TONMTONM AK KALALOU (BREADFRUIT WITH OKRA)

TONMTONM AK KALALOU (BREADFRUIT WITH OKRA)

Tonmtonm ak Kalalou Gombo

In English : Breadruit with Okra. I used to laugh hysterically at this name “Lam veritab” . It sounded purposely senseless. “The true soul” ? That’s its literal meaning. That’s a weird name for a tree. I can’t quite find the precise words to describe how this word sounded to me.

Lam veritab = L’ arbre veritable = The real / true tree.

I tried making sense out of the origin of this name through my short time researching the history behind it.

Here are other fun facts about the Breadfruit:

Breadfruit made its way from Tahiti to the  West Indies in the 18th century.

In Martinique it’s called : l’ arbre a pain.

In Saint Lucia it’s called : Bois pain

In Haiti it is called : Lam Veritab

One single breadfruit  can feed a nuclear family.

The tree itself (Artocarpus altilis) produces around 200 fruits a season and grows between 85 to 90 feet tall.

Here are a few fun facts about Okra (Kalalou)- (Hibiscus esculentus)

Ethiopian heritage.

In Bantu languages it is called:  Kingombo

In Ibo languages it is called : ọ́kụ̀rụ̀

In English speaking countries: lady’s fingers

Ingredients:

▪️1 breadfruit

▪️1 tsp of salt

▪️1/4 tsp of crushed black pepper

▪️1 lb okra (fresh or frozen)

▪️1 tablespoon olive oil

▪️1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste

▪️Chopped onions

▪️zest of lemon

▪️1 tsp of powdered garlic

Directions

This step is very important. Peel off the green skin from the breadfruit. Cut out the most inner spongy part of the fruit. This part is bitter! Cut the fruit into pieces. Put them in a pot and let it boil for about 15 to 20 mns. It boils really fast . 

Make sure your pot is well covered. Make sure you have completely removed the spongy part of the fruit. Do not leave it to boil without covering it or it might take longer to cook. You can add some salt to the boiling mixture. 

Meanwhile boil your okra for 10mns. Once cooked, drain water and cut into pieces. You can even mash them into a ” puree” . That’s actually the traditional way to do it. It needs to be a slimy sauce. But I prefer mine in pieces rather than crushed (which explains the picture below).

Use another pot to warm your oil. Fry onions with tomato paste. 

Then, add your okra pieces and seasonings (garlic, salt, black pepper, lemon zest). Stir! Make sure you  created a sauce. It shouldn’t be dry because you want to have to dip your  tomtom inside of your kalalou.

You can easily replace the powdered garlic and tomato paste with natural ingredients. The flavor will be even more amazing and you can never go wrong with organic!

Now Take the pieces of boiled breadfruit and put them in a bowl that is sturdy enough (not susceptible to break) . Then, use a pestle to smash them into a sticky puree.

Comments

[Ralph Marez]

Nice