash and finely slice the okra, and chop leafy greens like spinach or watercress.
Watch out
Slice the okra thin — the more cut surface, the more mucilage bleeds out to thicken the stew into its signature silky body.
2
5 min
Season crab and shrimp with lime, salt and epis.
3
6 min
Saute onion, garlic and epis in oil until fragrant.
4
5 min
Add the seafood and brown briefly, then add water or stock.
5
3 min
Stir in the sliced okra and greens and bring to a simmer.
6
15 min
Cook gently, stirring, until the okra breaks down and thickens the stew.
Watch out
Keep stirring at a gentle simmer until the okra melts down — that slippery thickening is the dish; rush it on high heat and it stays watery.
7
2 min
Season with scotch bonnet, salt and a touch of bouillon.
8
12 min
Simmer until rich and slippery, then serve over rice or with tonm tonm.