Spice up your midweek meals with this vibrant okra stew with fragrant rice: a flavourful combo of tender okra, warm spices and aromatic basmati, finished with fresh herbs and served with toasted pita. Comfort food that’s veggie-rich, satisfying and easy to make in under 40 minutes.
Okra stew with fragrant rice
Ingredients
- Okra stew
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 green chile, chopped
- 300 g okra, cut into 2cm rounds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Fragrant rice
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- To serve
- Fresh coriander
- 4 toasted pita
Instructions
For the Okra stew
Heat oil in a pot over a medium-high until shimmering. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until fragrant. Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes; if necessary, add a splash of water to pot to prevent the aromatics from catching and burning. Add the spices, season well and stir for 1 minute to toast.
Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 10- 15 minutes.Uncover and stir in lemon juice; adjust seasoning if necessary.
For the Fragrant rice
Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Toast cumin seeds for 1 minute. Add rice and cook until rice is fragrant and is coated with butter. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit, uncovered, for 10 minutes to let the steam escape. Gently fluff with a fork and stir through the herbs.
To serve
Serve stew with fragrant rice and toasted pita on the side.
Notes
FOOD TEAM TIP: Add some tinned white beans to the stew, such as cannellini or butter beans, to get your protein fix.
