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Bamieh feature photo

Bamieh Recipe (Okra Stew)

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  • Author: Wafa Shami
  • 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

Units Scale
  • 1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2" 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
  • 1/2 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)

Instructions

  1. Mix meat with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice) and salt. 
  2. In a pressure cooker and over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. 
  3. Add meat over oil and saute for 2-3 minutes or until meat is browned.
  4. Cover meat with water until submerged (4-5 cups). 
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Meanwhile, open the bag of frozen okra, place it on a baking tray, and brush it with olive oil.
  8. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stir okra halfway roasting so all is fully roasted and brownish. Once roasted set aside.
  9. 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.
  10. Place tomatoes in the blender and blend until they turn into juice
  11. Let the pressure cooker cool off before lifting the lid, for about 15 minutes.
  12. 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. 
  13. 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.