Gumbo Z’herbes aka Green Gumbo

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Welcome to episode 4 of All Things Green!

This is such a fun recipe to say ….. Gumbo Z’herbes, also known as “green gumbo,” is a vegetarian by nature gumbo with a history tied to traditions in Louisiana and New Orleans. New Orleans native, Leah Chase, is the queen of Creole cuisine and she mastered Gumbo Z’herbes. I took a few tips and trick from her legendary gumbo recipe and made it my own. And it did not disappoint.

What do you think of when you hear Gumbo? Typically, sausage, collard greens and of course ….. okra. Well this vegan doesn’t’ do meat, but I definitely do okra and greens! The name gumbo actually comes from a West African name for okra “ki ngombo”. And “gumbo” for short.

The secret to a any great gumbo is to use what you have. So I let my garden do the deciding. My garden dished out some beautifully green okras and perfect sized callaloo leaves for me.

Don’t skip the roux!

Every gumbo starts with a roux. Either a light roux or a dark roux, but they say the best gumbos are made with dark rouxs. So that’s what I did. I was a little concerned about making a vegan roux, but it turns out it’s just as easy as a regular roux made with real butter. I think a big piece of my roux success is due to the butter I used from Miyoko’s Creamery. The butter melted down perfectly into the flour and formed my roux within minutes.

Another trick I learned recently was about starting the roux. Typically when making a roux (especially a light roux), you add the butter or oil first and the flour second. For this roux, I did the opposite. I added my flour first and let it toast for a couple minutes. Once a bit of smoke started coming from the pan, I’d stir the flour a bit and within seconds it turned a light brown. This was my cue to add the butter. Once I added the butter, the dark roux mixture started to come together. I constantly stirred it until I get the right coloring on my roux. Then I added the gumbo’s “holy trinity”, (onions, celery & green bell pepper) and let it sauté in the roux for a few minutes before adding my veggie stock.

No matter what your ingredients are for your gumbo, don’t skip out on the roux!

The Process

• Cut the okra in half both ways, length and width.
• Heat up a cast iron skillet. When it’s nice and hot, add the okra cut side down. Don’t add any butter or oil for this part, we’re looking to char the okra just enough. Not burnt, but just charred. Once charred on both sides, remove from skillet from the heat and set aside.
  • Pro tip – charring the okra this way will keep the okra from getting slimy in the gumbo. If you like slimy okra, you can skip this step.
• Make the roux
  • Don’t rush this part.
• Once your roux is ready, stir in the holy trinity, chopped celery, green bell pepper & onions.
• Sauté these veggies in the roux for roughly 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add your spice blend. Salt, pepper, and The Spice Hunter Cajun Creole Seasoning Blend 
• When the mixture is fragrant, add the veggie stock and mix thoroughly. Make sure to scrape off any pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  • Pro tip – make sure your stock is warm or at least room temperature when you add it. Adding cold stock will shock the base.

• Make your herb sachet.
  • You can purchase an herb sachet at the grocery store, or online at Amazon – https://amzn.to/4b02eag.
• Place the bay leaves, all spice and thyme in the herb sachet and tie it off. Make sure the leaves and spices can’t sneak out of the bag.
• Submerge the bag into the gumbo and stir it around.
• Add the okra.
• Next, add all your greens. I recommend using 4-6 pounds of greens for this gumbo. The greens will wilt down and you want to have more greens than stock at the very end.
  • You can use a whole list of greens such as: spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens, kale, bok choy, swiss chard, cabbage, lettuce, callaloo …… just to name a few.
• Once all your greens are added to the pot, bring the pot up to a low simmer.
• Cover the pot and let simmer for 45 minutes.
• While the gumbo is simmering, start cooking the rice.
  • Gumbo is typically (if not always) served with white rice and it’s a perfect pairing. But I experimented with serving this with cous cous instead of rice and I loved it. Cous cous is a light and airy and I’d recommend giving it a try if you’re not the biggest fan of white rice.