Bamya is an Arabic word that means okra; this okra stew is a popular Middle Eastern dish that is usually cooked with meat and tomato sauce and served with white rice or pita bread.
Cook the meat: In a deep pot, add about 3-4 litres of water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Add the meat pieces to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, then skim off the foam on top of the meat and add onion, salt, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves.
500 g beef, 1 onion, 3 pods cardamom, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Cook until the meat is tender and soft.
Cook the okra: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat, add onion, ground coriander and garlic, sauté for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add in the okra and tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and broth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
2 tablespoon tomato paste, 425 g tomato sauce, 2 cups beef broth, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 bag frozen okra
Then reduce the heat and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Add cooked beef and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the okra is tender.
Notes
A top tip for flavorful okra stew is to cook it in a long, slow simmer to allow the flavors to come together gently and to achieve the appropriate texture.
Use fresh, or frozen and thawed okra. Baby okra is recommended for this recipe because it is tender. Larger okras are tough, and they take too long to tenderize. Mini okras are also aesthetically pleasing compared to the larger ones.
Ensure that you use a heavy-bottomed pan which will allow your stew to cook evenly through uniform distribution of heat.
Keep the okra uncovered throughout the cooking process. Covering it retains steam which increases the okra’s sliminess.
Only add salt towards the end of the cooking. Salt draws water from the okras and increases sliminess.
Avoid overcooking the okra.
Serve this dish the second day after cooking or pre-make the stew the previous day from when you need to serve it because this stew ages well and tastes better after some time.
You can cook the stew to your preferred tenderness. The texture of this stew is significantly affected by cooking time.
Burning this dish is quite easy. To ensure that it does not happen, cook under low heat and stir it a couple of times while simmering.
Recipe Variation
A possible variation of this recipe is to use vegetable stock instead of beef and beef stock, especially if you are going for a vegan option.
You can also use chicken or lamb instead of beef.
There are also optional add-ins that can be used for this recipe which include spices such as cumin, paprika, or turmeric.
You can add tomatoes to this recipe which combines with tomato paste helps to create a rich sauce.
Pomegranate molasses can also be added to significantly boost the flavor.
To store: After cooling, store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge.Freezing: It can also be frozen, in which case you will need to thaw it overnight before reheating. Uncooked okra can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months to be used when they are out of season.