Today I’m sharing a third and final recipe from my Modern Flavours of Arabia review – Okra and Sautéed Tomatoes or Bamia bil zeit. Okra is not something I’ve cooked with before, in fact I’d never tried okra before either. As I’m always looking to explore my culinary tastes that immediately drew me to wanting to try this recipe.
Okra, sometimes referred to as “lady’s fingers” is a flowering plant from the mallow family, with the edible part of the plant being the seed pod. Available in both green and a dark red colour, okra is low in calories, with only 30 cal per 100 g.  It also contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, is a rich source of dietary fiber and is high in vitamin C and vitamin k.  When cooked, okra releases a sticky substance, sometimes referred to oh so enticingly as slime or goo, that can be used to thicken soups and stews.
This recipe contains a good deal of garlic, which I adore, but surprisingly when I tasted the finished dish it didn’t taste anywhere near as garlicky as I expected. And as per the suggestion in the book, it does taste better the next day when the flavours have had a chance to develop.
By the way, don’t forget to enter my Modern Flavours of Arabia giveaway for your chance to win this beautiful cookbook.
So tell me, have you tried okra?
Ingredients
- 10 cloves of garlic finely sliced
- 4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g of okra
- 6 tomatoes chopped
- 1 cloves head of garlic separated and unpeeled
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of allspice
- 2 tbs sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic and sauté until the garlic is soft. Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently, so as not to break. Add the chopped tomatoes, unpeeled cloves of garlic, cinnamon, allspice, sugar, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes .
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
That looks absolutely YUM!! I love all-spice and never thought of using it in an okra recipe 🙂
Magic of Spice says
I adore both okra and garlic, so I am very much wanting to try this dish! It looks so delicious, and as always…beautiful photos!
Faye says
Thank you for posting this glorious picture and recipe of Okra and Tomatoes. Being a USA Southerner , we eat the stuff with the flair you have presented here. The all spice and cinnamon… maybe I’ll try.
Aunt Clara says
I grew up eating okra, and have a couple of recipes in my own blog, but I have to admit yours look absolutely scrumptious. I will have to try this.
Cherine says
One of my favorite dishes!
Asmita says
My mouth is watering looking at these pictures. Yummy!!!
thelittleloaf says
I absolutely love okra but my success with it has been mixed – sometimes I’ve found that sliminess just overpowers what I’m making. In the right hands though, and with the right recipe, it’s delicious. Definitely going to try this stew, it looks right up my street!
msihua says
I love Okra! Or as we call them, ladies fingers.. mMmmmmmm
[email protected] says
I quite like Okra but usually eat it out or at my friends mother’s house who makes something very similar to this recipe. It is delicious but I didn’t know it had so many added health benefits 🙂
Amanda says
I was frightened by a meal containing okra when I was young and impressionable and am still very cautious about it now, but your pics are just amazing Jen!
cc11 says
I have also never tried okra before, but if I see some now I have a recipe to try out 🙂
Rosa says
A fabulou dish! I have never cooked okra.
Gorgeous pictures!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Yum!