Braised Okra with Lamb Recipe

This stew is inspired by the Turkish dish Kuzu etli bamya, with okra and lamb in a spiced and herbed tomato broth.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
½ pound lamb or beef shoulder, trimmed of fat, cubed and patted dry
12 ounces frozen sliced okra
3 cups (about 2 medium) red bell pepper, diced
1½ cups (about 1 small) yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 tablespoon (about 3 cloves) garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
2 cups (500 milliliters) unsalted beef stock
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ cup flat-leaf Italian parsley or cilantro, chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

Before you begin: Wash your hands.

1. To a Dutch oven or braising pan on medium-high heat, add olive oil.
2. Add lamb or beef and spread out in a single layer. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside in foil.
3. Add okra to same pot and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned on all sides.
4. Reduce to medium heat and add pepper and onion.
5. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned on edges.
6. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper and sauté 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
7. Add meat back to pot with crushed tomatoes and stock and bring to low simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 hours or until lamb or beef is fork tender and a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) is reached.
8. Stir in lemon zest and juice, sugar and half the parsley or cilantro.
9. Serve over brown rice and top with remaining parsley or cilantro.

Nutrition Information

Serves 6
Serving size: 1 cup stew and ⅓ cup rice (305 grams)

247 calories, 10g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 25mg cholesterol, 584mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 9g sugar, 12g protein, N/A potassium, N/A phosphorus

This recipe originally appeared in Food & Nutrition Magazine^®, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.