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1
Soften the onion and garlic
6 minutes
Medium heat 160°C (320°F)
Warm the olive oil (45 ml) in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat, about 160°C (320°F). Add the onion (150 g) and cook for 5 minutes until soft and pale gold, then add the garlic (12 g) and cook for 1 minute more until it smells sweet.
Keep the garlic moving — browned garlic turns bitter and the whole stew tastes of it.
Done when: Onion soft and pale gold, garlic fragrant, not browned.
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2
Build the tomato sauce
7 minutes
Medium heat 160°C (320°F)
Stir in the tomato paste (30 g) and cook for 2 minutes until it darkens a shade, then add the chopped tomatoes (400 g), the sugar (5 g), the salt (5 g) and the red pepper flakes (2 g). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes collapse into a thick sauce.
Frying the paste first takes away its raw, tinny taste and deepens the sauce.
Done when: Tomatoes collapsed into a thick, deep red sauce.
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3
Add the okra, water and lemon
3 minutes
Simmer 95°C (200°F)
Lay the trimmed okra (500 g) into the sauce in a single layer if you can, pour in the hot water (300 ml) and the lemon juice (30 ml), and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not stir hard — shake the pot gently instead so the pods stay whole.
Adding the lemon juice now, rather than at the end, helps keep the okra firm and cuts the slime.
Done when: Okra sitting in sauce, liquid just simmering, pods unbroken.
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4
Simmer gently until tender
25 minutes
Low simmer 90°C (195°F)
Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer gently for 25 minutes until the okra is completely tender when pierced with a knife and the sauce has thickened around it. Lift the lid once halfway through to shake the pot, but do not stir with a spoon.
If the sauce gets too thick before the okra is tender, add a splash of hot water — never cold, which shocks the pods.
Done when: Okra tender right through, sauce thick and glossy, pods still whole.
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5
Rest and serve
5 minutes
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the dried mint (2 g) over the top, taste for salt and lemon, and serve warm with bread or rice — or cool it to room temperature for the classic olive-oil style.
Bamya tastes even better the next day, once the lemon and tomato have had time to settle into the okra.
Done when: Stew rested, mint scattered, sauce glossy, flavours balanced.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Taste and adjust before serving: a little more lemon if you want it brighter, a pinch more sugar if the tomato is too sharp. Serve warm with the lemon wedge on the side, or cool it to room temperature for the classic olive-oil style — either way, spoon plenty of the tomato sauce over the top.
Turkey
50m
