Bamia Mareg

Bamia Mareg
Iraqi Okra Stew

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove (or more) garlic, peeled and minced
Stew beef or lamb with or without bones (I usually use a little less than a
pound, but it depends on how many people you are cooking for.)
salt
pepper
noomi basra (optional)
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 bag frozen chopped okra, or chopped cleaned fresh okra (the BEST way
to make it is if your middle east store has frozen baby okra from Egypt in
their freezer section-- these are about 1 inch long and extremely delicious
and not fibrous like larger, older okras)
water


1. In olive oil in a saucepan, fry onion over medium heat until soft or
transparent. Add garlic and fry for a minute or two longer.
2. Add stew meat and brown. Add salt, pepper, and tomato paste, stirring
around so the paste breaks up and takes on a dark red hue (dont burn it!)
3. Add water and noomi basra; cover and boil gently over medium
fire for 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Alternatively, the meat may be browned
and boiled by itself until very tender, cutting out this step.
4. Add okra, and boil gently until tender and the stew is thicker than
a soup but thinner than a pasty stew.

** serve over bastmati rice, with a nice salad like fattouch**