Middle Eastern Okra – Easy, Healthy and Delicious Recipe for Bamya with Tomato, Onion and Spices by Tori Avey.
Readers frequently ask me, “How do you stay skinny when you’re testing recipes all day long?” Enjoying treats in moderation is key; most of the time I stick to a flexitarian, Mediterranean-style diet. I also have a secret weapon, a recipe that we make on the regular here at home. Bamya, or okra cooked Middle Eastern-style, is one of our very favorite things to eat. Instead of a full dinner every night, we often replace 1-2 meals per week with a pot of simmering, spicy bamya. This wonder vegetable is low calorie and high in fiber. It leaves us feeling full and satisfied without packing on the pounds. I’m excited to share our family recipe with you today!
Okra is one of those foods that people tend to love or loathe. Those who dislike it bemoan its “slimy” texture. This naturally-occurring film, known as mucilage, is similar to the goop you’ll find in aloe vera plants. In this recipe, the mucilage is actually beneficial to the dish. When okra is slowly simmered with acidic tomato paste, the mucilage thickens the sauce. The okra loses its slimy texture and becomes something altogether different– tender with a terrific texture. I’ve had many friends say they dislike okra, only to be converted by this very recipe. Good thing, too– okra has lots of health benefits, including a healthy dose of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C and folate. This stuff is good AND good for you!
Warning— as written, this recipe has quite a kick to it. We love our okra spicy… it is Middle Eastern-style, after all. I’ve written “to taste” on the red pepper flakes and cayenne, which provide most of the heat here. If you’re spice sensitive, add with care. If you love spice like we do, go all out… it’s a flavor bomb!
To learn more about okra, check out this terrific post by History Kitchen contributor Michael W. Twitty – The Secret History of Okra. It also includes a Southern recipe for okra tomato soup!
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Middle Eastern Okra - Bamya
Ingredients
- 2 pounds okra (bamya)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes - if spice sensitive, use sparingly or omit
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- Prepare your okra by rinsing it clean, then slicing off the top and bottom tips of each piece. At this point the okra will feel slimy. Don't worry, it will lose that texture as it cooks. To speed the process of prepping the okra, I sometimes line up the stem ends against my chef's knife...
- Then slice those stem ends off 4-5 pieces at once.
- Turn the okra pieces, realign the bottom tips with the knife, then slice off the very bottom tips. By grouping them this way you can speed through the whole batch and prep them relatively fast.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Add the minced onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize. To save time, I usually prep the okra (as outlined above) while the onion is cooking. Just be sure to keep a close eye on the onions and don't let them burn.
- When the onions are cooked, add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for another minute till fragrant. Add the okra to the pan and stir. It will feel like a lot of okra at first and the pan will be crowded, but it will quickly shrink up and soften as it cooks.
- Whisk together 1 1/2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp cayenne. Both the red pepper flakes and cayenne add heat; if you are super spice sensitive, omit the pepper flakes and start with a pinch of cayenne, then add more to taste as desired.
- Pour the tomato liquid evenly over the top of the okra. Bring to a boil.
- Cover the saute pan with a lid, vented at the edge. Reduce heat to a simmer. Let the okra cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the largest pieces of okra have softened to your liking. We like the okra quite tender and almost falling apart, but that is a matter of preference. At the end of cooking, your tomato sauce should have reduced and thickened. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, remove the lid and turn up the heat to a high simmer till the sauce has reduced (careful, don't let it burn!). Add more salt or spice to taste, if desired.
- Serve okra hot. We usually eat it alone, but if we need a more substantial meal I serve it over rice, quinoa or couscous.
Maddy Perennity says
I used to love watching Okra. Great show. 😉
Beth Lecroy says
A new dish to add for my okra from the garden!
Deborah Kouchekpour says
I love okra.
Lee Min says
I heard Okra is good for reducing inflammation. But do not know how to cook it. And i only find it frozen
Erika Felt says
I just read a report TODAY that said something in okra is major at killing breast cancer
Arielle Klein says
I make bamiya with green beans also super delicious. Love it!
Clara Rapoport Koss says
my granny and mama do similar but with frozen baby okra…not spicy…and with tomato sauce….yuuuuum
Gisele says
I never realized I loved okra till I lived in England, and ate at an Indian restaurant in Norwich that used local farm produce in its terrific vegetarian curries. And I discovered okra has a wonderful, subtle yet distinct flavour, and is really satisfying. I am bookmarking this recipe (and will use the chilli flakes!).
Martha Jackie Garner says
This is a lot like the southern tomatoes and okra. butter , tomatoes and okra
Rhona Steinfeld says
I always wondered how to cook okra. I can’t wait to try this!
Alison Hamui says
Even better with the middle eastern baby okra!
Janet Avin Dinerman says
If I can’t find fresh okra, is it OK to use frozen? I *think* I’ve seen it frozen.
Tori Avey says
Hi Janet, I prefer fresh but frozen can also be used. It may not need as much time to cook, and therefore probably won’t need as much liquid, but I would have to test it to give you an exact amount.
Brandy L Church says
Looks delish!
Narjah S Stewart says
Oh my goodness that looks divine.
Dalia Kleinman says
I grew up eating bamiyah, we love it and yes it is very healthy.
Heather Fox says
Num!
Gilly Martin says
I had something similar at a Lebanese restaurant not long ago and it was amazing!! Thank you so much for posting, I will try it!
David Lee says
My favorite vegetable 🙂
Barb says
I will be making this as soon as I get to the store and get the okra.
Pam says
Oh Tori, you pick old favorites and yummy new ones I’ve never heard of. Blessings to you and yours, Pam
Tori Avey says
Right back at you Pam! xo