Okra Stew Recipe (Simple Lebanese Bamia)

Okra stew, or bamia, is a standard tackle the timelessLubieh In this stew, utilization okra as a substitute of eco-friendly beans, ready in a comfy spiced tomato brew. The stew is fantastic with or with out meat!

When I knowledgeable my relative that I would definitely be sharing a recipe for bamia, or okra stew, proper right here, she requested the place I would definitely had this meal previous to. What?! I had it with our Sitto, I knowledgeable her. Sitto made bamia as excessive as she made the lubieh, Lebanese eco-friendly bean stew. Cousin was miffed, not having had bamia with Sitto, so she returned speedy together with her very personal distinctive Sitto expertise that covers the okra. Something relating to driving a steed referred to as Candy on Sitto’s cattle ranch. Did I attain experience Candy? No, that was previous to my time, cuzzy. But presently I’m unsure the bamia offsets no Candy.

This is a comfy, cinnamon-spiced stew is a most well-liked amongst Lebanese stews. Such dwelling cooking come autumn and winter season. Okra stew is often appreciated in areas various from the Middle East toWest Africa This okra recipe is moreover a easy recipe! Perfect for an okra fanatic or a novice to this veggie that’s full of a number of nourishment.

The construction of a standard okra stew contains contemporary okra, tomatoes, and comfortable seasonings. The meal takes benefit of the extent of acidity of the tomatoes, sometimes within the form of tomato sauce, tomato paste or sliced tomatoes, producing an plentiful and engaging sauce. For these acutely aware of the scum factor associated to okra, there is no demand for issue– cooking okra successfully minimizes its slimed look, for an pleasurable mouthfeel!

Ingredients and Preparation

While there are a number of variants, Lebanese Bamia is extraordinarily simple. You require only a handful of energetic components:

Okra Sitto continually made her okra with contemporary okra and she or he looked for toddler okra, in a smaller sized dimension. I perceive since she did that to make sure that she wouldn’t want to scale back the okra, which minimizes that scum factor. So clever, Sitto!! You can make the most of any kind of contemporary okra and diminished the larger ones. Frozen okra is a good selection, and definitely a sensible selection, significantly when okra isn’t in interval. Frozen okra is normally reduce okra with the okra sheaths diminished in tiny gadgets.

Tomato sauce I resembling to make the most of Passata, Italian tomato sauce that’s accessible in a excessive container. Any tomato sauce is nice proper right here. You can moreover make the most of tomato paste and water to reach. I do continually embody water to the brew to make sure that it isn’t as effectively thick. But preserve again so it is moreover not as effectively slim! You can make the most of veggie brew, hen provide, or beef brew as a substitute of the water.

Onions embody fantastic intricacy. You can moreover embody some sliced garlic or diced in a garlic press, actually delicious.

Fresh pure herbs prevail proper right here, and sometimes you may see cilantro consisted of in stewed okra. Sitto continually utilized a bit contemporary mint with hers. Delicious each means or with each pure herbs! Parsley moreover fantastic.

Meat We continually have beef stew meat or lamb in our Lebanese stews and bamia isn’t any varied. Use stew meat, beef concepts, or chuck roast diminished proper into tiny gadgets (1/2 -1- inch gadgets). This creates an truly hearty stew for a filling up dish. But it lacks meat as effectively!

Tips for meals preparation okra

The necessary level to recollect when meals preparation okra (aside from deep-fried okra) is to decrease the scale of cooking time. If you put together okra for an extended time period, it tackles much more of that sliminess that’s to be prevented. Add the okra in direction of completion of the cooking process, providing a variety of time for the meat to melt and utterly chef previous to together with the okra.

Additionally, if okra continues to be undamaged and never cut back in gadgets, it is going to actually launch a lot much less of the soluble fiber (mucilage) that creates a slimed okra meal. If the okra sheaths are greater in dimension, you’ll be able to cut back them in fifty p.c. The tender okra sheaths if ready entire can conveniently be diminished by the eater as they devour!

Variations

Other energetic components alter the stew in terrific means:

Add chickpeas If you aren’t consisting of meat within the stew

Add degree of acidity Finish the stew with a splash of pomegranate molasses and/or lemon juice, which affords a ruptured of zesty candy style and lightens up each little factor splendidly.

Add varied different veggies Toss in diced bell pepper, eco-friendly beans (lubieh!), or any kind of assorted different faves for stew, resembling carrots and celery.

Spices Vary the style account with seasonings. Cinnamon is my go-to in Lebanese dishes resembling this, but others perform splendidly, resembling cardamom, 7 Spice, or allspice.

Serving Suggestions

Bamia stew is usually provided over a mattress of Lebanese rice. Lebanese vermicelli rice consists of toasted reduce vermicelli gadgets in it, actually delicious! Dollop a dose of labneh along with every providing, and a few contemporary pita bread to soak up the savory brew. A crisp eco-friendly Lebanese salad full the dish utterly.

Note as effectively that this can be a improbable make-ahead dish. The stew will get again at rather more tasty the next day!

Storage

Place any kind of constant to be stew in an impermeable container. Store it within the fridge for a variety of days. It moreover ices up like a desire– that doesn’t want to take out a container of this stew from the fridge freezer for a warming, fast, easy dish?! Freezing in single-portion dimensions could be a excellent method. When ready to supply, delicately reheat the stew over diminished heat to guard its look.