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Okra stew, or bamia, is a traditional take on the classic Lubieh. In this stew, use okra in place of green beans, cooked in a warm spiced tomato broth. The stew is great with or without meat!
When I told my cousin that I’d be sharing a recipe for bamia, or okra stew, here, she asked where I’d had this dish before. What?! I had it with our Sitto, I told her. Sitto made bamia as much as she made the lubieh, Lebanese green bean stew. Cousin was miffed, not having had bamia with Sitto, so she came back fast with her own special Sitto experience that tops the okra. Something about riding a horse named Candy on Sitto’s ranch. Did I get to ride Candy? No, that was before my time, cuzzy. But now I’m not sure the bamia makes up for no Candy.
This is a warm, cinnamon-spiced stew is a favorite among Lebanese stews. Such comfort food come fall and winter months. Okra stew is widely enjoyed in regions ranging from the Middle East to West Africa. This okra recipe is also an easy recipe! Perfect for an okra lover or a newcomer to this vegetable that is loaded with tons of nutrition.
The foundation of a classic okra stew consists of fresh okra, tomatoes, and warm spices. The dish harnesses the acidity of the tomatoes, often in the form of tomato sauce, tomato paste or chopped tomatoes, creating a rich and flavorful sauce. For those mindful of the slime factor associated with okra, there’s no need for concern—cooking okra properly reduces its slimy texture, for a pleasant mouthfeel!
Ingredients and Preparation
While there are many variations, Lebanese Bamia is remarkably simple. You need only a handful of ingredients:
Okra. Sitto always made her okra with fresh okra and she looked for baby okra, in a smaller size. I realize now that she did that so that she wouldn’t have to cut the okra, which reduces that slime factor. So smart, Sitto!! You can use any fresh okra and cut the larger ones. Frozen okra is a fine option, and of course a convenient alternative, especially when okra is not in season. Frozen okra is typically sliced okra with the okra pods cut in small pieces.
Tomato sauce. I like to use Passata, Italian tomato sauce that comes in a tall jar. Any tomato sauce is fine here. You can also use tomato paste and water to get there. I do always add water to the broth so that it is not too thick. But hold back so it’s also not too thin! You can use vegetable broth, chicken stock, or beef broth in place of the water.
Onions add great complexity. You can also add some chopped garlic or minced in a garlic press, very delicious.
Fresh herbs are common here, and often you’ll see cilantro included in stewed okra. Sitto always used a little fresh mint with hers. Delicious both ways or with both herbs! Parsley also great.
Meat. We always have beef stew meat or lamb in our Lebanese stews and bamia is no different. Use stew meat, beef tips, or chuck roast cut into small pieces (1/2-1-inch pieces). This makes for a really hearty stew for a filling meal. But it’s without meat too!
Tips for cooking okra
The main thing to keep in mind when cooking okra (other than fried okra) is to reduce the length of cooking time. If you cook okra for a long time, it takes on more of that sliminess that is to be avoided. Add the okra toward the end of the stewing process, giving plenty of time for the meat to soften and fully cook before adding the okra.
Additionally, if okra remains intact and not cut in pieces, it will release less of the soluble fiber (mucilage) that makes for a slimy okra dish. If the okra pods are larger in size, you can cut them in half. The tender okra pods if cooked whole can easily be cut by the eater as they eat!
Variations
Other ingredients change up the stew in wonderful ways:
Add chickpeas. If you are not including meat in the stew
Add acidity. Finish the stew with a splash of pomegranate molasses and/or lemon juice, which gives a burst of tangy sweetness and brightens everything beautifully.
Add other veggies. Toss in diced bell pepper, green beans (lubieh!), or any other favorites for stew, such as carrots and celery.
Spices. Vary the flavor profile with spices. Cinnamon is my go-to in Lebanese recipes like this, but others work wonderfully, such as cardamom, 7 Spice, or allspice.
