I found today’s recipe on ToriAvey.com and you should go give it a look see to get some good stuff off of it. I’m pretty sure “bamya” is just “okra” in Turkish I believe, and I was going to title this “Middle Eastern Okra” because that’s what she had, but you’ve read this far so now you know it as bamya instead. What I’m trying to say is, I hope I have not butchered the language. Let’s get to the grub.
Unlike the gumbo, you leave the okra fairly intact minus the little tail and cap since we will be cooking them whole. The preparation of this all made me nervous because, again, nopales were cooked with tomato and onion much like these and those did not make an impression on me. I powered through because there was the promise of spicy at the end and anybody who knows me knows my food list goes:
- Hot sauce
- Green onions
- Hot Dogs
I am a simple woman.
My ratio of okra to sauce was a bit off but I figured more flavor the better and I let the cayenne pour a little heavy. This was all pretty simple too, you just cook some chopped onion and garlic in oil, throw in okra and pour on the sauce and let it simmer for about half an hour and you’re done. It was pretty neat to be cooking these whole, it felt slightly like a witch’s brew for some reason, they do slightly resemble fingers.
These turned out absolutely delightful really. I had to take a swig of water after the first bite but I loved it. I also couldn’t really bite into it but had to eat them whole which is ok but just fair warning. I think that depends on how long you cook them and how big and tough your okra is too. I’ve never had spicy okra and I think I want them to always be spicy now. You can also cut back on the spices and have a warm little tomato-y garden dish and I think you will be pleasantly pleased with the results as well. Go get you some.
Try 52 