Bamieh (Middle Eastern Okra Stew)

A fabulous, flavor-filled bamieh recipe that's great for leftovers. Every Middle Eastern country has its own spin on this dish, but this one is predominantly the Yemeni version. Serve over basmati rice.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
• Calories: 262 Calories

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups boiling water
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 pounds cubed lamb stew meat
• 2 pounds frozen sliced okra
• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic paste
• 5 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion, salt, and black pepper; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned a light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Add lamb, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and garlic paste. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lamb starts to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste; cook and stir for another 5 minutes.

Step 3

Dissolve beef bouillon cubes in 4 cups boiling water. Pour broth into the pot with lamb and stir in okra. If necessary, add water to cover okra. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4

Remove the cover and cook until lamb is very tender and stew reaches desired thickness, 45 minutes to 1 hour