Directions
Okra season is in full swing and this can be a good reason to prepare a healthy lunch for the whole family.
The choice of meat can be from chicken, beef or pork, or if you want a lighter portion without meat you can prepare it only from okra and rice.
The list of benefits of using okra is long, but before I share this recipe I would like to share my experience, and that I started using it more often and preparing it in meals because of a friend from the Mediterranean who often prepared meals with okra because of a recommendation from her doctor due to cancer recovery.
Okra is extremely healthy and if you can use it during the season it would be great for your health. You can also freeze it in half kg bags or you can sun dry it to have it throughout the whole year.
Half a kilogram of okra, cleaned and washed, is enough for one meal for a family of four, and if you prefer, you can prepare it as a whole pieces or cut into smaller pieces.
I suggest to use fresh tomatoes because we have them in abundance in the summer, so I recommend that you use peeled and blended, as this will give additional flavor to this dish.
Ingredients for 4 servings
500 grams of okra
500 grams of beef (cut into thin and small pieces)
250 grams of cooked rice
2 tomatoes (red, medium size)
1 head of onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
ground black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red pepper powder
1/2 tsp curry spice
1 tsp dry parsley
nutmeg to taste
3-4 dry bay leaves
olive oil
250 ml of water
Wash the okra and remove the stalks and tops. If you have the opportunity to find small okra then cook it whole, if you have longer okra you can cut it into smaller pieces.
Add the finely chopped onion to a pan over medium heat with olive oil and fry until translucent. Then add the meat to it.
Chop the beef beforehand into smaller, very thin pieces. Fry the meat for a short time with the onion, or around two to three minutes, and add the spices to taste and the chopped garlic.
Stir and add the okra pieces. On medium heat, fry all the ingredients for a few minutes, then add the blended tomatoes, water and bay leaves.
Cook over low heat, covered with a lid, for about 45 minutes, until the meat is nicely tender. Be careful not to overcook the okra and make it fall apart.
Meanwhile, cook basmati rice. Then add in a bowl (glass) coated with oil, press the rice, fill it and serve it in the middle of the plate.
After the okra is well cooked, remove the bay leaf and serve around the rice.
Have a good appetite!
