Chef Mashama Bailey’s Okra Gumbo Z'Herbes Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 17, 2023 • 2 min read
Chef Bailey’s version of Gumbo takes a cue from heralded Creole chef Leah Chase, the matriarch of Dooky Chase’s restaurant in New Orleans. Chase was known as much for her food and hospitality legacy as she was for feeding leaders of the American Civil Rights movement (along with modern-day American presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush). Chase popularized this dish during Lent, when many forgo meat; her Gumbo Z’Herbes was renowned for using nine different greens. In this recipe, you’ll char the okra rather than stew it in the pot, which is traditional. This lends a smoky flavor and chunky texture to the soup.
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What Is Gumbo?
Gumbo is a thick, flavorful stew from southern Louisiana. There are many different styles of gumbo, from Gumbo Z’Herbes to sausage gumbo, seafood gumbo, and chicken gumbo. The roots of gumbo are in Africa, but ultimately it’s the culinary outcome of several intersecting cultures: broadly, African, Native American, and European. Gumbo is a roux-based soup that can range from thin to gravy-thick; traditional preparations often use okra as a binding agent, with proteins like chicken, shrimp, and crab added based on preference.
Okra comes from the African continent, where the vegetable pod is used in all manner of soups and stews. The word gumbo is a derivative of guingombo and ochingombo, words for okra in the Bantu language, spoken throughout parts of Africa. In French, the word gombo also refers to okra, all of which illustrates the Creolized blending the dish experienced in southern Louisiana—where gumbo is most popular.
Chef Mashama Bailey’s Gumbo Z’Herbes Recipe
makes
prep time
30 mintotal time
2 hrcook time
1 hr 30 minIngredients
For the herb sachet:
For the gumbo:
- 1
Make the herb sachet. Place the thyme, allspice, and bay leaves on cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth over and tie it off with butcher’s twine. Set aside.
- 2
Make the gumbo. In a Dutch oven or stockpot set over medium heat, heat the butter until it’s just smoking, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux. Once the flour starts to brown, after about 4 to 5 minutes, reduce the heat to low and stir slowly until the roux is the color of milk chocolate, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and shallots, and stir to coat the vegetables in the roux.
- 3
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and simmer until everything is incorporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. When the mixture returns to a boil, add the herb sachet, and allow the mixture to simmer.
- 4
Set a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat. Press the halved okra slices into the pan facedown. Don’t use any oil or butter on the skillet surface. You need a hot, dry skillet to bring the char along.
- 5
Meanwhile, add the kale, cabbage, bok choy, and dandelion greens to the Dutch oven or stockpot, cover the pot, and cook the gumbo down for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the gumbo from the heat.
- 6
Check the progress of the okra. Cook until charred, about 3 to 5 minutes. The edges should start to brown. Once charred, flip and char the other side for 1 minute. To get the rich flavor you want for this recipe, it may take up to 6 to 7 minutes to cook the okra.
- 7
Spoon a serving of gumbo into a bowl. Top each serving with several pieces of okra. Serve with rice or cornbread.
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