We know, we know, okra has a bad rep! If any dish can change your mind, this is it! The trick is to get the right kind of okra - the small ones. You can get them here. We used dried okra in this recipe and rehydrated them which works well! The lamb is aromatic, tender and juicy and the okra soaks up the rich tomato sauce.
Served with vermicelli rice, it really is comfort food at it's best.
Ingredients (feeds 4):
- 200g dried Okra - You can use fresh or frozen too, but increase the quantity accordingly (dehydrated stuff weighs less)
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Bay leaves
- 6 Cardamom pods (4 green, 2 black)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 4 Cloves
- 1 tbsp Baharat (aka 7 spice mix)
- 6 Lamb cutlets
- 6 cloves of Garlic (sliced into round discs)
- 1 tsp Harissa (optional, you could also substitute for chilli flakes)
- 30g Tomato purée
- 2 tins of plum tomatoes
- A pinch of Sugar
- Salt & cracked black pepper to taste
Method:
1. If the using dried Okra (like we are here), rehydrate them by simmering in lightly salted water along with a slice of lemon; once they have softened, drain & rinse in a colander and leave to dry.
2. Place the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and the baharat into a pot with some boiling water and add the lamb. Boil the meat in this liquor until tender - we used a pressure cooker to speed up the process.
3. While the meat is being cooked, place the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the okra until they have darkened in colour, but do not let them catch. If you wish to add some garlic and harissa at this stage you can - we did. Once your happy with the colour take them off the heat and leave in the pan.
4. In a fresh pan over a medium heat, combine the tomato purée, 2 tins of good quality plumb tomatoes and an equal amount of water. Blitz the mixture with a stick blender then add a pinch of sugar followed by the salt, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil then simmer gently on a low heat for 30 mins or until the meat is ready - be careful not to reduce the sauce too much, unless you prefer it thicker.
5. Once the meat is done, add the fried Okra, the lamb and a ladle of the cooking liquor to the tomato sauce.
6. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
We'd love to see your creations. If you try this recipe, do tag us @TheFoodInstatution
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