Serving Suggestions
Bamia stew is traditionally served over a bed of Lebanese rice. Lebanese vermicelli rice includes toasted cut vermicelli pieces in it, very delicious! Dollop a spoonful of labneh on top of each serving, and some fresh pita bread to sop up the delectable broth. A crisp green Lebanese salad rounds out the meal perfectly.
Note too that this is a great make-ahead meal. The stew gets even more flavorful the next day!
Storage
Place any remaining stew in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It also freezes like a dream — who doesn’t want to pull out a container of this stew from the freezer for a warming, fast, easy meal?! Freezing in single-portion sizes can be an ideal approach. When ready to serve, gently reheat the stew over low heat to preserve its texture.
Okra Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound okra, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 pound beef stew meat, or lamb or beef chuck roast
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 28 oz tomato sauce, or pissata or diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, less if using table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or allspice or 7 spice
- 12 oz water, or more as needed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, or cilantro or parsley
Instructions
- Trim and cut the meat into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces. Cut any large okra in half.
- In a 4 quart pan, over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Pat the meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown and caramelize the beef in single-layer batches, removing the meat as it is finished, about 5 minutes per batch. Take care not to overfill the pot with beef or the meat will simply steam rather than caramelize. Turn the heat down and add more oil as needed if the base of the pot gets burnished.
- Add the onions to the empty pot, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and translucent while scraping up any browned bits as you go.
- Add the caramelized meat and the cinnamon. Mix well and add the tomato sauce and the water. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes.
- Add the okra and return to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Serve immediately, topping each serving with chopped fresh mint or other herbs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yours looks delicious and so did my mom’s but, truly, I could never get past okra’s sliminess, just sayin
right?! Try this one Kathleen–I find the less you cook the okra, the better (15 minutes)!
Maureen, Per my previous suggestions for bamia/string bean stews — I did use about one and a half large onions, not too thinly sliced, and about 8-10 cloves of garlic which I left whole, but I do smash them a bit in order to peel them easily.
Ohh delicious!
Maureen, I love your recipes and your commentary as they remind me of dishes our family loves to cook. For bamia (okra stew), I would make the following suggestions since these techniques were suggested to me and they work so well! First, I use baby frozen okra — and I mean baby. The frozen okra can be found in various Middle Eastern stores and probably other American stores. The size of the okra are the same size of the first (nail) digit of your thumb. They are very flavorful and do not produce a lot of slime! If you have to use larger fresh okra, make sure they are small and I suggest that they be broiled for a short time which reduces the amount of slime. That is much preferable than using larger okra and then slicing them as that is how the slime is produced. Good luck to all. I intend to make this dish on Sunday as I have two packages of frozen baby okra in my freezer now.
And I did make green been stew last week which was absolutely delicious. I seared two nice sized lamb chops and some beef cubes in my air fryer. Then I put the lamb chops and meat on the bottom of the pot along with a couple of cups of water. I had already cooked onions and garlic in the same pot and removed them before putting the meat in. I put those over the meat and allowed that to cook a long time, maybe 30-45 minutes until the meat was almost tender. Then I added POMI brand tomatoes, more water, spices (cinnamon, salt and pepper) and the string beans. And, then I cooked all of that together for half an hour to 35 minutes more until the string beans were tender. It turned out to be the best that I had ever made. Meat was tender and broth was very flavorful. Everyone loved it.
Excellent tips Marilyn, thanks so very much! Love your details, what a wonderful cook you are. I have to find those BABY baby okra!
We always had bamia and lubnieh. Always. It was a staple. Good for you, Maureen, for keeping these traditions going.
Julia thank you so much, it’s important to all of us isn’t it!
This is similar to how I make it. I fry the okra to eliminate the slimmiless of okra. I also add garlic, cilantro, and use 7 spices allspice (instead of cinnamon). Not sure what is better. Might give this a try.
That’s a great idea, cooking the okra first (fried or broiled). I’ll try it!