Bamieh recipe, bamya or okra for English, is a popular Palestinian lamb stew cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce, with caramelized garlic and served with a side of white rice or vermicelli rice.
In Palestinian cuisine, bamieh is a very popular dish, either cooked in a tomato-based stew with lamb or beef or as a vegan option, known as bamieh bil zeit, (with olive oil) which is often served during Lent.
When I was a kid bamieh was the only stew that I couldn't stand eating. However, now I love it.
For more traditional recipes you can check my chicken musakhan recipe, green beans stew (fasolia) shish barak, or mansaf.
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Bamieh in Palestine
Bamieh in Palestine is much smaller in shape than what's in the US. You may call it small okra or baby bamieh compared to the large okra size of the US produce.
Fresh bamieh can be abundantly found in Palestinian markets during the summer months, where Palestinians purchase it in quantities to prepare for storage so that they can cook it throughout the year.
To prepare bamieh for storage, the stems are trimmed and bamieh is fried then placed in zip bags and placed in the freezer.
Small bamieh can be found in the frozen section at any Middle Eastern grocery store. However, you can use fresh bamieh, which can be found throughout the year in the US at most Middle Eastern and Indian stores.
How to Prepare Rresh Bamieh?
Step 1 | Wash fresh bamieh then rinse well and dry with a paper towel.
Step 2 | Trim both ends, slice bamieh, and fry in oil.
What is Bamieh?
Bamyeh is the Arabic word for okra also pronounced Bamya, Bamyeh, Bamia, or Bamieh. Bamyeh is a vegetable with a unique appearance and texture. Here in the US it is long and slender, with a tapering end, and is often referred to as "ladies fingers" due to its shape. The outer skin of okra is usually green and can have tiny, fine hairs.
Bamieh is green and furry on the outside and has tiny little seeds with a slimy texture on the inside. Frying bamieh usually takes care of the slimy texture which is how Palestinians prefer to eat it.
There are so many health benefits of okra, it's rich in nutrients like fiber, vitamins C and K, and antioxidants.
In terms of flavor, okra has a mild, slightly grassy taste, which pairs well with various spices and sauces. It's commonly used in cuisines around the world, particularly in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, African, Indian, and South Asian cooking.
Equipment
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Pressure Cooker - lamb usually takes longer to cook, but using a pressure cooker cuts the time in less than half resulting in a tender lamb.
Pot - For cooking bamieh.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Okra (bamieh)- fresh baby okra is hard to find in the US, I'm using frozen okra that can be found in the frozen section at any Middle Eastern grocery store.
- Lamb - The rich flavor of lamb gives this dish a great flavor. I use pieces of boneless leg of lamb. Bone-in meat can also be used.
- Fresh Tomatoes - I prefer to use fresh tomato juice. Ripe tomatoes on the vine work well with his recipe.
- Spices - Allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon powder, spices give the meat an extra flavor which contributes to the overall taste of this dish.
- Olive Oil - I like to use olive oil.
- Garlic Cloves - Using garlic with this dish adds a great flavor, garlic must be caramelized before adding it to bamieh stew.
Instructions
Step 1 | Mix meat with spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice) and salt. In a pressure cooker and over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Saute meat for 2-3 minutes or until meat is browned.
Step 2 | Cover meat with water until submerged (4-5 cups). Seal the lid of the pressure cooker and place on high heat, once you hear the whistle of the pressure cooker, set a timer for 30-35 minutes.
Step 3 | Place frozen okra on a baking tray and brush with olive oil.
Step 4 | Roast for 15-20 minutes, stir okra halfway roasting so all is fully roasted and brownish.
Step 5 | Juice tomatoes in the blender.
Step 6 | In a large pot or the pressure cooker, place bamieh over meat and meat broth, pour tomato juice and let it cook on medium-low heat.
Step 7 | In a skillet, heat neutral oil or ghee over medium heat, add crushed garlic, and saute until garlic is golden brown. Immediately pour garlic over bamieh.
Variations and Substitutions
- You can use beef instead of lamb.
- Using fresh tomatoes makes a big difference in the taste, but you can use canned juice tomatoes.
- You can add bay leaves while cooking the broth
- You can make bamieh vegan
- You can add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with the tomato juice for extra flavor.
- You can add black pepper with the spices.
- Bamieh can also be served next to brown rice.
- If you would like to use fresh okra, make sure you remove the stems and cut them into smaller pieces, fry, or roast before cooking.
Storage and Reheating
- Bamieh stew can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- You can reheat bamieh stew in a small pan on the stovetop or in the microwave, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if it's too thick before heating.
- You can freeze cooked bamieh stew, place it in an airtight container and it place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Here are a few tips when picking fresh bamieh: make sure it looks bright green; avoid picking the very large ones; avoid picking very hard ones, these can be hard to chew when cooked.
