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Bamya recipe (okra) with lamb

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Rating:

4/ 5 stars 22 Votes
  • Cuisine: Egyptian
  • Prep Time: 10 min(s)
  • Cook Time: 1 hr(s) 5 min(s)
  • Serves 4–6

This thick stew of tender lamb and baby okra is a common dish in Egypt – okra is the edible fruit pod of a plant related to the hibiscus and is used in many dishes for its thickening properties. Lamb backstrap or fillet is lean and quick and easy to use, although other cuts of lamb would work – the meat from the leg or shoulder is lovely too. The secret to this dish is the long, slow simmering that brings the flavours gently together.

Ingredients

1 tbsp - clarified butter (ghee)
1 - medium onion, diced
2 - garlic cloves, finely chopped
500 g - lamb backstrap, cut into thick pieces
2 × 400 g tins - pureed tomatoes
1 tbsp - tomato paste
salt and pepper
250 ml - stock or water (optional)
500 g - baby okra, topped and tailed
juice of 1 lemon
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Preparation

Melt the ghee in a saucepan and sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes then add the lamb and toss until sealed and lightly browned.

Add the tomato puree and paste and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you think more liquid is needed, add the stock or water. Cover and simmer for 30–35 minutes.

Add the okra and cook for another 5–10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Serve with rice.

SBS cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55–60 g, unless specified.

If you enjoyed this Bamya recipe (okra) with lamb then browse more Egyptian recipes, stew recipes, meat recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.

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Comments (6)

   
14 Sep 2010 10:16 AEST
Michelle
Hallam
Egyptian favourite
I love Bamya! My father is Egyptian and I have been raised eating this dish. Although I must say my family's recipe is different to this one. We use a little bit of curry powder, ground cumin seed and ground corriander seed. Also, we do not use tomato paste or lemon juice. My cheats way is to use about 1/2 jar of plain passata sauce. Try it with chicken, it is delicious!
Agree(3 people agree)
Disagree(0 people disagree)
16 Aug 2010 12:12 AEST
Chrissy
Carlton
Bamya is great!
My Egyptian Grandmother makes this dish, and it's a family favourite. It's sad it hasn't been well received. Try adding the lemon juice in with the okra rather than at the end, as the acid seems to stop some of the sliminess. I remember seeing another variation where you fry the okra in a pan with a little oil, drain it on paper towels, and then add it in so that it stays crunchy. Also, I add at least a tablespoon of sweet paprika in after I've browned the onions.
Agree(2 people agree)
Disagree(0 people disagree)
22 Feb 2010 06:41 AEST
Sue
Hampton Park
nice but!
It would be more tasty with less pureed tomatoes.
Agree(2 people agree)
Disagree(0 people disagree)
30 May 2009 08:59 AEST
Norma
Northbridge
Acquired Taste
There is nothing wrong with this recipe - except that you might need to cook the lamb longer on a very low heat so that it really softens up. I suspect people who didn't like this don't like okra - specifially it has a very mucilaginous texture - it's slimy - and some people don't like that. Only thing I would change is the amount of garlic - I think around 10 cloves is more like it for that amount of lamb. I usually make this using diced beef.
Agree(3 people agree)
Disagree(0 people disagree)
12 Jan 2009 10:08 AEST
naomi
bronte
love it
Love the recipe. Ochra is a required taste however.
Agree(4 people agree)
Disagree(2 people disagree)
11 Dec 2008 09:31 AEST
Isabella
Mackay
difference
what is okra? otherwise brillient receipe!!
Agree(1 people agree)
Disagree(1 people disagree)

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