🍲 Iraqi bamia
Iraqi bamia is a stew of lamb and okra in a tangy tomato sauce sharpened with dried lime (noomi basra) and plenty of garlic. The okra stays soft and whole, and the sauce is thick, sour and savoury. It is almost always served with white rice, often as part of a family lunch.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb on the bone, cut into pieces
- 500 g small okra, trimmed
- 3 tomatoes, grated, and 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 garlic cloves, whole
- 2 dried limes, pierced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Brown the lamb in the oil, cover with water and simmer for 1 hour, skimming the surface.
- Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, dried limes, salt and pepper.
- Add the okra and whole garlic and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Taste and adjust the sourness, then serve with white rice.
How to make it lighter
- Choose lean cuts and skim the fat during simmering.
- Keep the oil to one tablespoon — about 120 kcal for the whole pot.
- Serve a smaller rice portion and a bigger ladle of stew.
History
Bamia is one of the best-loved everyday stews (maraq) of Iraqi cooking, traditionally eaten with timman, Iraqi white rice.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →