One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice + Crispy Okra Corn Cakes + "Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water
One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice
In Southern cooking, the "holy trinity" of onion, bell pepper, and celery is a flavor powerhouse, forming the base of so many beloved one-pot dishes like gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya, and today's featured dish: perloo.
With its roots in West African cooking, perloo—also known as purloo or pilau—traveled to the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia through the African diaspora, becoming a fixture of Lowcountry and Gullah-Geechee cuisine. Traditionally made with rice, seafood, or meat, perloo highlights the warm, savory flavors of the holy trinity and West African cuisine. Cooking the entire dish in a single pot means the rice soaks up every drop of flavor, and there's much less clean-up. I'm always here for that!
And then we have okra corn cakes, a true Southern treat. These little bites combine the earthiness of okra with savory seasonings and cornmeal. Like perloo, they trace back to West African cooking, where okra has been a staple in soups, stews, and fried dishes for centuries. Bake them to golden perfection, and Crispy Okra Corn Cakes will be an ideal side or snack, showing off okra's versatility and celebrating the best of Southern cooking. Y'all, enjoy!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Shopping List
- FRESH AND FROZEN
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 large carrot
- 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 C frozen sliced okra
- EGG
- 1 egg **(see allergy subs below)**
- PANTRY
- 3/4 C vegetable oil **
- 1 C rice (arborio is best; jasmine or basmati are also fine)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning + more if needed **(see allergy subs below)**
- 1 C fine cornmeal
- 1 C all-purpose flour **(see allergy subs below)**
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 T granulated sugar, brown sugar, or honey
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast, optional
- HAVE ON HAND
- 3 C water
- "WATER YOU COOKING UP?" FLAVORED WATER (OPTIONAL)
- 4 C water
- 2 C ice
- Choose 1 or more of the following fresh ingredients to flavor your water:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 mint sprig
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- bake :
to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- pour :
to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.
- sauté :
to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.
- simmer :
to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.
- slice :
to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.
- stir :
to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!
Equipment Checklist
- Pitcher
- Cutting board
- Kid-safe knife
- Measuring cups
- Oven
- Muffin pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Wooden spoon
- Large pot with lid
- Medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 large carrot
- 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 T vegetable oil **
- 1 C rice (arborio is best; jasmine or basmati are also fine)
- 1 tsp salt + more if needed
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper + more if needed
- 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning + more if needed **(for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY sub 1 tsp garlic powder + 1 tsp onion powder + 1/2 tsp cumin)**
- 2 C water + 1/4 C more if needed
- 2 C frozen sliced okra
Crispy Okra Corn Cakes
- 2 C frozen sliced okra
- 1 C fine cornmeal
- 1 C all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub 1 1/4 C gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour)**
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 C vegetable oil **(for SOY ALLERGY sub avocado oil)**
- 1 T granulated sugar, brown sugar, or honey
- 3/4 C water
- 1 egg **(for EGG ALLERGY sub 1 small zucchini, grated)**
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast, optional
"Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water
- 4 C water
- 2 C ice
- Choose 1 or more of the following fresh ingredients to flavor your water:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 mint sprig
Food Allergen Substitutions
One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice
- Nightshade: For 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, substitute 1 tsp garlic powder + 1 tsp onion powder + 1/2 tsp cumin.
- Soy: Substitute canola oil or other nut-free oil for vegetable oil.
Crispy Okra Corn Cakes
- Gluten/Wheat: For 1 C all-purpose flour, substitute 1 1/4 C gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour.
- Soy: Substitute avocado oil for vegetable oil.
- Egg: For 1 egg, substitute 1 small zucchini, grated.
Instructions
One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice
intro
In the Lowcountry, coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia, "perloo" is a rice dish made with that region's abundant shrimp and other shellfish. Perloo is very similar to jambalaya. Both recipes start with a base of rice simmered with tomato, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and onion. Perloo includes shrimp, crab, and crawfish, and jambalaya includes pork and chicken. This Sticky Fingers Cooking® version will add a bit of West African flavor with the addition of okra instead of seafood or poultry.
dice + sauté
Start by dicing 1/2 yellow onion, 2 celery stalks, and 1 bell pepper into small pieces. Grate or dice 1 carrot. Then, mince 2 garlic cloves. Scrape everything that you chopped into a medium-sized bowl. Measure and pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Pour in the chopped vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
measure + pour + count
Then, measure and add 1 cup rice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning. Sauté the rice, vegetables, and seasoning for another 5 minutes. While you stir, practice counting to 10 in the Ghanaian Twi (Akan) language: 1 baako (bah-ko), 2 mmienu (mmeeh-new), 3 mmiɛnsa (mee-en-suh), 4 ɛnan (eh-nine), 5 enum (eh-noom), 6 nsia (nn-see-uh), 7 nson (nn-sohn), 8 nwɔtwe (nn-watch-eh), 9 nkron (nn-krohn), 10 edu (eh-doo).
superstar food spotlight
Okra is a green, pod-like vegetable that is native to Africa. Some countries call them lady fingers because of their long, slender appearance. Okra contains a substantial amount of fiber, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, which all work together to promote digestion and heart health. Cooking with okra can be tricky, though. If you don’t soak them in vinegar first, or you cook them too long or damage the pod, your dish will have a slimy texture.
stir + simmer
Reduce the heat to low. Then, measure 2 cups of water and add that to the pot. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add 2 cups of frozen okra. Stir it in and put the lid back on the pot.
season + serve
Remove the lid from the pot and taste the perloo. If you would like to add any more seasoning, you can add a few more pinches of salt, black pepper, or Old Bay Seasoning. Make sure to check for doneness. The rice should be fluffy and soft. If it is hard or crunchy, add 1/4 cup more water and cook for 5 more minutes. Once your perloo tastes perfect, serve it alongside Crispy Okra Corn Cakes. Bon appétit!
