Vegetarian Stew of Okra – Bemieh Recipe

Okra is a commonly available veggie in Lebanon, and therefore the culture packs a few different ways of enjoying flavorful and rich sautes or stews made with it. Some of the traditional Okra recipes include the addition of meat (ground or chunks or lamb meat) along with a side  of rice and vermicelli.

In this post we’re featuring a basic vegetarian fried Okra recipe.

Serve the Okra stew with a side of rice.

Author: Esperance Sammour
Recipe type: Middle Eastern
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  40 mins
Total time:  50 mins

Try this simple and quick Lebanese saute of Okra

Ingredients

2 lbs of Okra
1 and ½ medium sized onions
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 large can of diced tomatoes (preferably firewood)
4 cloves of freshly peeled garlic, minced
2 bell peppers
A dash of Cayenne Pepper
A dash of salt
½ to 1 cup of Coconut Oil (or other oils) for frying

Instructions

1. Cut/discard the stems of Okra, rinse well, then let dry. Chop all the other vegetables and mince the garlic.
2. In a deep pot, fry the Okra in ½ cup of oil until they turn brownish, then place them on paper towels or in strainer to strain away the oil.
3. In the same pot, add 4-6 teaspoons of fresh oil and saute the onions and mushrooms until they turn golden/lightly caramelized. Add the bell pepper and saute for 3-4 more minutes.
4. Add the okra to the cooking pot, stirr well, then add the diced tomatoes and chopped tomatoes, the garlic, Cayenne peppers and salt, mix well and let stew on low heat for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
5. Serve hot or cold with a side of rice.