Bamya (Middle Eastern Okra Stew with Beef)

Learn how to make Bamya – a delicious Middle Eastern okra stew with hearty chunks of beef. The flavors of this meal are cozy and warm from all the spices. It’s perfect to serve with vermicelli rice for a comforting meal!

okra stew with beef in bowl with vermicelli rice

A ladleful of the coziest Bamya.

Growing up, okra stew was probably one of my least favorite meals.

And now, it’s on repeat request when I’m visiting Mom because it’s absolutely delicious. It’s funny the things you take for granted as a child and how your food choices change significantly as an adult.

Okra taste like whatever you cook it in, so in this instance, it’s cozy from the warming spices, tomatoes, garlic cloves, and tomatoes.

I let the bamya bubble away on the stove so that the chuck roast gets nice and tender, cooking down with the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and all of the warming spices.

And don’t worry if you’re from the ‘okra has a slimy texture’ camp – I’ve got a little trick to keep that from happening! I’ll share it with you, and you’re going to love how this cozy bowl of okra stew that’s eaten all over Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine, turns out.

In the end, we brightened the okra stew with lemon juice and fresh cilantro. The results are phenomenal. Serve it in a bowl over tender rice, and it’s like a big hug for your insides—the best kind of cozy winter food.

Take it from someone who has a meat and potatoes-loving husband – he raves about this stew, too.

Ingredients to make Bamya

Olive Oil: You’ll need a splash of oil to brown the beef cubes, saute the aromatics, and then to fry the okra.
Stew Meat: You can use marbled beef stew meat or even a chuck roast broken down into 1 1/4-inch cubes. Sear the meat in batches to help create flavor in the pan before you stir it into the tomato base.
Yellon Onion: one medium chopped yellow onion gives the stew a nice base.
Garlic: you’ll need fresh garlic for this recipe. Just mince down about 6 cloves before you add it to the okra stew.
Tomato Paste: Helps give the beef a bit of color and enhances
Roma Tomatoes: Instead of choosing tomato sauce, I like using fresh tomatoes for this recipe. The tomatoes break down beautifully because we let the stew simmer for 45 minutes and it just gives this recipe the best flavor.
Seasonings: for the seasonings you’ll need kosher salt, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, allspice, ground cinnamon, white ppper and black pepper. Most of these spices are what is found in Labenese 7 spice. So it does make a decent substitute if you have that on hand. I typically have all the spices and not the mix, so I prefer to season the stew as written.
Beef Broth: You’ll need a couple cups of beef broth to let the beef chunks cook in the stew. Many recipes call for boiling the beef or using the instant pot to cook the protein and it works just fine. However, I feel when the meat it cooked down with the seasonings and tomatoes for a longer period of time, it creates a more flavorful dish. Not fast, but it’s absolutely delicious.
Pomegranate Molasses: adds a bit of tang and complements the tomatoes in the recipe. The natural sweetness in the molasses also adds a delicious taste to the bamya stew.
Baby Okra: I find that most Middle Eastern grocery stores sell frozen okra in the freezer section of the grocery store. I think you could also make this recipe with fresh okra pods, however, I’m unable to find them int he small size in my area. If you decide to use large okra and chop it, you do run the risk of having a slimy texture in the stew, so please do so at your own risk.
Lemon Juice: brightens the dish at the end.
Cilantro: adds brightness to the dish, both visually and with a mild taste of earthiness.
Vermicelli Rice: I like to serve this stew with homemade vermicelli rice. You start by sauteing the vermicelli noodles in a small spoon of ghee, then add the rice and saute it. Let the rice simmer in chicken broth, and watch how delicious it tastes! You can get the full recipe here.

seared beef in dutch oven with onions and tomatoes

Making Middle Eastern Okra Stew

Sear the meat. You want to start by searing the meat in batches over medium-high heat. Caramelizing the outside of the meat in the cast iron pot before sauteeing the aromatics creates a more flavorful dish than if you were to boil the meat separately. Remove the beef to a plate when browned.
Saute the aromatics. Once you have all that flavor, add a glug of oil and saute the onions until they are tender. Next, we’ll add the garlic and give it a few seconds to mellow before adding the tomato paste and the Roma tomatoes. Once the tomatoes cook down, we’ll add all of the seasonings. Letting the spices bloom in the oil is another way to ensure the stew is extra flavorful.
Simmer the stew. Add the cinnamon stick, beef chunks, beef broth, water, and molasses to the pot and bring the stew to a boil. Then, cover and lower the heat. Let the meat cook for 45-60 minutes. Low and slow is the way to go to really make a tender stew.
Saute the okra. when the stew is almost done, heat a skillet with a little olive oil and saute the okra until lightly golden on all sides. When the stew is done, we’ll add the vegetables to the stew and then adjust with seasonings as needed. Between the seasoned beef and the beef broth, you shouldn’t need too much extra salt.
Finish and serve it. Turn the stove off, then stir in the lemon juice and the chopped cilantro. Serve with cooked basmati or vermicelli rice.

Recipe FAQs

What is bamya in English?

Bamya is the Arabic word for okra.

How do you store leftovers?

Leftover okra stew should be stored in airtight containers in the fridge.

You mentioned pressure cooking the meat; can I do that?

You could, but the recipe would require both different cooking techniques and ingredient amounts (i.e., the beef broth amount would be different, as would the cooking time once the meat goes back into the Dutch oven.) For this reason, it’s best to follow the recipe as written the first time and then experiment with altering the recipe to utilize the instant pot.

Other stews to try:

Yield: serves 6