An okra stew, with a spicy kick.
Okra stew is a very popular dish in the Middle East that is often cooked over the stove with tender pieces of meat, either boneless lamb or beef. It was one of my favorite dishes growing up. I loved the mix of fresh tomatoes and spices that blended together to enhance the taste of this vegetable. Bamiya is a dish that always reminds me of home. It’s a meal that my mother and grandmother loved to make and one that always came with a story. In Palestine, they would string fresh okra to dry for the rest of the year. There was also a special drying process for fresh tomatoes in the summer, to use all year long.
What I love the most was the extra step that both my mother and grandmother loved to take, popping it into the oven to bake! While I love this dish, I realized that my children were not big fans like me. I spent years only cooking is as a stew over the stove until my mother reminded me that the oven was a more delicious last step. She was right! My children now love Bamiya, served over a plate of white rice. I’m excited to share the Palestinian take on Bamiya fi Alforon, which directly translates into “Okra in the Oven”. A recipe passed down through my family. This recipe can also be made vegan, if you choose not to eat meat. Below is the traditional recipe that I made with beef. Sahtein!
Bamiya bi AlForon (Baked Okra Stew) [GF; VO]
Equipment
- Colander
- Pot
- Pan
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb rib eye steak/beef cut into squares
- 1 bag frozen okra 12 oz, size 0
- 6 medium sized tomatoes peeled and blended
- 7 tbsp oil 3tbsp for meat; 4 for okra
- 7 cloves garlic minced or smashed into paste
- 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp seven spices my 7 spices recipe is under Recipe" & "Spices"
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shatta Middle Eastern hot sauce/chili paste or to taste
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tomato paste heaping spoon
- 1 cup hot water
- parsley for garnish
- pine nuts toasted for garnish
Instructions
Preparing the Meat*
- Soak the meat in water and 2 tbsp of vinegar for 10 min
- Wash the meat and drain
- Add 3 tbsp of oil to a pan turn on the stove on high
- Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until browned
- Add the pieces of meat
- Sauté the meat for about 10-15 minutes
- Check if the meat is tender by using a spoon to cut into it
- Add 1 cup of hot water, stir and cover
- Lower the heat to medium and let the meat cook for about 25 min
Preparing the Okra
- Wash okra and drain it
- In a pot, heat up 4 tbsp of oil on high
- Add the okra and sauté until the color changes to a lightbrown
- Add the minced or garlic paste and sauté until it startsto brown with the okra, then lower the heat to medium
- Add the fresh tomato purée and stir for 10 minutes
- Add the rest of the salt, seven spices, cinnamon, andsugar and stir
- Preheat oven on 375º F
- Add the meat, now cooked, into the okra and stir for 10minutes while the heat is on low
- Add the lemon juice and shatta, and stir
- Transfer to the baking dish, evenly
- Place the dish into the oven and bake for 25 minutes
- Remove from oven and garnish with parsley and/or toastedpine nuts
- Enjoy! Sahtein!**