1/4 cup diced onions
2-3 sliced red chilis
1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1 16 oz bag frozen sliced okra
1 Tablespoon Cajun Jerk Seasonings
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (plain)
1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed up bay leaf (about 1 whole)
2 strips (7 inches each) dried kombu, rinsed
cornstarch, optional
In a large stock pot, saute onions, chile and peppers. Add okra and Cajun seasonings, and saute until okra is soft and onions are translucent. Add in everything else, plus an additional 14.5 oz can of water. (Just fill up the empty diced tomato can with water and add it).
Simmer on medium for 30 minutes, with the lid on. If the "gumbo" is not thick enough to your liking, you can add cornstarch dissolved in water until the desired consistency is reached. (I use 2 tablespoons). Enjoy!
Notes: You can cut up the kombu before adding it, as I like eating it. If you're serving this to folks who don't like sea vegetables, you can keep the kombu whole and remove it after the soup is done. (But I loooove Kombu!!) Same goes for bay leaf.
And I know this doesn't use a "roux"--and it's tomato-based for that matter. It doesn't use rice either. Hence the title "Non-Authentic Gumbo"