Mullah Bamia — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A rich, thick stew of fresh okra simmered with tomatoes, onions, and tender beef in a deeply spiced sauce. This beloved Sudanese stew is ladled over asida or kissra for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

500g fresh okra, trimmed
500g beef chuck, cubed
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, pureed
3 tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 dried lime
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups beef broth

Instructions

1 Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cubes in batches for five minutes until deeply seared on all sides, then set aside.
2 In the same pot, saute onions for eight minutes until golden. Add garlic, coriander, and cumin, stirring for one minute until fragrant.
3 Add tomato paste and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly to darken and concentrate the flavor before adding the pureed tomatoes.
4 Return beef to the pot, add broth and dried lime. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for forty minutes until beef is tender.
5 Add the trimmed okra to the stew, gently stirring to combine. Simmer uncovered for twenty minutes until okra is tender and the sauce thickens.
6 Season with salt and pepper, remove the dried lime, and serve hot over asida or kisra with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Did You Know?

Sudanese cooks have a special technique of sun-drying okra to preserve it for the dry season, creating a concentrated flavor that is prized in stews.