by MAJIDA MEHANA

The following family recipe is a delicious and easy method to prepare the vegetarian dish of Okra with Olive Oil (Bamieh BiZeit).

Ingredients:

Okra: Half a Kilogram.

Onion: 1 large size onion diced into small pieces.

Pepper: One sweet pepper diced into small pieces.

Tomatoes: 5 diced medium sized tomatoes.

Garlic: Four to five ground cloves.

Salt: Half a teaspoon, add to taste.

Water: 150 to 200 ml.

Olive oil: Two spoons, add to taste.

Vegetable oil.

Spices: A pinch of cinnamon and 7 spices (see note below). If not available, add black pepper and paprika to taste. A quarter to half a teaspoon.

Serving: Add to taste:

• Pita bread.
• Green onions, continental mint, olives, radish, and yogurt at the side.
• Seven spice mix, black pepper, and/or cumin. The “seven spice mix” is common in stores that sell Lebanese food or Middle Eastern products. The Lebanese seven spice mix can change from a store to another. In general, it is a mix of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Preparing the okra:
The okra should be soft and small. Remove a part of the head by cutting in a circular motion leaving a small tip. Do not cut into the pod. Wash quickly and dry well in a strainer.

Steps:   

• Fry the okra in vegetable oil.
• In a second pan, fry the diced onion on medium heat using a mix of olive oil and another vegetable oil. Have enough oil to just cover the onions.
• After couple minutes, add the pepper, garlic, salt, and spices. If the 7 spices mix is not available, add paprika and black pepper.
• Stir the mix until the onions start to become yellow and cooked.
• Add the diced tomatoes to the mix, taste and add more salt and spices as needed.
• Heat 150 to 200 ml of water separately.
• Add the okra and water to the mix.
• Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for around 15 minutes.

Serving:

• The dish is served cold with pita bread, green onions, continental mint, olives, and/or radish.
• Yogurt can also be added at the side.

The dish is served at lunch with bread. Often, Okra is cooked with meat when served with rice. People who are vegetarian might like to have it with rice as well.

Enjoy!

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