That gombo — spelled closer to the original West African word for “okra” — uses red miso paste instead of a traditional roux and adds a layer of sautéed or charred or grilled vegetables on top of the vegetable stew, plus a garnish of radish sprouts or pea shoots for a new kind of dish that tastes of this place while being rooted in tradition.
Keith Corbin’s Vegan Gombo (Gumbo)
Time: 75 minutes, plus 2 hours if making stock
Yields: Serves 12 to 15
Alta Adams chef and co-owner Keith Corbin’s “California soul” take on gumbo — or as he calls it, “gombo,” spelled closer to the West African word for “okra” — is vegan. It’s a multilayered dish with a complex vegetable stock as its base (it’s fine to use prepared vegetable stock if time is limited). A chile-enhanced gombo sauce of cooked okra and shallots is amped with red miso paste, in place of a traditional roux, and lime juice. For serving, Corbin starts with a layer of cooked California brown rice, then adds the gombo stew and tops it all with sautéed, charred or grilled vegetables that change with the seasons and add texture to the stew. On the day he made the dish in The Times’ Test Kitchen he sautéed broccoli, kale, sweet red peppers and baby corn that he found at the farmers market. He added a garnish of fresh pea shoots and radish sprouts, but this is also flexible. You can try a simple sprinkling of mint, parsley or other herbs.
For vegetable stock:
1 pound onion, about 3 medium, charred whole and peeled
1 pound onions, about 3 medium, sliced
6 to 7 medium carrots, sliced
2 to 3 medium bulbs fennel, sliced
1 knob celery root, sliced
1 medium leek, sliced
Few sprigs fresh thyme
8 to 81/2 quarts water
For gombo sauce:
13/4 tablespoons palm oil or olive oil
3 to 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 small knob ginger, minced
1 large red Fresno chile, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
12 to 14 medium shallots, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
1 pound okra, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
13/4 tablespoons dark chile powder
101/2 cups vegetable stock, homemade or packaged
3/4 tablespoon red miso paste
41/4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt
For gombo assembly:
Fresh vegetables of choice, cooked as desired (sautéed, charred, steamed, blackened)
Cooked brown or white rice
Olive oil
Fresh pea shoots, radish sprouts or herbs of choice (mint or parsley) for garnish
For vegetable stock: Place charred onions, sliced onions, carrots, fennel, celery root, leeks, thyme and water in large stock pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until flavorful and sweet, about 2 to 3 hours. Strain and discard solids. Makes about 5 liters.