- To prevent fresh bamieh from turning slimy make sure it's fried.
- You can fry bamieh in an air fryer or roast under the broiler.
- For juicing tomatoes, pour hot water over the tomatoes so the skin will peel easily.
- Let the pressure cooker cool off before lifting the lid, for about 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
In a skillet heat neutral oil, if okra is long pieces cut into smaller pieces, pour over the oil, and let fry for 5-7 minutes or until you can see okra turning golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to cool off.
Caramelized garlic brings so much taste to this dish, but if you don't like garlic you can skip this step.
This dish is served with rice, you can also serve radishes, peppers, and olives on the side.
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More Delicious Stews
Bamieh Recipe (Okra Stew)
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Palestinian/Middle Easter
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Bamieh recipe, bamya or okra for English, is a popular Palestinian lamb stew cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce, with caramelized garlic and served with a side of white rice or vermicelli rice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 ½" pieces
- 1 bag (400 g) bamieh if using fresh 1 pound
- 3-4 fresh tomatoes or 2.5-3 cups tomato juice
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon allspice (adjust to taste), use 1/16 teaspoon with cooking meat and the rest with stew
- 1/16 teaspoon (a pinch) of cinnamon powder and nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Mix meat with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice) and salt.
- In a pressure cooker and over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
- Add meat over oil and saute for 2-3 minutes or until meat is browned.
- Cover meat with water until submerged (4-5 cups).
- Seal the lid of the pressure cooker and place on high heat, once you hear the whistle of the pressure cooker, set a timer for 30-35 minutes.
- If you are not using a pressure cooker, you can use a regular pot, but keep in mind that lamb takes longer to cook, follow the same instructions as above and let lamb cook for 1.5-2 hours or until tender, cook covered on medium-low heat. You can test with a fork.
- Meanwhile, open the bag of frozen okra, place it on a baking tray, and brush it with olive oil.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes, stir okra halfway roasting so all is fully roasted and brownish. Once roasted set aside.
- Prepare tomatoes for juicing. To easily peel tomato skin, place tomatoes in a large bowl, pour boiled water, and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Remove the hot water and gently peel the tomato skin.
- Place tomatoes in the blender and blend until they turn into juice.
- Let the pressure cooker cool off before lifting the lid, for about 15 minutes.
- In a large pot or the pressure cooker, place bamieh over meat, measure 1.5 cups of meat broth and pour tomato juice (3 cups), integrate everything well together, cover, and let it cook on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes.
- In a skillet, over medium heat, heat neutral oil or ghee add crushed garlic, and saute until garlic is golden brown. Immediately pour garlic bamieh and let it cook with bamieh stew for another 5 minutes.
Notes
- Here are a few tips when picking fresh bamieh: make sure it looks bright green; avoid picking the very large ones; avoid picking very hard ones, these can be hard to chew when cooked.
- To prevent fresh bamieh from turning slimy make sure it's fried.
- You can fry bamieh in an air fryer or roast under the broiler.
- For juicing tomatoes, pour hot water over the tomatoes so the skin will peel easily.
- Let the pressure cooker cool off before lifting the lid, for about 15 minutes.
Zeina says
This turned out really good. Thank you for the easy step by step instructions.
Wafa Shami says
Hi Zeina, awesome, glad to hear that!
Chanel says
Hi Wafa
This sounds amazing. I am thinking of making this for my family for Christmas. I wanted to ask - is it possible to recreate this in a slow cooker (overnight or 6-8 hours on low with the same result? I will follow the rest of the recipe the same e.g. frying/baking Okra etc.
Thank you!
Wafa Shami says
Hello Chanel, thank you for the review. Okra is a very delicate and tender vegetable, so I wouldn’t recommend cooking it for an extended time in a slow cooker. You can cook the lamb only in the slow cooker, then follow the rest of the recipe. I hope this is helpful, enjoy.
Samantha says
I’ll have to try this one - we used to have bamya often when I was a kid and I didn’t like it so much then but strangely I like it now… I was born in Australia but my family was from Iraq, our version was fairly similar, I remember having it with chicken… I’ll definitely be subscribing to your blog 🙂
Wafa Shami says
Hello Samantha and welcome to the blog! Same here, I used to hate it as a kid -:) and now I absolutely love this dish. I hope you'll enjoy it, would love to hear how it'll turn out. Happy Cooking!
kelsey says
very excited to try this out! If using beef, what cut should I look to use? Also I only have an Instant Pot pressure cooker, what temperature setting should I use for "high" at 35 min?
Thank you!!
Wafa Shami says
Hi Kelsey, Yay, so glad you’re trying it! For beef, I’d go with chuck, shank, or brisket—they get super tender in stew. On the Instant Pot, just set it to High Pressure for 25-30 minutes and you’re good to go. Let me know how it'll turn out.