Okra Ladies Fingers Stew (or Bamia/Bamya in Arabic) is the ultimate comfort food, loaded with tender lamb and tasty baby okra in a delicious tomato-based stew. The stew only needs 20 minutes to cook. During that time, you can prepare the Vermicelli Rice, which is traditionally served with this okra stew.
Why This Recipe Works
This Okra Ladies Fingers Stew recipe is a spinoff of my original Bamya recipe. While the lamb and the okra in this stew are always tender, they literally melt in your mouth when cooked in a pressure cooker.
In this new recipe, the stews cooking time is reduced from one and a half hours to just 30 minutes. Although I used my Ninja Foodi, this recipe is flexible enough to be prepared in an Instant pot or on the stovetop, if you're not in a hurry. Just follow the cooking instructions in this Bamya post.
Another difference you'll find in this Okra Ladies Fingers Stew recipe is that I increased the amount of meat from 1 to 1-½ pounds. I made this adjustment so that there's plenty of meat to go around. I don't know if you can relate or not, but around here, it seems like when there's a leftover stew, the meat is usually all gone.
So if you have a pressure cooker collecting dust on a shelf, it's time to dust that baby off; we're making Okra Stew!
What Goes into This Recipe
Recipe Ingredient Notes
- Okra/Bamia — Frozen baby okra can be found in most Middle Eastern markets. Although this recipe specifically calls for frozen baby okra, fresh is always preferred. Just make sure they are as tiny as possible.
- Lamb — There is a widely held belief among many of my Assyrian friends that Okra Stew is best when cooked with lamb instead of beef. I have to agree. I will let you make the call, however, if you don't have any preference, definitely use lamb!
- Cayenne Pepper — Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the stew to your preference.
How to Make Okra Ladies Fingers Stew
- Season meat with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using.
2. Add oil to the pressure cooker and choose "saute." Once the oil is hot, add the meat and sear for a few minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes longer.
3. Dissolve tomato paste into 3-½ cups of hot water. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into the pressure cooker and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
4. Next, add the diced tomatoes and okra, stir once more. Lock the lid into place and set the vent to "Seal." Select "Pressure Cook" and set the time to 20 minutes. Prepare the vermicelli rice while the okra stew is being cooked.
Note: The Instant pot will take approximately 5 minutes to come to pressure.
5. When the 20 minutes are up, do a "quick release" to release the pressure. When all the steam is released, remove the cover and stir once more.
6. Okra Ladies Fingers Stew (Bamia) is served over rice with a plateful of herbs and scallions on the side.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus or Abelmoschus bammia) might be the most common name in the U.S., however, in some English-speaking countries, it is also known as "Lady fingers" or "Ladies' fingers."
The most obvious reason for this name is due to the shape of this edible, seed-bearing pod. The long, slender, and tapered ends of the okra pods make them similar in shape and size to the average ladies' fingers.
However, this is not the case with the baby okra that's used in this recipe. Baby okra are approximately 1" to 1-½" in length compared to the average okra, which can be anywhere from 2" to 6" or bigger.
Okra has a unique flavor that's mild when raw but the flavor really develops when okra is cooked. Although many dislike okra because they assume okra has to be slimy, that is not the case. The smaller the size of the okra, the less slimy they are. Interestingly, okra slime has its perks according to this post from Amanda Stone.
- Before using frozen baby okra, make sure to rinse the okra in a colander under running cold water to remove any frost that may have formed on the okra.
- If you're worried about over-cooking the okra, try adding it after the stew has cooked for 20 minutes. Add the okra and choose the "saute" setting, then cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Pickled baby okra may also be used (and can be purchased in most Middle Eastern markets). If using pickled okra, be sure to follow the steps above so it does not overcook.
- In the Middle East, Bamia is sometimes served over torn chunks of bread instead of rice. A great way to make use of stale bread!
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Okra Ladies Fingers Stew with Lamb
Ingredients
- 1½ tsp vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds lamb (cubed into large chunks)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or less)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3½ cups hot water
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 medium tomato (chopped)
- 1 bag frozen baby okra (14 ounces) (or 1 lb. fresh baby okra)
Instructions
- Season meat with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using.
- Add oil to the pressure cooker and choose "saute." Once the oil is hot, add the meat and sear it for a few minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes longer.
- Dissolve tomato paste into 3½ cups of hot water and stir in lemon juice. Pour into the pressure cooker and stir to incorporate the ingredients.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes and okra, stir once more. Lock the cover into place and set the vent to "Seal." Select "Pressure Cook" and set the time to 20 minutes. Prepare the vermicelli rice while the okra stew is being cooked.
- When the 20 minutes are up, do a "quick release" to release the pressure. When all the steam is released, remove the cover and stir once more.
- Okra Ladies Fingers Stew (Bamia) is served over rice with a plateful of herbs and scallions on the side.
Notes
- Before using frozen baby okra, make sure to rinse the okra in a colander under running cold water to remove any frost that may have formed on the okra.
- If you're worried about over-cooking the okra, try adding it after the stew has cooked for 20 minutes. Add the okra and choose the "saute" setting, then cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Pickled baby okra may also be used (and can be purchased in most Middle Eastern markets). If using pickled okra, be sure to follow the steps above so it does not overcook.
- In the Middle East, Bamia is sometimes served over torn chunks of bread instead of rice. A great way to make use of stale bread!
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