Lebanese Bamieh - Okra and Beef Stew without Tomatoes

Enjoy this Lebanese bamieh recipe that my grandmother sometimes made when I was a child. It's simple and delicious served with rice.

I think okra is one of those love-it or hate-it vegetables. I grew up eating it so I love it. Whether it's Louisiana gumbo or jambalaya, even simple sauteed or fried okra is so tasty to me.

So today I'm sharing a Lebanese okra dish called Bamieh. It's an okra and beef stew that you serve over rice similar to Lubbe or the eggplant and beef stew I shared a while back.

One of the major differences is that there are no tomatoes in this one. In fact, if you search Google for Bamieh you will find most, if not all, have tomatoes in their stew. I'm sure that's delicious too. It's just not how my grandmother made it.

Like many Middle Eastern stews, it starts with beef cubes browned in olive oil with salt, pepper, and a dash of cinnamon. This one also has some crushed garlic too.

Then you need to add some beef broth or just water and let the beef cook until it is tender. You can use a pressure cooker or instant pot for this stage but if you're home and don't have those a big heavy pot works just fine.

Later you add the okra (fresh is best but frozen works too) lots of lemon and more garlic.

As with all the Lebanese stews we serve it with beautiful golden long grain rice that is made with a pinch of turmeric in the water.

If you're an okra lover this may be a new way to cook this tasty vegetable. I hope you love it.