Khoresh Bamieh
Okra and beef stew
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole okra, approximately 20 pieces, stems trimmed
- 8 tablespoons oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pound beef, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to your taste
- 2-4 tablespoons Ghooreh (unripe sour grapes), or lemon juice as a substitute
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, saute the okra with 6 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Stir gently as needed, but avoid over stirring.
- Once the okra has been sauteed on all sides and has turned a dark golden color, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add the beef, garlic, turmeric, pepper and tomato paste, increase the heat to medium-high, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of water, reduce the heat, and cook the stew over low heat for 75 minutes or until the meat is nearly fork tender.
- Return the sauteed okra to the stew, add salt and Ghooreh.
- Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until the okra has fully cooked.
- Adjust the liquid level as needed. The stew should be moist but not watery.
- Serve the stew with steamed saffron basmati rice.
Notes
The stew can also be made with lamb or chicken or the meat entirely eliminated to create a vegan dish. If eliminating the meat, reduce the cooking time by 60 minutes.