Bamya (Meat & Okra stew)

[practicingislam]

asalamu alaikum sisters mash'Allah mash'Allah oh my gracious mash'Allah this is one of the best dishes i have ever made maisah mash'Allah asked me to post it...........it was finger lickin good to the last lick LOL...............

 

**********the only difference between mine and the recipe is i had larger pieces of meat that was already precut , the recipe calls for 1 inch cubes either way is great, also i used more water for mine since the meat was more i used about 2 1/2 cups-3 cups of water with the directions below........****************  i also suggest it goes well with Roti bread the soup sauce is so amazing its literally a need last to the drop .......the website i got it from called to serve with basmati rice, but with or without it is great........and i deleted the wine tip for removing the okra slime, sorry but we are forbidden to use any alcoholic items

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/9684/egyptfood.html

Bamya (Meat and Okra Stew)

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil. 2 lb (1 kg) stewing lamb or beef, cut into 1 in cubes.
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup (6oz/185 g) peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (beef) or water, or as needed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1 1/2 lb (500-750 g) okra
juice of 1 lemon

 

Instructions:
Note:
Okra must be cooked so that it is no longer slimy. Another method for this is to trim the tips, and plunge into rapidly boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and rinse with very cold water, drain and pat dry.
This dish is popular throughout the Middle East and can be
prepared with lamb or beef. Serve it with rice.
Preheat an oven to 325* F (165 C).

Place 4 Tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Working in small batches, add the meat and fry, turning constantly, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked meat to a baking dish or stew pot.

Add the onions to the fat remaining in the frying pan and saute them over medium heat until translucent, 8-10 mins. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, tomatoes, tomato paste, the 1 cup stock and mint (if using: but really it is more authentic if you do use it!). Stir well. Pour over the meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover tightly and bake until all the liquid is absorbed, about 1 1/2 Hrs.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Meanwhile, prepare the okra as directed in the note above. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or oil in the skillet. Add the okra and saute for 3 mins, stirring gently. Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the cooked okra on top in a spoke pattern. Sprinkle the lemon juice evenly over the surface.

Re-cover the dish and return it to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes longer. Add stock or water if the mixture seems too dry. Serve very hot.
Serves 4.

[a_ramli05]

Well there goes the Idea of making this today.......everyone is gone except for hubby, me and 2 babies.....makes no sence in making this wonderful dish for just us ....but I really really wanted to try it......now I don't know what I'm making for dinner .......

[a_ramli05]

It's in the oven girls.....and smells yummy......can't wait to taste it ...Ok I cheated and cut the recipe in half so I could try it...if not then I would have had to wait for everyone to come back from their winter break ........

[maisah]

Quoting a_ramli05:

It's in the oven girls.....and smells yummy......can't wait to taste it ...Ok I cheated and cut the recipe in half so I could try it...if not then I would have had to wait for everyone to come back from their winter break ........

Alhumdulilah... I can not wait to see it... did yousee my Grape Leaves... HA! I made them last night...... it is in the Grape Leaves Thread..... can't wait to see yor Bamya

[a_ramli05]

No I didn't see it yet....I haven't really been on for the past few days just a quick in and out......I am about to put the okra in so as soon as it is ready I'll post a pic ....obviously it won't be as good as Practicing's is but i'm sure it will be yummy...I'll look at your grape leaves in a moment inshaa Allah and if my energy is up I promise to make mine this weekend inshaa Allah just to remind hubby what kindness is all about...LOL LOL LOL ......

[practicingislam]

 awwwwwwwww yes it will lol it was the first time i made it and im sure it'll come out same if not better you can do it............

Quoting a_ramli05:

No I didn't see it yet....I haven't really been on for the past few days just a quick in and out......I am about to put the okra in so as soon as it is ready I'll post a pic ....obviously it won't be as good as Practicing's is but i'm sure it will be yummy...I'll look at your grape leaves in a moment inshaa Allah and if my energy is up I promise to make mine this weekend inshaa Allah just to remind hubby what kindness is all about...LOL LOL LOL ......

