South Sudan | Stew

Bamia

Name: Bamia
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Sudan, East Africa
Ingredients: 700 g lamb, beef, or goat, cubed; 500 g okra, trimmed, left whole if small or sliced if large; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 whole onions, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 whole tomatoes, chopped; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground cumin; 3 cups water or meat stock; 1 whole lemon or lime, juiced; salt and black pepper, to taste

South Sudanese bamia, lamb and okra stew with tomato, onion, garlic, coriander, and a bright lemon finish.

Country

South Sudan

Region

East Africa

Time

110 min

Serves

Level

easy

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Stew

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to South Sudan

5 steps 20 min prep 90 min cook (check method) 110 min total easy

Brown meat

Season and brown the meat in oil until the edges color.

Brown meat 10:00

Build tomato base

Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, coriander, and cumin if using. Cook until the tomatoes soften.

Cook base 10:00

Simmer meat

Add water or stock and simmer until the meat is nearly tender.

Simmer meat 50:00

Add okra

Add okra and cook until tender and the stew thickens.

Cook okra 25:00

Finish

Stir in lemon or lime juice and adjust salt before serving.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 110 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Asida, kisra, rice, or flatbread

Regional lane

South Sudan national table. A structured South Sudan dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe illustrations

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Okra and meat stew in a tomato sauce; recipe illustration — Bamia finished dish · Recipe illustration

Chef board

Build the table around Bamia

Asida, kisra, rice, or flatbread

Best route from here

South Sudan national table

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