BAMYA CORBASI
TURKEY
This soup is a specialty of Konya, the home of Jalal al-Dinn Muhammad Rumi, the great Sufi master—the kitchen was very important in Sufi teaching, and the place where disciples learned to submit to Sufi tenets. I was in Konya recently and I had this soup on an almost daily basis. Normally, it is made with meat, but it can also be made vegetarian as my friend Filiz Hosukoglu, whose recipe this is, sometimes does, substituting eggplant and zucchini for meat. When okra is used for drying, it is picked when still tiny, strung on long threads, and then hung to dry. You can see the “necklaces” of dried okra in the markets, either piled high on vendors’ stalls or hung in long strands. It is sold by weight and before you can use it, it needs to be boiled to rehydrate it. When doing this, it is a good idea to leave it on the string so that it is easy to fish out.
SERVES 4
1¾ ounces (50 g) dried okra
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
7 ounces (200 g) lean lamb, diced into small cubes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons mild Turkish red pepper paste
2 teaspoons pul biber
2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt
Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
Bread, for serving
1. Put the okra still on the string in a small pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble gently for 7 to 9 minutes, until the okra has plumped up and softened. Drain and let cool slightly before gently slipping the okra off the string.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so, then add the lamb and sauté for a couple of minutes to brown it. Stir in the tomato and pepper pastes. Add the pul biber, chopped tomatoes, 3 cups (750 ml) hot water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then add the okra. Cover the pot and let bubble gently for about 20 minutes, until both meat and okra are tender. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Serve hot with good bread.