Vegan Gumbo with Mashed Yams

Traditional gumbo achieves its thick texture by making a roux at the start of the recipe. However, for my interpretation of vegan gumbo, I achieve a similar consistency by mixing some mashed yams into your bowl at the very end. They’re a good thickener, and their sweetness balances out the spices nicely. This is also a loose interpretation of gumbo because it’s plant-based. Call it an okra stew if you want, my goal was to do as much as possible to give a gumbo-like experience without meat.

By no means did I grow up making gumbo. I learned about gumbo by watching the legendary Creole chef, Leah Chase, on YouTube. She was the amazing mastermind behind the famous restaurant Dooky Chase in New Orleans, and a culinary pioneer in the American Soul Food scene.  She passed away in 2019, but I feel fortunate to have been able to watch her over the years. You can watch her make gumbo the traditional way as a point of reference to understand the context.

My vegan gumbo recipe includes making your own vegetable stock specifically with the skins from the yams. You can buy vegetable stock or make your own using vegetable shavings from previous cooking projects. Gradually store any vegetable peels, skins, cores, and stems in a produce bag in your freezer. When it’s time to make veggie stock, bring it to a brief boil, then a low simmer to preserve as many nutrients as possible.

Going vegan with gumbo is only one way to get creative with the concept of meatless Black-American Soul food. Gumbo and greens are a classic combination, so pair this with my vegan Sautéed Collard Greens. I also use buffalo sauce to make roasted cauliflower “wings” and spicy roasted chickpeas for party snacks.

Ingredients

For the Mashed Yams

• 2 large yams
• 2 Jalapeño peppers
• 1/2 leek, chopped
• molasses (no more than 1 teaspoon)
• kosher salt ½ tsp
• olive oil

Make a veggie stock with the following:

• 2 bunches of parsley with stems (set aside a few stems of parsley for serving)
• ½ tsp black peppercorns (for vegetable stock)
• skins from the yams
• 1 head of garlic, sliced crosswise
• miscellaneous vegetable shavings of your choice

For the “Gumbo”

• ½ cup black-eyed peas, dried
• 10 cups vegetable stock
• 8 – 10 whole canned tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz.) can plain tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 tabasco peppers in vinegar + 1 tbsp tabasco vinegar
• 2 tsp, freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. freshly ground allspice (Jamaican pimento)
• ½ tsp. freshly ground coriander
• kosher salt 2 tbs (or to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup long-grain rice
• approx. 1 pound of fresh okra

Instructions

To make the Mashed Yams:

1. Peel the yams and cut into ½ inch cubes. Set the skins aside for the vegetable stock.
2. Dice the jalapeño peppers – with the seeds and ribs – and half of one leek. Set aside the remaining leeks.
3. Combine yams, diced jalapeño peppers, leeks, and molasses in a medium bowl and mix with just enough olive oil until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Transfer to a flat baking pan and roast until yams are slightly caramelized, or until desired doneness, about 40 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and transfer cooked yams to a medium bowl. Mash into a desired texture and set aside.

Making the Stock:

1. Cut the remaining leeks into quarters and the bunches of parsley into halves.
   In a large pot, combine leeks, parsley, yam skins, peppercorns, head of garlic, and any other vegetable shavings. Fill the pot with water to ¾ full and bring to a brief boil on high heat.
2. Boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to low. Continue a low boil until vegetables are limp – approximately one hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Strain the stock with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth over another large pot to preserve the liquid. If using a cheesecloth, squeeze the cooked vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible.

Simmer the “Gumbo”

1. Add the 10 cups of vegetable stock to a large pot along with the black-eyed peas. Bring to a brief boil (about 3 minutes), then turn down to a low boil.
2. Everything in the vegan gumbo should be large and chunky. Slice the whole tomatoes crosswise and add them to the mixture, along with the garlic, tabasco peppers, tabasco vinegar, black pepper, allspice, coriander, kosher salt, and bay leaf. Continue to cook at a low boil until black-eyed peas are tender, about one hour.
3. Slice okra crosswise into ½ inch-wide pieces. Add the rice and okra, cooking at a low boil for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the “gumbo”  simmering until serving time. Before serving, mix in some freshly chopped parsley.
4. Serve with mashed Jalapeño yams in a separate serving bowl for people to mix into their gumbo serving as they choose.

Yield: 6 – 8 servings