Near the Mediterranean Sea, Jordan shares many of the regions culinary traditions, such as fresh veggie based dishes filled with healthy fats like olive oil.
With only a handful of ingredients, Bamia comes together quickly and easily. While traditionally made with lamb, goat, or chicken, my recipe is a vegetarian version. Serve over rice, with fresh bread, or on its own. It's a quick meal for a Kiva Fellow on the go!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh okra stemmed and washed
3 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Bread or rice optional
Directions
1) Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium high heat with chopped garlic. Cook till garlic begins to brown, remove from heat.
2) Place chopped tomatoes, cooked garlic, and okra in a non-stick baking dish. Drizzle tablespoon of olive oil over top. Sprinkle with salt. Broil in oven until okra browns (chars), remove from oven. Charring gives this dish its unique, rich flavor, so this step is critical!
3) Add a 1/3 cup of water to the baking dish, stir, and replace in oven at 400F for 10 minutes.
4) Salt and pepper to taste.
5) EAT!
About the author
Nadia Al-Absy
Nadia grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, a city she loves for many reasons, including that driving from one end to the other takes just 25 minutes. While attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nadia earned her BA in International Studies with concentrations in Business Management and Middle Eastern Studies. When she was a student, she studied Arabic abroad in the occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and at the Critical Language Scholarship's institute in Rabat, Morocco. She also spent time studying politics, religion, and economics in Turkey. During her travels, she was inspired by entrepreneurs who managed to create opportunity out of nothing, like a woman she met selling flowers on a street in Rabat's old city. Instead of begging alongside Morocco's large homeless population, this woman took control of her own destiny and runs her own business. Nadia would like to help others do the same. After graduating from UNO, Nadia began managing accounts receivable for a Halal certifier in the US which approves meat and poultry producers to export to the Middle East. She looks forward to shifting her focus to empowering individuals during her Kiva Fellowship. After her fellowship, she plans to pursue a master’s degree. In her downtime, she is an avid runner, reader, and country line dancer.