Vegetables are a significant part of Egyptian cuisine. They are sometimes eaten raw with eggs, cheese, and bread as part of a breakfast meal. Or, they can be enjoyed as a side dish with lunch or snacks between meals. Sometimes vegetables are prepared in a variety of ways and mixed with a wide range of ingredients. They can also be served with other dishes.
Okra is an extraordinary vegetable. It is one of the most popular and delicious Egyptian dishes. Egyptians love Okra so much that they buy it in large quantities for winter storage.
It is served as a lunch dish, usually on the weekends when everyone gathers to eat. It can also be done during the week. Okra is a dish often served at Iftar and dinner parties during Ramadan.
Okra Stew
In Egypt, stewing vegetables in a delicious tomato sauce with a bloody red color is incredibly common. This recipe for the first okra stew has been tweaked to make it taste richer. Whether you’re a vegetarian or cooking on a tight budget, we have you covered. Or if you want to add protein to your okra dish.
The original recipe does not have any main ingredients except for the tomato sauce and Okra. The dish can be served with just a tiny amount of lime juice. The word can be eaten with Egyptian or Pita bread and served with green chili or raw bell pepper.
Most people eat stir-fried beef pieces with okra stews. Occasionally, beef cubes will be added to the casserole along with the Okra.
Some people bake the stew in a clay dish with beef and fat cubes.
The dish will turn out great in either case.
Ingredients
- Small Okra, 1 kg
- 500 grams of beef cut into small cubes
- Half a teaspoon of ghee
- One large minced onions
- Five cloves of minced garlic
- Half a bundle of coriander
- 4 cups tomato juice
- Two tablespoons of tomato paste
- Two cups of beef stock
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Half a teaspoon of black pepper
- Sugar, one teaspoon
- One medium tomato
- Cardamom 2 cloves
- Three tablespoons of lime or lemon juice
Recipe
Note It is recommended that you use fresh Okra. Frozen Okra will work if fresh Okra isn’t available. When storing Okra in your freezer, boil it for two minutes. This will keep it looking green and fresh.
Prepare the beef first. You can skip this step if you want to avoid adding beef. If you want to add beef, then go ahead and do it.
This recipe calls for the beef to be cut up into small cubes, boiled, and then added to a stew. You can add a few fat cubes to your stew or use fatty meat.
In a large pot, combine half a kilogram of fatty beef cubes with a quartered medium onion, a carrot cut into halves, and two cloves of garlic, cardamom, and celery. The vegetables and herbs in the stock will add a delicious flavor.
Put the pot on a high heat. Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil with enough water to cover them. Reduce the heat to medium, cover it, and cook until it is al dente. The beef will have another chance to cook thoroughly when added to the stew.
After the beef has been cooked, could you remove it from the pot?
It’s time to cook the Okra. If you’re using frozen, already peeled Okra, skip the cleaning and peeling stage. Just add it to the tomato stew. Read on if your Okra has been freshly picked.
Pour the Okra into a large bowl, and wash it thoroughly with water. Pour the water off and spread the Okra onto a cotton or paper towel to dry.
Peel the stem off once the Okra has dried completely. This part does not need to be cut but only peeled. Cut off the bottom tip. It will become slimy if you peel it before washing. Do not slice the Okra. This recipe cooks okra whole.
Set aside the Okra once you have finished all of the quantities.
Set a large pot to medium heat. Mix half a teaspoon of ghee and one sizeable minced onion. Stir the onion until it becomes transparent, then add five minced garlic cloves and half a bundle of finely chopped coriander. Stir.
Add about 4 cups of tomato juice after the ingredients have been well mixed. Stir the mixture, and add the Okra. Add four tablespoons of tomato paste. The stew will be more flavorful. Stir until well mixed.
Add two cups of beef broth, a teaspoon of salt (you can add a little more or less depending on your taste), half a teaspoon of black pepper, and one tablespoon of sugar. Stir the mixture, and bring it up to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and add the beef cubes that you have already prepared. Let the stew simmer for 30-40 minutes.
You can also lower the heat, let the stew simmer for a few minutes, then add the beef and place the mixture into an oven-safe casserole or clay dish. Place the soup in the middle of an oven that has been preheated and bake it for 30-40 minutes.
After the Okra has been thoroughly cooked, remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. The okra stew won’t cool down because it was cooked in a ceramic soup.
Use up to two tablespoons of lime juice before serving. This is just as important as the tomato sauce for the okra dish. Okra stew usually comes with vermicelli, which we’ve shared previously on our site.
Weka Okra (Bamya Weka)
Weka is the name of our second okra dish. This is a name given to the Okra that I think has no significance other than referring to it. The okra dish I am describing is trendy in the southern cities of Egypt but not so common in the northern ones. The okra dish is also prepared in the countryside.
Some differences exist between the weka okra we prepared earlier and that okra stew. Weka okra is made without tomato sauce. It uses large Okra and not small Okra. Thirdly, the Okra is blended.
Serving it with pita or Egyptian bread and pickled vegetables like spiced tomatoes and pickled Okra is best.
Ingredients
- Half a kilo large okra
- Four cloves of minced garlic
- Dry coriander powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper, one teaspoon
- Chicken broth, two cubes
- Finely chop one green chili
- One large lemon, sliced
Recipe
As in the previous recipe, wash and dry the Okra. Peel the top stem, then cut off the bottom tip. Next, you will need to slice the Okra into rings.
After you have sliced the Okra into thin slices, could you place it in a big pot? Add enough hot water to cover the okra slices, and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, adding one teaspoon of sea salt or, if desired, one chicken broth cube and one garlic clove. Turn off the heat after a few minutes. Let the Okra cool.
Add one green chili minced to the Okra once it has cooled. Stir until combined. Use a food processor or hand blender to blend the Okra. Be careful not to over-blend it, as this will turn the Okra into juice. The mixture should be thick and still have some okra pieces. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Here is the step that Weka and Molokhia share for flavoring: Tash-shah. There is no way to translate this. Tash-shah consists of dry coriander and fried garlic mince. It gives the weka Okra a wonderful flavor when added.
To prepare this dish, add a tablespoon of oil to a pan and then four garlic cloves minced. Stir until golden brown, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry coriander. Coriander should not be added before the garlic has been fried. It will burn if you do.
