Egyptian Okra Recipes

EGYPTIAN BAMIA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 7 minutes. Mix in lamb, salt, and black pepper; cook and stir until lamb is lightly browned, 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce and water; season with salt and black pepper. Bring lamb mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer lamb in sauce until very tender, at least 1 hour, adding more water as needed. Stir occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir okra into lamb mixture, adding more water if necessary, and bring to a boil. Spoon the bamia into a 2-quart baking dish and adjust salt and black pepper; cover dish with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until okra is tender, about 45 minutes; uncover for last 10 minutes of baking.

EGYPTIAN MEAT AND OKRA STEW

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot like a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Salt the meat well and brown it in batches. Pat it dry with paper towels and don't let the pieces touch. You might need to raise the heat to full blast to prevent the meat from steaming. You want it to be well browned on at least 2 sides. Move pieces to a bowl as they brown. This will take you about 15 minutes.
• When the meat has browned, add the onions to the pot. Add a little extra olive oil if you want. Stir the onions around with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits in the pot. Let them sauté until soft and a little brown. Add the green chiles and the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Return the meat and any juices to the pot, add the coriander, cardamom, tomato paste and some salt and mix well. Let this cook a minute, then add the tomatoes and stock. Add the dried lemons if you happen to be using them. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste for salt. Cover the pot and cook for 2 hours. If you are using lamb or beef, you'll only need to cook this for about 90 minutes, or even less.
• When the meat is tender, add the okra and lemon juice. Simmer about 15 more minutes, then add black pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

EGYPTIAN BEEF AND OKRA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until wilted. Pour off fat. Add tomatoes and cook until softened. Add pepper, egg, and bread crumbs, stir; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, butter a 1 quart casserole. Arrange okra along the outside with the tips toward the inside and the ends along the outside. Spoon meat mixture into the center.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes,or until set. Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto serving platter; garnish with lemon slices.