1. Cook the rice in a large pan of salted boiling water for about 10minutes or until it is tender, then drain it

2. Trim and slice the okra

3. Peel and roughly chop the onion

4. Core and seed the red pepper and chop it very finely

5. Skin the tomatoes and chop them very finely

6. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or a flameproof casserole

7. Add the chopped onion and fry them gently for about 5minutes until they are soft and lightly coloured

8. Increase the heat, add the garlic and red pepper and continue frying for a further 5minutes while constantly stirring

9. Add cayenne to taste and the tomatoes, stir the mixture well

10. Pour in the fish stock and bring to the boil

11. Lower the heat, add the okra and salt and pepper to taste

12. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally

13. Add the prawns and the rice to the soup with the lime juice

14. Cover and simmer for a further 5minutes

15. Serve hot as a main course soup, with French bread

List of ingredients required:

12 oz (350g) okra
12 oz (350g) peeled prawns, defrosted and dried if frozen
2 pints (1.1 litres) well-flavoured fish stock
2 cloves garlic,peeled and crushed
2 oz (50g) butter
4 ripe tomatoes
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 to 1 and 1/2 (25 to 40g) long grain rice
1 medium onion
1 red pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper