Bamya or okra stew made with lamb, okra and tomatoes as the hero ingredients along with some spices and herbs. Okra stew with meat is very common throughout the Mediterranean region but seriously nothing beats the Egyptian one.
Bamya is one of Egypt's signature dishes, that's why you will find about 3 or 4 versions for bamiya. I've showed you before the Cairo style bamya stew, this time I am showing you a different version coming from another part of Egypt. Serve it like Egyptians with vermicelli rice or pita bread and a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
For this recipe we will need two sets of ingredients: first set above shows ingredients for cooking the stew including some cooked and already boiled lamb cubes. In the recipe card at the end of this post you'll have the complete instructions to boiling lamb cubes. If you decided to use beef, just boil them as we did in the Egyptian fattah before.
The second set of ingredients are for some extra fancy garlic relish that we will add some to the okra pot and some will be served on top of the bamya bowls.
How to make Bamya
- In a pot, heat olive oil then add onion, garlic, and coriander then sauté for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chopped cilantro, stir until fragrant then stir in jalapeño peppers.
- Mix in the okra and tomato paste.
- Keep stirring until tomato paste is well distributed, image 4.
- Pour in tomato sauce, broth salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add in cooked lamb cubes, stir to combine, and continue cooking on low until okra is tender.
- Meanwhile, make the garlic relish or topping by heating olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add garlic, coriander, cilantro, and chili peppers.
- Saute relish ingredients well for a minute or two until fragrant. Pour half the relish in the okra pot and let it simmer for another 4 minutes. Reserve the remaining half to top the bowls when serving.
Tips
- Mediterranean okra stew is best made with baby okra. I find these frozen in the Middle East market. If you cannot get a hold of them just proceed with the ordinary frozen okra in your nearby store.
- You can also use fresh baby okra, just make sure to clean and cut them well.
- You can use beef, cook beef as we did in the fatah recipe.
- When preparing the lamb it is very important to boil them for 4 minutes first, dump the water then boil them again with spices and vegetables. If you feel that the water is too greasy and lamb still has unpleasant smell, repeat the process of boiling then dumping the water once more.
- Scorching okra is very easy, to prevent that you’ll need to cook it on low and stir it a couple of times just to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- My chili pepper was so hot so I did not add it to the okra because I did not want to make it too hot for my kids. Instead, I served it all on top of individual servings.
- Okra stew keeps very well in the fridge and it is actually better the next day.
Serving suggestions:
Serve Bamya the Egyptian way, with some lemon wedges on the side. Bamya goes great with vermicelli rice or pita bread and whole wheat pita as well.
Special note:
This recipe has loads of flavors and texture. The flavor profile comes from loads of garlic, cilantro and coriander. If you are sensitive to garlic feel free to down scale it or use the Cairo version of bamia I mentioned before.
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
Bamya (Okra stew)
Ingredients
For boiling the lamb:
- 2 mastic pieces.
- 1 pound lamb. Note1
- 1 small onion.
- 2 garlic clove.
- 1 small carrot cut into chunks.
- 1 celery stalk cut into chunks.
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped.
- 1 teaspoon 7-spice blend.
- 2 teaspoon black pepper.
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom.
- 2 bay leaves.
For the okra stew:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil.
- 1 medium (200g) onion, diced.
- 5 garlic cloves minced (1.5 Tablespoons).
- ½ Tablespoon freshly ground coriander.
- 2 jalapeño pepper. leave out or replace by bell pepper if you do not want the heat.
- 2 Tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped.
- 1 bag (14oz) frozen baby okra. Note2
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste.
- 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce.
- 2 cups broth. beef or lamb.
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- ½ teaspoon black pepper.
For the garlic relish/mix (Tasha):
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil.
- 5 Garlic cloves minced.
- 1 Tablespoon freshly ground coriander.
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped.
- 1 tablespoon red chili pepper diced. Optional for extra heat
Instructions
Cook the lamb:
- In a deep pot over high heat bring about 4 liter of water to a boil.
- Add lamb pieces to the boiling water and wait for it to go back to boiling again. Let it rapidly boil for 3-4 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon take the meat out and dump all the water. Note3
- In the same pot add some tap water again with mastic and onion and bring to a boil.
