Lebanese style okra aka bama bil zeit braised in tomatoes, cooked in olive oil, flavored with onions and garlic and served with Arabic bread as a light vegetarian meal, it is full of agreeable flavors.
Growing up with a Lebanese mother and granny means eating very well!
Because of my mother and granny, we always had great food on our table. Growing up, mom cooked a range of Lebanese dishes, from meaty stews to simpler vegetarian oil based dishes that were frugal and used the most cheap ingredients possible like okra braised in tomatoes aka bamia bil zeit; a modest enjoyable main that I still make regularly; other than all the virtues, it is vegan and gluten-free.
What is Bamia Bil Zeit?
Bamia bil zeit translates to okra in oil. In Lebanon and the Middle East there is a wide variety of vegan stews refered to as “bil zeit dishes” meaning no meat is involved, and the fat content in those stews is the liquid gold of the Mediterranean which everyone knows as olive oil. Just take a brief look at the ingredient list and there is no need to explain how healthiful bamia bil zeit is, just lke most Mediterranean plant centered dishes.
Ingrediets Needed to Make Bamia Bil Zeit:
- Fresh Okra: preferably the baby ones, and if it’s not in season, use frozen okra.
- Onion: Use white or red, both work well.
- Garlic cloves:
- Olive Oil: use a good brand
- Fresh tomatoes: Use fresh ripe red tomatoes, starting with good quality tomatoesto offer flavor and texture.
- Tomato paste: Just to bit to add more color.
- Salt: For seasoning.
- Water: To thin a bit the tomato paste
- Pomegranate molasses: Add it to balance the dish with a sweet and tangy undertone, it is optional, but recommended.
- Crushed Red Habaneros, to lend heat, spice and flavor, optional
- Ground corriander (cilantro): This adds an agreeable flavor and a more earthy rich aroma, optional
Baby Okra are the best to use in this recipe!
Try to put your hands on baby okra for best results, a compact, dwarf variety used in Lebanon and the Middle East that are more tender with smaller edible seeds. If you can’t find them, try to select the smaller pods at your market to avoid a woody bamia.
Can I use frozen Okra?
Okra is a seasonal vegetable that thrives in hot weather where its peak season is in summer, when fresh okra is available in the market I make bamia bil zeit with fresh okra, and I use frozen in the off-season; the flavor would be still ok, and no need to thaw the frozen okra, treat it here just the way you cook fresh okra, so it’s an afordable dish year-round.
Why do I need to fry or roast the okra before stewing in tomatoes?
Frying or roasting okra first is a great way to build flavor and stop slime. My mom used to deep fry them before adding them to the stewed tomatoes, but I found roasting them in the oven or air-frying them would do the job perfectly, without using those unhealthy hydrogenated oils.
Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh?
Though I would prefer to use fresh tomatoes, but still it is doable with canned tomatoes.
How to make bamia bil zeit?
- Clean and trim the okra: Trim about 1/4 inch/0.6 cm off the top of the okra, while reserving its conical shape (watch the video tutorial), wash and drain.
- Roast the okra: Okra needs to be roasted or fried to get rid of its slippery texture, I am going to keep it healthy and roast in the oven, and the result is good as well. Toss the okra with salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the okra in a single layer and bake in the oven of 230 °C/ 450 °F until golden brown, flipping midway through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down a bit.
- Peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and make a shallow x, using a knife, on each tomato. Drop them in boiling water for a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool down, use your fingers to peel the tomatoes.
- Make the red tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a pot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, till transparent, add the crushed or sliced garlic, give a quick stir and cook for 30 seconds, make sure not to burn the garlic (garlic burns easily). Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Stir in the water and tomato paste, stir well to infuse everything together, season with salt, ground coriander and crushed Habaneros (if used).
- Stew the roasted okra: Add the roasted okra to the pot and let it simmer, covered, on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. And if you’re a pomegranate molasses lover, drizzle 3 tablespoons or more to provide the bamia with a sweet and tangy undertone, add a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
How should I serve bamia bil zeit?
- Lebanese Bread/ Arabic Bread: This is the classic Lebanese pairing, and my favorite way of enjoying bamia bil zeit.
- White rice: Serve it over a bed of white rice as a vegan main.
- Another way to enjoy leftovers! If you have leftovers, smother an Arabic bread round with red pepper paste on one side and on the other side add the leftover braised okras, fold it up and enjoy.
Luckily in Lebanon we have a meat based okra stew and a vegetarian one that is equally good for nonmeat lovers.
Looking for more plant-based Lebanese stews? We got you covered!
If you make Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine Bamia Bil Zeit, kindly rate the recipe and leave a comment below. This will be helpful for future readers and if you snapped some photos, share them on Facebook, I would love to see your creations.
Okra Braised in Tomatoes/ Bamia Bil Zeit
Description
Ingredients
- 1 kg/ 2lb 2 oz fresh okra
- 2 medium sized onions finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves sliced or crushed
- 10 medium sized red and firm tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil+ 4 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
- 3 or more pomegranate molasses optional
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cilantro/ coriander
- Crushed red Habaneros or chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Clean and trim the okra: Trim about 1/4 inch/0.6 cm off the top of the okra, while reserving its conical shape (watch the video tutorial), wash and drain.
- Roast the okra: Okra needs to be roasted or fried to get rid of its slippery texture, I am going to keep it healthy and roast in the oven, and the result is good as well. Toss the okra with salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the okra in a single layer and bake in the oven of 230 °C/ 450 °F until golden brown, flipping midway through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down a bit.
- Peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and make a shallow x, using a knife, on each tomato. Drop them in boiling water for a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool down. Use your fingers to peel the tomatoes.
- Make the red tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a pot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, till transparent, add the crushed or sliced garlic, give a quick stir and cook for 30 seconds, make sure not to burn the garlic (garlic burns easily). Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Stir in the water and tomato paste, stir well to infuse everything together, season with salt, crushed Habaneros (if used) and ground cilantro.
- Stew the roasted okra: Ass the roasted okra to the pot and let it simmer, covered, on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. And if you're a pomegranate molasses lover, drizzle 3 tablespoons or more to provide the bamia with a sweet and tangy undertone. Serve it with Lebanese bread, pita bread, white rice or rice and vermicelli.
Notes
- Lebanese Bread/ Arabic Bread: This is the classic Lebanese pairing, and my favorite way of enjoying bamia bil zeit.
- White rice: Serve it over a bed of white rice as a vegan main.
- Another way to enjoy leftovers! If you have leftovers, smother an Arabic bread round with red pepper paste on one side and on the other side add the leftover braised okras, fold itup and enjoy.
