Turkish Okra with Olive Oil Recipe: Easy & Homemade
Turkish okra with olive oil (zeytinyağlı bamya) simmers fresh okra with onion, tomato, and lemon. Serve it warm or cold. Serves 4 to 6.
Turkish okra with olive oil (zeytinyağlı bamya) is a summer vegetable dish where fresh okra simmers slowly with onion, tomato, paste, and lemon juice in plenty of olive oil. You saute the onion and tomato paste first, add tomatoes, then the okra, and let everything cook over medium heat until the okra is soft.
Light, refreshing, and healthy meals are preferred on our tables during the summer months, especially when the weather is hot. In such cases, the first thing that comes to our mind is olive oil. Okra is one of the most popular vegetables of the summer months. You can store okra, which is a complete health store, in the freezer while it is fresh or dry it for the winter months. For more dishes in this style, see our Turkish recipes collection and the wider Turkish cuisine overview.
Turkish Okra with Olive Oil Recipe
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 600 gr fresh okra
- 1 medium onion
- 3 large tomatoes
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ tablespoon pepper paste
- ½ lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ cup hot water
Method:
- Dice the peeled onions and tomatoes.
- Using a knife, remove the stems of the okra. Be careful not to cut too close to the okra. Wash the okra thoroughly with water.
- Put olive oil, tomato paste and onions in a medium saucepan. Saute until the onions are lightly pink.
- Add the diced tomatoes. Mix and cover with a lid.
- When the tomatoes begin to soften slightly, add your okra. Stir gently, add salt, lemon juice and sugar.
- Add water to the pot and cook over medium heat until the okra is soft and cooked through.
- Your dish can be served hot or cold. Enjoy your meal.
- If you are going to serve your cold in a cold way, you can pour olive oil on it and sprinkle with fresh chopped dill.
Want to taste this style of home cooking in Istanbul before you make it? On our Taste of Two Continents tour we eat our way through the Spice Market breakfast, cross the Bosphorus by ferry, and end in Kadıköy with a local guide and a group capped at 10. We have run food tours since 2013, hosting more than 50,000 guests at 4.95 out of 5 from over 7,800 reviews.
