Okra Stew (Middle Eastern Bamya Recipe) (2024)

Okra Stew, or in Arabic "Bamya", is a quintessential middle eastern stew. It features okra (typically young okra), simmered in a luscious meat and tomato based broth, along with lots of garlic and a touch of pomegranate molasses. The stew is scooped over a bowl of rice and enjoyed year-round. Whether you use beef, lamb, or veal, follow along for my favourite way to make this childhood favourite.

What is Okra Stew (Bamya)?

Okra stew is one of the most popular type of stews across the middle east, especially in Iraq (where I am from). Okra is simmered in a rich tomato based broth with onions, garlic, pomegranate molasses and meat. As it simmers, the stew develops this luscious thickness due to the Okra's natural thickening properties. The meat is typically bone-in lamb, or veal but beef is often used as well.

Bamya is almost always served over a plate of vermicelli rice or Egyptian rice, much like other stews like fasolia yabsa (highly recommend!) and molokhia.

There are variations to how okra is cooked across the middle east. For example, I've noticed that in Levantine countries like Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, it is always made with cilantro and garlic as the main flavours, along with the addition of seven spice, coriander or allspice. Okra stew is also popular across Egypt, where seven spice and garlic are also used.

However, in Iraq, the bamya stew is heavily flavoured with garlic, and we use pomegranate molasses for that sweet and tangy flavor. We don't use any cilantro or other ground spices. I may be biased, but the Iraqi version is my favourite!

What does Okra taste like?

If you've never had okra before, it's important to know what you're getting into! Okra has a mild taste and the texture can vary depending on how it's cooked. If it is sautéed or fried, it can retain some crunch. But when it is slow-cooked like in this stew recipe, it becomes tender and melts in your mouth.

It's usually compared to eggplant due to the texture, but their taste is different and I believe okra has a really unique flavour. The best way to find out is to try it! Okra is a highly nutritious food and would be a great vegetable to incorporate in your diet.

How to Make Okra Stew With Meat

Gather your ingredients. You will also need tomato paste and pomegranate molasses which are not pictured below. For the meat, I love using bone-in veal cut into medium sized pieces.

TIP: Using bone-in meat for stews yields a more flavourful final result, due to the presence of bones which make the broth a lot richer.

Start by dicing the onions and sautéing it in oil with a bit of salt until slightly caramelized. This step adds amazing flavour. Then, sear off the meat and brown it slightly, then add water and bring to a boil for 30-45 minutes until tender. You can also pressure cook it for 20 minutes instead, as a faster alternative.

This step is essentially creating the meat broth that will be used as the base for the stew.

TIP: Depending on the meat you are using and the specific cut, it may need a lot longer to cook until tender. Boneless stew beef pieces tend to take the longest, but veal and lamb are more tender and will cook faster. Pressure cooking for 20-30 minutes is usually always a faster alternative than boiling stove top.

Frozen okra can be used straight from the bag. There's no need to fry it or thaw it. Some traditional recipes call for frying, but I find that it is an unnecessary step.

If you're using fresh okra, make sure to wash it well, and then just trim the top a little bit so as not to reveal any of the seeds. Make sure you don't trim it too much, otherwise it will lose its shape when cooking and likely release that "sliminess".

Once the meat is cooked and fork tender, add the frozen okra, the chopped garlic, and the tomato paste. You can also use passata or tomato sauce instead of the paste; both will work well. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything together very gently to avoid crushing the okra, add more water, then cover and simmer the stew for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add the pomegranate molasses and check the tenderness of the okra and the meat. You may also adjust the salt as needed at this point. Okra, based on the variety, can take longer to cook. Add more water if required and continue to let it boil for another 10-15 minutes. This stew takes roughly 1 hour for the meat and okra to tenderize and develop flavour, but it may be ready faster than that.

Do I need to fry or pre-cook the Okra?

Some people fry or boil the okra with oil before adding it into the stew, which you can totally do. However, my mom never did this and I find it a step that you can skip to save time and also calories. The final product will not be impacted, trust me!

How to Make Okra Stew Vegetarian

If you want to make this vegetarian, simply don't include any meat, and I would recommend also using vegetable stock in place of some of the water and doubling the amount of onions used. It will add more flavour to the stew. I do this all the time as well and I love it!

What do you serve with this dish?

Okra stew, like many other Middle Eastern stews, is typically served with a plate of rice. We also serve either a salad or some chopped vegetables alongside it such as cucumber, green onions, and radish. I LOVE it with green onions (you take a bit of rice + stew then a bite of green onion - it's so good!). You can also eat it with some bread - that's my dad's favourite way.

For more middle eastern stew recipes: