Name: Greek Okra stew recipe with Tomatoes (Bamies Laderes)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 450g okra (frozen); 2 medium potatoes; 2 spring onions; 1/2 red onion; 1 clove of garlic; 1 carrot; 50ml olive oil; 1 teaspoon tomato paste; 40g white wine; 400g canned tomatoes; 100g vegetable stock; 300ml water; 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped; 2 teaspoons sugar; salt and pepper; oregano; 150 g feta cheese

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A delicious and super healthy Greek okra stew recipe (Bamies Laderes) with potatoes, cooked in rich aromatic tomato sauce! This Greek Okra stew is high in nutritional value and a low in calories, making it an ideal choice for a light vegetarian meal.

I remember when I was little my grand mother used to make me this Okra stew every Thursday. It was her way of de-toxing me and bringing some vegetables in my diet. But what I also remember is that it was not my favourite vegetable. However over the years I grew to appreciate it.

How to make the perfect Greek Okra Stew

Okra is an ingredient that is often under appreciated, but if you cook it the right way it’s definitely worth giving it a try.What most people don’t like about Okra is that if not cooked properly it can taste a bit slimy. This is because Okra contains soluble fiber, called mucilage which when comes to contact with water becomes gelatinous.

There are a few tricks that you can use to keep your Okra tasting delicious for your greek Okra stew.

How can I prevent my Okra from becoming slimy?

Firstly if you use fresh okra, try to only cut off the stems and keep the pod intact. That will prevent moisture from flooding in the Okra and turning that super nutritious fiber into mush.

You then soak it in vinegar for half an hour before cooking it, rinse it and pat dry it. Finally pan fry it over high heat till it’s browned on the outside. When you use it in the stew it will have almost no slime at all.

The second trick is to use frozen Okra. That is my personal favourite for making my greek okra stew as I still like it thickened, but don’t want the okra to fall apart while stewing it.

The key here is speed. Prepare all your vegetables first, sauté them, prepare your sauce and add the okra last to your stew. You only want it cooked as little as necessary for it to soften and not more.

What to serve your Greek Okra Stew with?

This stew has plenty of sauce and a delicious earthy texture. I love combining it with some salty strong feta cheese added right before serving.

Feta cheese complements the tangy tomato sauce beautifully and, because its cold, contrasts the warm stew when you bite into them! I also love a good few slices of home made bread (recipe) or pitas (recipe) to mop up that delicious sauce.

Looking for another delicious stew to try? Why don’t you take a look at my Greek Peas And Potato Stew (recipe) and delicious rustic potato stew (recipe). Fancy something with a bit more substance? Then try my delicious Beef stifado (recipe) and Beef and Orzo also known as Giouvetsi stew (recipe).