Egyptian Bamya Stew - Ethnic Foods R Us

Egyptian Bamya Stew is a hearty, rich, satisfying stew with tender chunks of lamb (or beef) and okra. his dish is popular throughout the Middle East. The key to making superb Egyptian Bamya Stew is to prepare the okra in such a way that their natural “sliminess” is eliminated. The recipe directions below will show you how to accomplish this.

(Photo Attributed to Author: E4024)

Egyptian Bamya Stew Recipe-

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. stewing lamb or 2 lb. beef, cut into 1″ cubes
2 medium sized yellow onions, peeled and chopped fine
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup lamb broth, plus or minus, as needed
2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, chopped
salt, to taste
freshly ground black peppercorns, to taste
1 -1 ¹⁄₂ lb. okra
juice of 1 lemon
red wine vinegar (enough to soak the okra in, see directions below)

Directions:

To Prepare the Okra-

Trim the tops of the conical shaped okra away with a sharp knife.
Soak the okra in enough red wine vinegar to submerge them for 30 minutes.
Drain, rinse and dry the soaked okra and proceed with the rest of the recipe directions.

To Prepare the Stew-

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 C).
In a large skillet over medium-high flame, heat 4 tbsp. of the oil.
Add the meat and fry, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes – work in batches, if necessary.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned meat to a baking dish or stewing pot.
Now add the onions into skillet with the residual fat and sauté over medium heat until tender, fragrant, and translucent – about 6 to 7 minutes should do it.
Add and stir in the cumin, coriander, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, mint, and the 1 cup lamb broth; stir everything together well
Pour this mixture into the stewing pot over the meat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover the pot and bake until all the liquid is absorbed – this will take, usually, about 1-1/2 hours.
After about an hour of baking, do a taste test and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Return it to the oven while you cook the okra.
In a saucepan over medium flame, heat the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil Add the okra and sauté for 3 minutes, gently stirring.
Now remove the stew from the oven and place the okra on top in an attractive fashion.
Sprinkle lemon juice over the surface, evenly distributed.
Place the baking pot’s lid back on, and return it to the oven.
Bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. Check, after about 20 minutes, to see if the stew is becoming too dry. If so, add some broth as needed.
Serve your Egyptian Bamya Stew while nice and hot, with some freshly steamed rice.