One of Sub-Saharan Africa's traditional dishes for Christmas is okra soup.
They are called "okra" in Arabic for the tasty spiky zucchini with grooves found in every market stall, which the English call "Lady's fingers," while the Swahili all know as "mabenda."

In addition to having benefits for the stomach and intestines, okra is tasty although a caution is recommended before cooking it, as it is very viscous inside because of its seeds: cut off the ends just enough to let out precisely the gel inside and purge them further for at least an hour in water and vinegar (or lemon).

And now for the Kenyan Coast Christmas recipe: Okra soup and shrimp.
To make it tastier and more "pan-African," we at malindikenya.net have added small modifications that are also used in other nations and cultures in equatorial Africa.

For example, ground pumpkin seeds can be added for flavor and as a thickener (and this is recommended in any local soup), as well as a few shredded spinach leaves.
It is recommended to serve the soup by accompanying it with classic ugali (white cornmeal porridge) or even basmati rice.

Ingredients for 4 people:
Half a kilo of okra.
300 grams of shelled shrimp.
One tablespoon of seed (or olive) oil.
Half a finely chopped onion
One ripe tomato
Three tablespoons of the "fumet" made from the boiled shrimp heads
A few chopped spinach leaves (if spinach six or seven leaves)
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon pepper flakes (red is best)
Half a cup of ground pumpkin seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

After draining the okra, blanch it in a little water for five minutes and then save the water.
After that, remove the tops and tails thoroughly, cut half the quantity into two-centimeter cylinders, and shred the rest with a sharp knife.
Prepare the sauté with the onion, oil salt and pepper. Add the diced tomato, spoonfuls of broth and finally the okra.
Cover the pan for five minutes, cooking on low heat.
Add the shrimp, spinach, pumpkin seeds, paprika and pepper, with a few ladles of water from the okra.
Cook for another five minutes and finally stir for another couple of minutes.

Enjoy and have a happy African Christmas!