Okra is one of the foods rich in fiber and nutrients. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Okra is an annual tropical plant that needs a humid climate and temperatures above 29.5 degrees Celsius and is damaged very quickly by cold and frost. Okra fruit is actually a long pod that has small hairs and no hard components. Of course, different species of this plant differ in length, color, and smoothness. One of the dishes that we can make with okra is Persian okra stew. Okra stew is one of the delicious dishes of southern Iran. This delicious Khoresht Bamieh recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen okra.
What You Will Need For This Recipe
Okra
The stickiness in Okra is caused by something called mucilage, which is also found in Aloe Vera. To avoid mucilage you should dry them well before cooking and trim off the very tip of the stem.
Choose smaller and fresh okra for stew. Okra should be completely green and not have brown or black spots. Trim off the very tip of the stem with a paring knife.
A very good way to prepare okra is to fry in plenty of oil. Heat oil in the pan and then add the okra and stir gently until the okra is fried. Then you can add it to the stew. You can easily pack and freeze fried okra in the right sizes for your meals.
Meat
The most delicious form of this stew in my opinion is cooked with lamb meat but you can also use beef and chicken to cook this stew.
Tomato Paste
Okra stew is thickened by adding tomato paste. You can also use tomato puree instead of tomato paste. But, tomato paste gives a nice red color to stew.
What Spices and Seasonings to Use?
To prepare a delicious okra stew, you can also use unripe grape or unripe grape juice(Ab Ghooreh) instead of lemon juice. It is better to freeze it before using it so that it tastes better, fresh unripe grape makes the stew a little bitter. For okra stew, spices such as cinnamon and saffron are used.
What to Serve With Okra Stew?
You can serve okra stew with Shirazi salad, pickles, or fresh herb platter (Sabzi Khordan).
How Long Do Leftovers Last?
Leftover Khoresht Bamieh will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 days and can be reheated on the stovetop. The sauce will likely be very thick so before reheating add an extra splash of water or stock to loosen the texture before cooking.
Ingredients
- 500 grams of okra
- 250 grams of lamb
- 1 onion
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups of water
- Oil, salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
Step 1
Chop the onion and fry in some oil until soft. Cut lamb into small cubes then add the meat and saute a little. Pour 4 glasses of water and increase the heat until the water boils. Then lower the heat and put the lid until the meat gets cooked.
Step 2
In the middle of cooking the meat, fry the tomato paste in some oil and add it to the stew with lemon juice.
Step 3
Wash the okra and trim off the very tip of the stem with a paring knife. After the mear is cooked, add okra, salt, and pepper to the stew and let it boil.
Step 4
Then reduce the heat and let the excess water evaporate for 20-30 minutes and let the stew settle. Then serve the stew with rice.
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