[a_ramli05]

Asalam walaikum well here goes...Sorry I took so long to post my pics....Well I did it finally and as the sister said it was great...even my no Okra eating son enjoyed it LOL LOL LOL.....I did ulter it a bit but I couldn't help myself....As the sister my meat chunck were pretty large but that is because that is how I bought the meat and I'm too pregnant (LAZY) to cut them up myself....What I did was take all of the seasonings and only half of the lemon juice and I sauteed everything with the meat from the begining.....I have an issue with seasonings and meat being prepared at seperate times....I know sounds personal... LOL LOL LOL....I then placed it in the oven with water and I used vegeta soup base instead of the beef broth and since I used the vegeta I didn't use any salt....I did use fresh mint from my mint plants....after the 1.5 hour in the oven I added the Okra (after I boiled it as instructed) and the other half of the lemon juice and continued as instructed.......Now hubby is from Syria and he was impressed (Thanks for the recipe sister) now he said that a bit more mint would have been great and a tad bit more lemon and garlic....also they use a small amount of cilantro in theirs and to cut the meat pieces smaller and it would be perfect but I was thinking that since I cut the recipe in half that might have contributed to this comment....He ate it all there was nothing left not a drop even the babies enjoyed it....So I'm off to make another batch today at his request.....he's going to a friends house to visit tonight and he wants to take some with him.....LOL LOL LOL ....Thank you again sister for the recipe we really enjoyed our dinner last night Alhamdulillah....

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, Alhamdulillah.....

[practicingislam]

wa'alaykum asalam ooo yummie i love it it totally looks so delicious mash'Allah.........girl i can imagine i am dying to make it again but when hubby comes back from his trip insh'Allah.........you hooked it mash'Allah......... mash'Allah yeah theres different takes on the recipe in the different cultures , in egypt alone theres several ways to make it.............the sauce is what steals the show mash'Allah.......Great job!!!!!!!!!!!

Quoting a_ramli05:

Asalam walaikum well here goes...Sorry I took so long to post my pics....Well I did it finally and as the sister said it was great...even my no Okra eating son enjoyed it LOL LOL LOL.....I did ulter it a bit but I couldn't help myself....As the sister my meat chunck were pretty large but that is because that is how I bought the meat and I'm too pregnant (LAZY) to cut them up myself....What I did was take all of the seasonings and only half of the lemon juice and I sauteed everything with the meat from the begining.....I have an issue with seasonings and meat being prepared at seperate times....I know sounds personal... LOL LOL LOL....I then placed it in the oven with water and I used vegeta soup base instead of the beef broth and since I used the vegeta I didn't use any salt....I did use fresh mint from my mint plants....after the 1.5 hour in the oven I added the Okra (after I boiled it as instructed) and the other half of the lemon juice and continued as instructed.......Now hubby is from Syria and he was impressed (Thanks for the recipe sister) now he said that a bit more mint would have been great and a tad bit more lemon and garlic....also they use a small amount of cilantro in theirs and to cut the meat pieces smaller and it would be perfect but I was thinking that since I cut the recipe in half that might have contributed to this comment....He ate it all there was nothing left not a drop even the babies enjoyed it....So I'm off to make another batch today at his request.....he's going to a friends house to visit tonight and he wants to take some with him.....LOL LOL LOL ....Thank you again sister for the recipe we really enjoyed our dinner last night Alhamdulillah....

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, Alhamdulillah.....

[practicingislam]

ooooo forgot to add i think also if your not a rice person this recipe is great with Roti bread to help drink up the sauce

[a_ramli05]

I have to totally agree with you on your earlier response in regards to the sauce stealing the show...That is why I put all the seasonings in from the begining ....I guess you could say I kind of Dominicanized it a bit...lol lol lol....We always put our seasonings right from the start so the sauce in what ever you are cooking come out great.....as for the rice or bread thing you are absolutely right even a tortilla sounds good right about now .....LOL LOL LOL ....Flour or corn....Again I want to thank you this was seriously yummy I'm actually speechless it was so good.....

Quoting practicingislam:

ooooo forgot to add i think also if your not a rice person this recipe is great with Roti bread to help drink up the sauce

[AzIzAzIzA]

Wow this looks really yummy.  I make mine totally different.  I have never cooked it in the over before....nor have we ever used mint or cilantro (coriander).  Mine is cooked on the stove...from start to finish.....and unfortunatly there is no OKRA HERE in this city and too cold for me to go out searching for some-but i could really go for this dish right now.

We usually use the whole okra, preferably the smaller ones and if a little larger then we cut in half, but just giving it a stir fry on the stove (slightly brown them-like you do the meat) and once you cook that sliminess does vanish.

My greatgrandmother was raised in a little village that used to eat bamya like it was going out of style....and they would make FATAH BAMYA, which is simply bamya on top of a pan of cut up pita bread.  When we made this for her she would eat it up....with green onions, green peppers, and radishes on the side. Myself I like it with the sticky rice-but thats my preference.