Crispy Okra Corn Cakes
measure + stir
In a large bowl, measure and add 2 cups frozen sliced okra, 1 cup fine cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast if using. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
measure + combine
In another bowl, measure and add 2/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 3/4 cup water. Crack in 1 egg. Stir to combine. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until the only lumps are the okra floating in the batter.
preheat + bake + serve
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil** to each well of a muffin pan. Then, pour in 2 tablespoons of batter into each of the wells. Slide the muffin pan into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve alongside One-pot West African Perfectly "Perloo" Rice. Cheers!
"Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water
chop + measure + stir
Choose the flavor of water you will be making. Simply slice whatever fresh ingredients you chose and place them into a pitcher. Measure and add 4 cups of water and 2 cups of ice. Stir a few times and then serve.
Hi! I’m Okra!
"You may not be familiar with me yet, but I’m a popular ingredient in the cuisines of the southern US, especially gumbo. I can be a bit slimy, especially if I get too moist—wouldn’t you if it was really humid?! Cooking me with something acidic, like tomato and vinegar helps. I’m often referred to as a “lady’s finger” because of my shape!"
History
- Okra is believed to have originated in Africa, and its name is derived from an African language!
- Egyptians first cultivated the plant, and it spread through North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Okra first came to the United States in the early 1700s with the slave trade.
- Okra is considered the “world traveler” of vegetables! That’s because it’s used in recipes and dishes around the world.
- Southern soldiers used to drink a coffee substitute made from dried and ground okra seeds during the Civil War.
Anatomy
- An okra plant can grow as tall as 6½ feet high! They produce edible pods that are long and thin and come to a point at the end. Their shape gave them the nickname “ladies’ fingers.” They look more like witches’ fingers!
- If you cut a cross-section of an okra pod, you’ll see that the seeds are arranged in a pattern that looks like a flower. Because it has seeds, okra is technically a fruit! But in the kitchen, it is considered a vegetable.
- Okra comes in two varieties: red and green! When you cook red okra, it turns green.
- Okra plants produce beautiful white flowers with dark purple centers.
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Okra thrives in warm, temperate weather and can tolerate high heat and drought.
- The parts of the okra plant you can eat are its green pods, seeds, and leaves!
- Okra can be pickled, canned, stewed, grilled, fried, pan-seared, and roasted.
- Okra contains soluble fiber, which, when cooked, results in a gelatinous goo that cooks use to thicken dishes.
- Okra seeds are pressed and processed into oil used for cooking.
- Old or mature okra is used to make paper and rope!
- When buying fresh okra, choose medium-small pods as they’re more tender and less stringy.
- Okra can be steeped in water overnight to make a delicious tea!
- Don’t wash your okra until just before you’re ready to cook it, or you might end up with a gooey mess!
Nutrition
- Fiber! Okra has lots of fiber to help keep our intestines clean and digestion running smoothly!
- B-Vitamins! B vitamins help the body use the food we’ve eaten for energy!
- Antioxidants! Okra has high levels of these nutrients that support our immune system, keep us from getting sick, help us stay strong, and help us grow!
What is "Perloo"?
- "Perloo" is a one-pot rice dish with roots in West Africa. It is popular in the Lowcountry, the low-lying coastal region primarily of South Carolina, extending via the Sea Islands into Georgia and northern Florida.
- Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the entry points of enslaved Africans into the United States, who brought their recipes and cooking methods with them. West African "jollof rice" may have inspired "perloo."
- "Perloo" is typically made with rice, tomato, bell pepper, celery, onion, garlic, seafood, and sometimes bacon. Chicken can replace seafood if preferred. It has been likened to jambalaya and gumbo with less liquid.
Let's Learn About West Africa!
- There are five regions on the African continent: Northern, Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern.
- West Africa (or Western Africa) is in the westernmost part of the continent in sub-Saharan Africa (below the Sahara desert). It consists of the following sixteen countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, plus Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas British Territory.
- West Africa has the fastest growing population and economy on the continent. Its total area is 1,974,103 square miles, and the number of people in the region is estimated to be over 381 million.
- Football (soccer) is the most popular sport; however, West Africans may also participate in basketball and athletics (track and field).
- Arab traders influenced West African cuisine by bringing in spices like cinnamon, cloves, and mint. Later, European traders and slave ships brought chili peppers, corn, and tomatoes.
- Likewise, West African countries influenced New World cuisine when traders, colonists, missionaries, and enslaved Africans brought their food traditions to the Americas and Europe.
- Examples of West African dishes include "maafe" (peanut stew from Mali), a staple food in the region, "jollof" (a Senegalese rice dish), "akara" (a black-eyed pea fritter), and "eba" (a Nigerian staple made from cassava flour or "garri" eaten with soups and stews).
That's Berry Funny
What did one rice say to the other rice?
"I hope I see you a-grain!"
The Yolk's On You
Drinking water is so popular, but I don’t really get the hype.
Maybe it’s just too mainstream!
That's Berry Funny
How do you make okra laugh?
You pickle it!
That's Berry Funny
What is the most mythical vegetable?
The uni-CORN.
The Yolk's On You
Did you hear the tall tale about rice?
There wasn’t a grain of truth behind it!
Lettuce Joke Around
Why didn't anyone laugh at the gardener's jokes?
Because they were too corny!
The Yolk's On You
What do corn cobs call their fathers?
Pop corn.
That's Berry Funny
What did the bottled water tell the spy?
"The name's Bond, Hydrogen Bond."
That's Berry Funny
Flight attendant: "What would you like to drink?"
Passenger: "Water"
Flight attendant: "Still?"
Passenger: "Well, I haven’t changed my mind …"
