By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(210)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Until lately, I hadn’t been a fan of okra. But then I learned how cooks in the eastern and southern Mediterranean treat this popular vegetable: they cook it whole, after tossing it with salt and vinegar and marinating it for an hour to make it less, well, slimy. Some regional cooks dry okra in the sun after salting it.Okra is low in calories, very high in dietary fiber, and a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins and the phytonutrients glutathione, xanthin, lutein and beta carotene. For the best texture and flavor, buy the smallest pods you can find. Okra is stewed with tomatoes and onions throughout the Middle East and in Greece, where the vegetable goes by its Arabic name, bamyeh or bamyies. Traditionally, the stews are made with about three times as much olive oil as I use here.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves four as a main dish with rice, six as a side
- 2pounds small okra
- Salt
- 1cup red wine vinegar
- ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2medium onions, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thin across the grain
- 3 to 4garlic cloves to taste, minced
- 1pound tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes, seeded and grated, or else peeled, seeded and chopped; or 1 14-ounce can, with juice
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1tablespoon tomato paste diluted in ½ cup water
- 1teaspoon ground allspice
- 1teaspoon sugar
- 2 to 4tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
- ¼cup finely chopped parsley
For the Mediterranean Okra and Tomato Stew
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
268 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 1147 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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For the Mediterranean Okra and Tomato Stew
Step
1
Trim the stems off the okra, and place in a large bowl. Salt generously, douse with the vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the okra, and rinse thoroughly.
Step
2
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet or casserole. Add the onions. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the okra, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until the edges begin to color. Add the garlic, stir together for about half a minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step
3
Stir in the dissolved tomato paste, allspice and sugar. Add water if necessary to just cover the okra. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes until the okra is very tender. Add the parsley and lemon juice, and simmer another five minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from the heat, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day ahead of serving. Reheat, or serve at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
210
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Cooking Notes
Marian V.
I like and cook okra. This is not too different from the stewed okra and tomatoes commonly cooked in the South. I think that either the marinating with salt and vinegar or the spices brought out the flavor of the vegetables more than most recipes.
Leela
A secret to avoiding slime in okra is this: handle it very gently at every stage--from picking (if you are so ambitious) right through the entire cooking process. Okra treated this way and cooked whole (not too long) is a tasty treat with wonderful textures in the skin and seeds. And no slime at all.
Greg
I recommend cutting larger okra in half or it will be tricky eating, or really follow the part about picking smaller okra if you have a choice (I didn't). Are there any green vegetables that don't work well braised in tomatoes with garlic and olive oil? I can't imagine there are many.
mu11e
I adore this recipe and think it’s a fantastic rendition of Greek bamias... evoking August evenings on the terrace in Athens. The lemon seals the deal. Upon discovering this recipe, I made it every Sunday for the 3 months straight I managed to find okra at my local farmers market.
Clickk
Used this recipe to do something with my CSA okra. I think that I would have liked it better if the okra was cut up. It was left whole and my son described it as looking like "lizard tails." Overall a good flavor but not a winner with my family.
Andrea
I added in a tablespoon of tamarind paste with the tomato paste mixture in order to balance the allspice a bit.
Priscilla
Not very different from my southern grandmother’s version. I love okra.
Mari
I look forward to this dish every summer when we get okra in our CSA. This dish is delicious over rice. I have made it with fresh tomatoes, but it also works with canned tomatoes. If I use canned tomatoes I usually use a 28 oz. can.
jj
This dish is SO good!!! I let the okra sit in the vinegar and salt for 4 days before I had time to rinse & cook it. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. We will make this dish again, for sure.
barbara z
My neighbor got okra in her CSA and didn’t want it. Bonus for me! I cut The pods into thirds, per earlier suggestion. I also used heirloom tomatoes and a little more tomato paste since I didn’t have enough tomato. Threw in a pinch of Aleppo Pepper. Accidentally over cooked by 15 minutes but oh my was it delicious with the browned caramelized bottom. The lemon juice let me deglaze the pan. Ate it with some crusty bread for dinner, and a big glass of red wine!
Candece
Absolutely loved this recipe! We always go to a Greek restaurant for Okra because my husband and 1 year old baby adore it. I was so pleased with the outcome of this recipe and it will definitely become a regular! I tried to peel fresh roma tomatoes but next time I think I would use a can of high quality tomatoes
revcornie
Okra is an acquired taste. Most folks overcook it. It’s best eaten al dente, but my departed mother would be aghast at my failure to cook it sufficiently for her taste. If you cook it too long, okra goes slimy. I won’t eat it then, and to my way of thinking, it’s overcooked. Tender, not dissolved, is the texture you seek.
mu11e
I adore this recipe and think it’s a fantastic rendition of Greek bamias... evoking August evenings on the terrace in Athens. The lemon seals the deal. Upon discovering this recipe, I made it every Sunday for the 3 months straight I managed to find okra at my local farmers market.
Grandmadoc
Why does this taste sweet? Didn’t add sugar. Is this why others added tamarind???
Cathy
This was a very tasty recipe. Not having all spice I used Chinese five spice mix. Absolutely delicious with no left overs.
Myrra
I made this with frozen, cut, bagged okra and did not do the salt and vinegar step. I found that the acid of the tomatoes and lemon juice eliminated sliminess. We ate it on rice and it was delicious!
David R
Is this recipe a candidate for the slow cooker? Has anyone try in the slow cooker? Thanks
Marian V.
When I made this dish today, I cut the okra in slices because they were a little large. Otherwise I made it following the recipe. I brought it to a simmer and left it while I worked in my office. I lost track of time and do not know how long it cooked but when I went to check on it, all the liquid had evaporated and it had a jam like consistency. The sugars had caramelized and it was absolutely delicious.
Tony
See also the Algerian Okra recipe. I already have the Algerian spice mix. Add 1/2 Tsp turmeric.
Casper Pike
Scrummy. I too added a tsp of tamarind paste to make it a little more savory . You could not definitely say there is allspice in there. Used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. If you cook simmer it the 50m, the whole okra pods are not an issue since they either open up or are very tender (and the pretty white seeds are not just released in bottom of pan). Makes a lot of prod. so I froze one half. With only 1/4 cup of olivie oil it is filling and low fat. After Bhindi Subzi this is a keeper
NYC
My boyfriend and I have made this dish about 4 times now. It is absolutely delicious. Having moved to NYC from the south, this dish reminds me of home. Classic okra and tomato stew. Great with rice and even couscous. Definitely recommend!
Casper Pike
I like the idea of rice turn it into a main. Heck I was also thinking pasta would work
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