Bamia Recipe: Egyptian Okra Stew | Hank Shaw (2024)

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5 from 11 votes

By Hank Shaw

September 30, 2021

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Okra happens to be from Africa, and in the Eastern Mediterranean, from Egypt to Greece, it is called bamia. This bamia recipe happens to be Egyptian, but there are lots of variations on how to make this simple, yet satisfying, meat and okra stew.

Bamia Recipe: Egyptian Okra Stew | Hank Shaw (2)

Traditionally, a bamia recipe consists of lamb or goat, lots of tomatoes, and okra. Mine uses venison, but any red meat will do. For that matter, I won’t be sad if you sub in whatever you want, from chicken thighs to rabbit to fish or shrimp.

You might have noticed that my okra looks unusual. It is a red variety adapted to my desert-like conditions called Yuma Red. Any variety of okra will work with this recipe, though, and you can of course use frozen okra or dried okra.

I’ll also let you in on a secret: This okra is not slimy at all. At all. How, you ask? You dust the cut okra right the beginning of your prep with citric acid.

Wait, what? Yes. I learned from an Indian chef, Archna Malhotra Becker, who was cooking alongside me at a Heritage Fire event in Napa recently. She was grilling her okra, but she had dusted hers with powdered unripe mango. Acidity was the key, she said. Not having unripe mango powder, I used Fruit Fresh, which is powdered citric acid. Worked like a charm.

Bamia Recipe: Egyptian Okra Stew | Hank Shaw (3)

Doing this returns the okra to its place as a nice vegetable in the stew, rather than as a gooey thickener. Either works, so you do you.

My inspiration for this bamia recipe is the great Claudia Roden’s cookbook The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, which I highly recommend. Feel free to add chickpeas or potatoes to give this more heft, although I like it served alongside rice.

I also used homemade venison stock, but if you don’t have any, low-sodium beef stock works fine.

Venison stew meat is my preference here, so use that as a guide if you are not a hunter look for lamb or beef stew meat. Nothing else in this recipe is unusual, except for the dried lemons I use, and they are totally optional.

You can buy dried lemons, or just desiccate some yourself. I keep mine suspended in a mesh bag in my hot, dry garage. They add a powerful lemon flavor, and you don’t eat them — they’re like bay leaves in that they add flavor in the long, slow simmer.

Looking for more okra recipes? Try my Lowcountry Okra Salad, Creole Okra Gumbo, or my West African Okra Stew, which is great served over fried fish.

5 from 11 votes

Egyptian Meat and Okra Stew

Feel free to play with the protein in this -- I use venison but lamb, goat, beef, or even chicken or fish would work. Just adjust cooking times accordingly.

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Course: lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: North African

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds venison, cubed
  • 2 large yellow onions, chopped
  • 2 Anaheim chiles, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 dried lemons, cracked (optional)
  • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 quart venison or beef stock
  • 1 pound okra, sliced
  • lemon juice to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot like a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Salt the meat well and brown it in batches. Pat it dry with paper towels and don't let the pieces touch. You might need to raise the heat to full blast to prevent the meat from steaming. You want it to be well browned on at least 2 sides. Move pieces to a bowl as they brown. This will take you about 15 minutes.

  • When the meat has browned, add the onions to the pot. Add a little extra olive oil if you want. Stir the onions around with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits in the pot. Let them sauté until soft and a little brown. Add the green chiles and the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often.

  • Return the meat and any juices to the pot, add the coriander, cardamom, tomato paste and some salt and mix well. Let this cook a minute, then add the tomatoes and stock. Add the dried lemons if you happen to be using them. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste for salt. Cover the pot and cook for 2 hours. If you are using lamb or beef, you'll only need to cook this for about 90 minutes, or even less.

  • When the meat is tender, add the okra and lemon juice. Simmer about 15 more minutes, then add black pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

Notes

If you want to bulk this up a bit, add chickpeas, fava beans or potatoes... or all three.

Keys to Success

  • If you want to de-slime the okra, toss it in a bowl with some citric acid (Fruit Fresh) right at the beginning, letting it sit as everything else cooks. You'll need only about a tablespoon or two.
  • Take your time browning the meat. This develops a lot of the flavor, so don't rush things.
  • You can add more okra if you want, up to another pound.
  • This isn't normally spicy, but I do like a little hot paprika or cayenne in it.
  • Once made, this will keep for a week in the fridge. It doesn't freeze well.

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 1125mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 624IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
African, Featured, Recipe, Venison, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Bamia Recipe: Egyptian Okra Stew | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

What is Bamia made of? ›

Bamia is an Arabian and Central Asian main dish made with okra, lamb, and tomatoes as primary ingredients.

How to make Bambia? ›

How to make the best Middle Eastern okra stew:
  1. Brown meat cubes.
  2. Add spices, onion and tomato paste and saute.
  3. Add water to cover.
  4. Saute frozen okra and garlic in hot oil.
  5. Keep cooking until golden brown.
  6. Add diced tomatoes.
  7. Let the tomatoes release their juice.
  8. Add the okra to the meat and broth mixture.
Aug 6, 2023

What is okra stew made of? ›

Okra Stew (also called Yakhnit Bamyeh in Arabic) is a delicious hearty stew made with garlic, cilantro, tomato sauce beef and fresh or frozen okra.

What is the English of Bamyeh? ›

What Is Okra? Okra, Okro, Bamya, Bamyeh, Bamia, Bamieh, Ladies fingers, or Ochro – are different names of these edible green seed pods that grow in warm temperature climates around the world.

Is okra good or bad for you? ›

Okra is a nutritious food with many health benefits. It's rich in magnesium, folate, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, K1, and A. Okra may benefit pregnant women, heart health, and blood sugar control. It may even have anticancer properties.

What can I do with a bag of frozen okra? ›

I dumped the still-frozen okra in a glass bowl, drizzled it with some simple spices, spread it out on a cookie sheet and baked it until it was golden and crunchy. This dish smells heavenly, and eventually he wandered into the kitchen to ask what I was making.

What does okra taste like? ›

Okra has a mild, almost grassy flavor that is uniquely okra. While it's sometimes compared to the taste of eggplant or green beans, its texture gets more attention. Okra is crunchy when cooked quickly but becomes almost mouthwateringly tender when slow-cooked.

Where did bamia originate from? ›

Okra happens to be from Africa, and in the Eastern Mediterranean, from Egypt to Greece, it is called bamia. This bamia recipe happens to be Egyptian, but there are lots of variations on how to make this simple, yet satisfying, meat and okra stew.

Where does Bamya originate from? ›

Okra is called bamya in Turkish, coming from the Arabic word for the plant. The Egyptians and Moors also called it the same, so it may have traveled first to the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea or across the Mandab Strait and then made its way west toward to Egypt.

What is pickled okra made of? ›

Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a rolling boil in a small saucepan. Divide okra evenly between the hot, sterlized jars. Place a dried chile and a teaspoon of dill into each jar. Pour hot brine over okra, then run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles.

What is in okra that thickens? ›

Okra pods have a sweet, grassy flavor and contain seeds and mucilage, a thick, gel-like substance that makes okra a good thickening agent. This superfood is high in calcium, vitamins A and C, minerals, and fiber and is low in calories.

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