How Palestinians Make Bamya | Beef & Okra Stew

Growing up, Bamya is a dish that would frequently show up on our dinner table. It's a dish that everyone has a very strong opinion on, you either love it or hate it. I can say with confidence that everyone in my family LOVES bamya. This is exactly how I was raised with it and I'm certain that if you give this recipe a try, you'll fall in love with it as well.

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Palestinian Bamya (Okra Stew):

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This week at Zawi

The spice blend used in this Bamya recipe is our Arabic 7 Spice blend, the blend that actually started Zawi. It’s a mix of allspice, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom that appears throughout all Levantine cooking. It’s the most versatile blend used with stews like this to kebabs, soups, fritters, and more.

When I started Zawi, my goal was to make it easier for people to cook the foods I grew up eating without needing to keep seven separate jars in their pantry. If you’d like to make this recipe exactly as written, you can find our Arabic 7 Spice blend below.

Zawi Spices: https://www.zawispices.com/

Use “ZAWI10” for 10% off your first order of Zawi Spices

Les Cousines Lebanese Olive Oil: https://tastelescousines.com/

Use code “Waleed15” for 15% off your order

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Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs Beef Stew Meat

• 1 Yellow Onion

• 1 lb frozen Okra

• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste

• Salt to taste

• Black Pepper to taste

• 2 tbsp Zawi Arabic 7 Spice

• Plenty of Ghee or Olive Oil

• 5-10 Garlic Cloves

• 1 cup Fresh Cilantro

• 5 cups Water

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Instructions

Dice the yellow onion and grind the garlic into a paste with a pinch of salt. If needed, cut the stew meat into small cubes.

Get a large heavy bottom pan on high heat for two minutes. Drop to medium and add a tbsp of ghee to cover the bottom of the pot. Add the stew meat and sear on two sides until nicely browned. Work in batches until all the meat is nicely browned. Remove and keep to the side.

Next add the diced onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the frozen okra and saute for an additional 5 minutes or until fully thawed and soft. Add the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, Arabic 7 spice, and seared meat and mix together well. Let this cook all together for a few minutes. Fill with 5 cups water and bring to a boil. The cover, drop to simmer, and let it ride for 1-1.5 hours.

For the Adha, place a small pan on high heat for 2 minutes then drop to medium. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil or ghee and the minced garlic. Flash fry until super fragrant then add all the chopped cilantro. Fry for another minute then immediately drop into the stew.

Plate and garnish with Vermicelli rice, fresh cilantro and aleppo pepper and enjoy.