bamya

Easy, Healthy and Delicious Recipe for Bamya with Tomato, Onion and Spices by Tori Avey.

Middle Eastern Okra - Bamya

lbs okra (bamya)

olive oil

onion, minced

tsp minced garlic

tomato paste

tsp salt,

tsp smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)

tsp red pepper flakes

cayenne,

Prepare your okra by rinsing it clean, then slicing off the top and bottom tips of each piece. At this point the okra will feel slimy. Don't worry, it will lose that texture as it cooks. To speed the process of prepping the okra, I sometimes line up the stem ends against my chef's knife...

Then slice those stem ends off 4-5 pieces at once.

Turn the okra pieces, realign the bottom tips with the knife, then slice off the very bottom tips. By grouping them this way you can speed through the whole batch and prep them relatively fast.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Add the minced onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize. To save time, I usually prep the okra (as outlined above) while the onion is cooking. Just be sure to keep a close eye on the onions and don't let them burn.

When the onions are cooked, add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for another minute till fragrant. Add the okra to the pan and stir. It will feel like a lot of okra at first and the pan will be crowded, but it will quickly shrink up and soften as it cooks.

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp cayenne. Both the red pepper flakes and cayenne add heat; if you are super spice sensitive, omit the pepper flakes and start with a pinch of cayenne, then add more to taste as desired.

Pour the tomato liquid evenly over the top of the okra. Bring to a boil.

Cover the saute pan with a lid, vented at the edge. Reduce heat to a simmer. Let the okra cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the largest pieces of okra have softened to your liking. We like the okra quite tender and almost falling apart, but that is a matter of preference. At the end of cooking, your tomato sauce should have reduced and thickened. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, remove the lid and turn up the heat to a high simmer till the sauce has reduced (careful, don't let it burn!). Add more salt or spice to taste, if desired.

Serve okra hot. We usually eat it alone, but if we need a more substantial meal I serve it over rice, quinoa or couscous.

Okra stew, or &quot;bamya&quot; in Arabic, is a classic dish served in many countries across the middle east. It&#039;s typically cooked with beef, lamb or veal and served with rice. It&#039;s so comforting and the best way to enjoy okra!

Okra Stew (Middle Eastern Bamya Recipe)

veal

okra okra

onion (finely diced)

vegetable oil

garlic (roughly chopped)

pomegranate molasses (if unavailable,

salt

black pepper

water

Start by dicing the onion finely and add it to a stock pot along with the vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook it for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.

Season the veal pieces with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

To the pot with the onions, add the veal pieces and brown them from all sides for about 5 minutes.

Cover the veal with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and boil for 30 minutes, until the meat is almost very tender. You can also pressure cook the veal for 15 minutes. This step gives the meat a head start on cooking, since it often takes longer than the okra. See notes on doneness of meat.

To the same pot, once the veal is a bit more than halfway cooked, add the frozen okra to the pot along with the tomato paste, the roughly chopped garlic, the pomegranate molasses and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add about 3-4 more cups of water in the pot, mix everything well, and bring to a rolling boil on medium heat for roughly 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check the tenderness of both the okra and the meat. If they are both still slightly firm, add more water (roughly 2-3 cups) and allow it to continue boiling for another 20 minutes.

Check the softness of the meat and okra, as well as the seasoning and adjust accordingly by adding more salt and pepper as needed. If okra and meat are both tender, turn heat off and serve.

This is me and my husband's favorite stew! Personally, I like it when the okra is slimy it's the best part! I didn't have time to get veal so I used beef chunks for stew and it wasn't as soft and "pull-apart" as it should've been so next time I think I need to boil the meat longer before adding in the okra but besides that it was very yummy and will make again.

I LOVED this dish! I added a small diced potato (I couldn’t help myself) and used soy chunks and vegan beef broth. So delicious!!  And so easy!!

5 stars!!!

I am excited to make this! And as a vegan, I’ll use soya chunks for the beef and a vegan beef broth powder. I need to get more pomegranate molasses (I love it, thanks to you!) and buy the okra. Ohhh, and when you said green onion…yes!! I was thinking the same thing. Stay tuned! Thank you for all your delicious creations, Amina!

Salam 3alaykom, and jazakAllah khir for the recipe, I always loved eating this in Egypt, but never learned to make it. Where I live now (Algeria), okra is very hard to find, but when I spotted some jarred baby okra in a Levantine shop the other day, I just knew I had to use some of the Eid meat and learn to cook this at last. Your recipe is spot on, I couldn't stop eating it! I did add a healthy pinch of baharat that I had on hand, and only added the okra in the end for about 10 min to warm through as the jarred one is already cooked, but otherwise followed it to the letter (rare for me with recipes XD). This is pinned and will be a go-to from now on insha'Allah, now that I can get okra regularly! &lt;3

Hi Amina!
Your recipe is simple, easy to follow and tasty; just what any busy woman needs!!
I like your "common sense" explanations. It reassured me that there's no "fail" with trying, hah hah!
Greetings from Toronto, Canada. Keep sending more recipes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygr-uukr9G0

This Okra Stew, also known as Bamia, is a Middle Eastern classic!  Soft, succulent lamb is cooked with okra in a tomato based sauce and served over rice.

Okra Stew (Middle Eastern Bamia)

This hearty and comforting Lebanese okra stew is made with okra, beef, and a rich tomato sauce. Serve it over Lebanese rice!

Lebanese Okra Stew (Bamya Recipe)

2.5 lb okra (fresh

lb beef (stewing beef

vegetable broth (or beef broth)

30 oz chopped tomatoes (2 x 15 oz cans)

1.8 oz cilantro (1 cup chopped)

garlic (chopped)

lemon juice (from 3-4 lemons)

olive oil (divided)

tsp sea salt

tsp black pepper

tsp Lebanese 7-spice

tsp chili powder

Cube the beef if needed. Chop the garlic and cilantro leaves.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot (or Dutch oven), heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes and brown them on all sides for about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper, 7-spice mix, and chili powder. Cook them for a minute.

Pour the chopped tomatoes and broth into the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes until the meat is tender.

Cook the okra while the meat is simmering.- In the oven method: Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Toss the okra with 2 Tbsp of oil and spread evenly on a parchment-paper-lined tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, shaking halfway, until slightly crisp. - In the air fryermethod: Toss the okra with 2 Tbsp of oil and place it in the basket in a single layer. Air fry at 380ºF/190ºC for 10-12 minutes, shaking halfway, until slightly crisp.

Put the okra into the pot. Simmer the stew for another 15-20 minutes.

Stir the cilantro and lemon juice and remove the pot from the heat.Serve the okra stew hot over Lebanese rice, and enjoy!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Vgp00Wlx.mp4

This Lebanese okra stew is a hearty and comforting dish made with okra, beef, and rich tomato sauce.

Lebanese Okra Stew

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The most viewed bamya recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine