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Okra stew in a white handled serving bowl with a blue bowl with okra stew and rice, a blue bowl with rice, a white plate with whole green onions and parsley, a small white bowl with black pepper, a light green tea towel under the serving bowl on a white and blue tiled patterned background
4.97 from 33 ratings

Okra Stew (Middle Eastern Bamya Recipe)

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
Okra stew, or "bamya" in Arabic, is a classic dish served in many countries across the middle east. It's typically cooked with beef, lamb or veal and served with rice. It's so comforting and the best way to enjoy okra!
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Ingredients
 

  • 500 g veal, cut into medium pieces (you can substitute lamb or stewing beef - see notes)
  • 800 g frozen small okra, you can substitute fresh okra - see notes
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1.5 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, if unavailable, you can skip this - but highly recommend
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt, divided, more per preference
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • About 6-8 cups of water, added in stages

Instructions
 

  • 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 to 40 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 to 40 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 the heat off and serve.

Notes

  • I recommend using good quality veal or lamb for this stew, as they are typically more tender than beef. However if all you have on hand is beef, that works fine too but expect a tougher consistency. 
  • Also for the meat, you can pressure cook it before starting the stew process to ensure it tenderizes in a short amount of time. If you're using lamb or veal, they are more tender and may not require a pressure cooker; just give the meat a head start with cooking by boiling for 30 minutes or so before adding in the okra per recipe directions.
  • Small or young okra is recommended as it is much more tender than the larger okra. I do not recommend using large okra - it may need a really long time to cook, and sometimes it does not even soften. If you are using fresh okra, simply trim the top very slightly, trying not to expose the seeds, then continue with the recipe.
Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 261kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.05g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 787mg, Potassium: 869mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1200IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 140mg, Iron: 2mg
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