Okra Stew
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Prep Time20 mins
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Cook Time75 mins
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Serving6
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Ready In95 mins
This Okra Stew or Bamya w Roz is one of my all-time favorites from the Middle-Eastern collections of stews. A Middle-Eastern stew is called a โyekhne.โ
This โyekhneโ is such a versatile dish, that it is made not only in every household in Lebanon, but throughout various households in the Middle-East and Northern Africa. The flavors vary a bit from country to country, but the idea of these stews is basically the same.
How to Make Bamya w Roz
The Lebanese technique of making yekhnes starts out pretty much the exact same way every time. The base is made by sautรฉing crushed garlic with fresh chopped cilantro in any neutral oil, followed by adding the main vegetable (okra, white beans, green beans, peas and carrots or potatoes). Next, homemade broth is made by boiling the protein, and added with the tomato sauce, beef stew cubes or chicken and simmered all together. You can also opt to skip the protein and use vegetable broth to keep this dish vegetarian.
In this okra stew, beef cubes are always used. I use beef shanks but, you can use whatever beef you use for stew. You can use either bone-in meat or bone free, depending on your preference. I almost always use a pressure cooker to cook beef stew cubes or bone-in beef because it cuts the cooking time by at least 45 minutes!
As for the okra, baby okra is most commonly used. However, if you cannot find baby okra, you can use larger varieties and chop them to about 2 inches in size. I tend to use the frozen baby okra that I find at my local Middle-Eastern grocer.
Air-fried Okra Directions
Alternatively, you can cook the okra in the air-fryer instead of deep-frying. I put the entire bag of frozen okra into the air-fryer basket and drizzled with some avocado oil. You can also use non-stick spray as well. I air-fried the okra for 20 minutes at 390F. Make sure to shake the basket (toss the okra) to get crispy on all sides.
This is a much healthier option than deep-frying since you will use significantly less oil in the cooking process. The okra still comes out crispy and delicious and since the okra is eventually submerged in a tomato sauce, you can barely notice the difference from deep-frying.
This dish is so hearty and delicious that if you are not a fan of okra, this stew will change your mind!
STEP 1
Begin by boiling the beef. Add the beef to your pressure cooker and add enough water to cover the meat and a few inches higher. Do not cover at this time. Boil for 10 minutes on high heat. Throw away the first batch of water and rinse out the meat from excess fat. 1. Add 6-8 cups of water to the beef along with whatever you typically use to boil meat. I like to add a half small onion, 1 large bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, a few cloves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper. Cover with lid and set the pressure cooker on the highest level over medium-high heat.
Once the pressure cooker begins to whistle after 7-10 minutes, lower the heat to medium and set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let pressure cooker release the steam. Set aside with the fresh broth.ย **
STEP 2
Thaw the frozen okra for about 15 minutes. Heat up vegetable oil for frying. Deep fry the baby okra for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat until slightly crispy and light golden brown. Set aside until use.
STEP 3
Wash the fresh cilantro and cut off the stems. Finely chop.
STEP 4
Crush the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt using a wooden mortar and pestle if possible. Add the chopped cilantro and garlic to a large pot with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sautรฉe for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
STEP 5
Add the fried okra to the cilantro/garlic mixture and add enough beef broth to cover all the ingredients and a bit more (6-8 cups).
STEP 6
Add the cooked beef, crushed tomato, 1 teaspoon of salt, ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of dried coriander. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
STEP 7
To make the rice, begin by washing the white rice 3 times in a mixing bowl. Add the vegetable oil to the pot and heat up for a minute on medium-high heat. Add the vermicelli noodles and cook until brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the washed rice and mix well. Add the water and salt and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.
Serve the okra stew with the rice and enjoy!
Okra Stew (Bamya)
Ingredients
Stew
- 2 14oz. Okra Frozen Bags
- 1 lb. Beef Stew Cubes
- 1 Bunch Cilantro Chopped
- 12 cloves Garlic
- 1ยผ cups Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 tb. Vegetable Oil for Deep Frying
- 1 tsp. Dried Coriander
- 4 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ยฝ Small Onion
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
Rice
- 1ยฝ cup Long Grain White Rice
- โ cup Vermicelli Noodles
- 2 tb. Vegetable Oil
- 2ยผ cups Water
- 1 tsp. Salt
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the beef. Add the beef to your pressure cooker along with enough water to cover the meat plus a few inches. Do not cover at this time. Boil for 10 minutes on high heat. Throw away the first batch of water and rinse out the meat from excess fat. Add 6-8 cups of water to the beef along with whatever you typically use to boil meat. I like to add a half small onion, 1 large bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, a few cloves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper. Cover with lid and set the pressure cooker on the highest level over medium-high heat.ย Once the pressure cooker begins to whistle after 7-10 minutes, lower the heat to medium and set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let pressure cooker release the steam. Set aside with the fresh broth.ย **
- Thaw the frozen okra for about 15 minutes. Heat up vegetable oil for frying. Deep fry the baby okra for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat until slightly crispy and light golden brown. Set aside until use.
- Wash the fresh cilantro and cut off the stems. Finely chop. It should come to about a cup or so of chopped cilantro.
- Crush the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt using a wooden mortar and pestle if possible. Add the chopped cilantro and garlic to a large pot with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sautรฉ for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Add the fried okra to the cilantro/garlic mixture and add enough beef broth to cover all the ingredients and a bit more (6-8 cups).
- Add the cooked beef, crushed tomato, 1 teaspoon of salt, ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of dried coriander. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- To make the rice, begin by washing the white rice 3 times in a mixing bowl. Add the vegetable oil to the pot and heat up for a minute on medium-high heat. Add the vermicelli noodles and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the washed rice and mix well. Add the water and salt and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and let cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Serve the okra stew with the rice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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