021Okra in tomato sauce

Method

Classic stovetop lathera version. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread and a slab of feta.

You will need

• paring knife
• colander
• wide shallow cooking pot with lid

1. Trim the conical stem of each okra pod with a small sharp knife in a rotational motion, taking care never to puncture the internal seed capsule. 20 min Ready when: pods trimmed into smooth cone tops
2. Spread the trimmed okra in a wide colander, sprinkle with the coarse salt and red wine vinegar, toss gently, and leave in the sun or near a warm window for 30 minutes to reduce mucilage. 30 min Ready when: slight release of moisture and taut skin
3. Rinse the okra very gently under cold running water to remove excess salt, then pat dry thoroughly on clean tea towels. 5 min Ready when: okra dry to the touch
4. Warm 80 ml of the olive oil in a wide, shallow pot over medium heat, add the chopped onion, and soften gently for 6 to 8 minutes until translucent. 8 min Ready when: onions completely soft without browning
5. Stir in the sliced garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant. 1 min Ready when: paste deeply red and aromatic
6. Add the grated fresh tomatoes, sugar, a modest pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and warm water, bringing the mixture to a lively boil. 4 min Ready when: sauce bubbling evenly
7. Carefully arrange the dried okra in the sauce in a single snug layer, drizzle with the remaining 40 ml of olive oil, and gently swirl the pot by its handles rather than stirring with a spoon. 2 min Ready when: okra submerged in simmering sauce
8. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently without stirring for 30 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, until the okra is tender and the sauce has reduced to its oil. 30 min Ready when: okra fork-tender and sauce thickened with glistening oil
9. Stir in the chopped parsley by gently shaking the pan, remove from the heat, and allow to rest covered for 15 minutes before serving at warm room temperature. 15 min Ready when: sauce settled and resting

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Make ahead and storing

Best cooked a few hours in advance, as the flavours deepen as the dish cools.

Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Substitutions

• frozen baby okra for fresh okra. Skip the salting and vinegar maceration; add directly to the sauce from frozen.
• tinned chopped tomatoes for ripe tomatoes. Use 400 g of tinned whole peeled tomatoes pulsed until crushed.

Common mistakes

• Chopping off the okra stems straight across. Cutting into the seed cavity releases viscous sap into the sauce, turning the stew unpleasantly slimy.
• Stirring the pot vigorously with a spoon. Okra pods are fragile when cooked; stirring breaks them open and creates a mushy texture.

Regional variants

• Bamies sto fourno: finished in a wide baking dish in the oven until caramelized.
• Bamies me kotopoulo: braised with chicken pieces in Northern Greece and the Peloponnese.

About the dish

A cornerstone of the Greek summer lathera repertoire, okra braised in tomato sauce is eaten across mainland Greece and the Aegean. Okra entered Mediterranean cooking centuries ago, and home cooks developed the essential practice of trimming the conical caps without piercing the seed pod, followed by an acid bath in red wine vinegar. When baked or stewed gently with olive oil, sweet onions, and ripe grated tomatoes, the pods become meltingly tender rather than slimy.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, summer, lent.

Cousins elsewhere

• Zeytinyağlı bamya (Turkish). Both dishes rely on olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and an acidic pre-treatment to cook okra until tender without mucilage.
• Bamia bil zeit (Levantine). A similar summer vegetable braise stewed in olive oil with garlic, tomatoes, and coriander.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

343 kcal · protein 4.7 g · fat 28.2 g (saturated 3.8 g) · carbohydrate 21.8 g (sugars 8.1 g) · fibre 7.2 g · sodium 1769 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Rooted in classic mainland Greek home-style lathera cooking, emphasizing the careful cone-trimming and gentle pan-shaking technique..