- Add lamb pieces back on with all the rest of spices, herbs and vegetable.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until done. Will take about 20 minutes.
Cook the okra:
- In a dutch oven or a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic and coriander then sauté for about 2-3 minute until fragrant.
- Add chopped cilantro, stir until fragrant for almost another 30 seconds.
- Add jalapeño peppers and keep stirring for a minute.
- Now, mix in the okra and tomato paste.
- Pour in tomato sauce and broth.
- Add salt and pepper and bring the whole mixture to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat and cover, let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.Note4
- Add cooked lamb and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until okra is tender.
Make the garlic topping (Tasha):
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add garlic, cilantro, coriander and pepper if using.
- Sauté until mixture is fragrant, this will take about two to three minutes.
- Add half the mixture to the okra stew, stir and keep simmering for another 3-4 minutes. Note5
Serve:
- Serve okra stew topped with the remaining Tasha mixture.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Neva
This is sooooooooo good. I made it with beef, using the fatteh variation as directed. I used the excess broth to cook my rice as well. I’m looking forward to the leftovers!
Al
A great recipe. I omitted coriander as I can't eat anything including even one leaf of it. I replaced it with parsley and it came out majestic! Thank you!
Shereen
Bravo Amira!!! The recipe was just right. Thank you for making it easy to follow. Just like home ❤.
Veneshia Murtaza
I would like to try this recipe it’s something that I would give a try..
Amira
Full packed with flavors, let me know when you try it.
LL
Hi Amira, You mentioned this Bamya is from a different part of Egypt. Which part in particular is it from?
Amira
LL, I do not exactly remember now but I believe it was some where in upper Egypt, not sure though. I will try to check.
Tanyeem
Hi Amira,
I wondered if you had any tips on making it without the meat? I'm cooking for a vegetarian friend who greatly misses Egyptian bamia stew from his pre- vegetarian days. I was going to just skip the meat steps but thought you might have a different idea! 🙂
Amira
Tanyeem, thank you for reaching out and your interest in this recipe. Yes, take off the meat and use vegetable stock and if he likes spicy food you might want to spice it up a notch with cayenne peppers. I hope this helps.
Tanyeem
Wow, thanks for your prompt reply, Amira! I actually used aubergine instead of the lamb and did the onion/baharat/carrot/celery stage as stated and it was fabulous. Also worth noting that the tasha is an absolute must. I'll be making this again! X
Cher Hicks
This was so good, my husband was very pleased with his bamya bowl.
Amira
Oh Cher, I am so happy you liked it. Thanks for sharing your picture.
Michael
I made this recipe last week for the family when someone suggested they wanted to have okra. Even the little one, who is a notoriously picky eater, liked it! Thank you for sharing yoyr knowledge with everyone.
Amira
Thank you so much Michael, I am so happy your family liked it.
Jose Gomes
What are mastic pieces?
Amira
Jose, it is also called mastic gum. Here is an article to read more about it.
Elsayed Mansour
Hello,
My name is Elsayed Mansour, Egyptian/American.
I'm a Chef too, I had my Restaurant for 17 yrs in Washington DC,
Really you make me homesick, with your Great recipes especially the Egyptian, I like your Web site new look, it improved a LOT, thanks,
Keep it up,
Thanks,
Elsayed Mansour
Amira
Oooh boy, it is an honor having you here sir. Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I have been in US for like 15 years now and I still haven't been to Washington DC!! do you still have your restaurant there or not anymore? would like to pay you a visit when I go there.. one day. Thanks again and I am so happy to connect with you, my fellow Egyptian.
Elsayed Mansour
Thanks for your response, Unfortunately, I don't have my restaurant any more, it was a Great run for 17 yrs, it will be my pleasure to meet you when you come to visit WDC, I can't wait,,,,,
Thanks,
Elsayed Mansour
Amira
Thank you.
Samuel
Hi .. my aunt from Nablus made this a lot .. similar but for final flourish just garlic. And dried coriander powder .. I remember her frying the okra first ? With the frozen from Egypt do you defrost or add frozen .. is the final result islimey in any way .. I recall the frying was to reduce that . Ty
Amira
Samuel, I love recipes that bring back good old memories :). I do not defrost the okra, I just add them as is. Also, I do not fry my okra. Frozen okra is less slimy than fresh. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.