Family recipe with a twist: Bamyeh (okra stew)

The twist for this dish is I serve it with buckwheat groats instead of rice. Buckwheat is a great source of fibre and is gluten free and wheat free. It replaces most of my former carb intake, which consisted of pasta, rice and wholemeal bread. The perfect thing is it doesn't bloat you, it doesn't raise your blood sugar levels and it slowly releases energy keeping you fuller for longer.

Bamyeh is a traditional dish from the Middle East that my mum used to make all the time growing up. I hated vegetables at the time, but for some reason okra never registered as a vegetable to me as it was so ingrained in my everyday.

So here's the dish, please let me know if you have any questions.

Ingredients:

200g okra (also called lady fingers)
150g cubed lamb shoulder (you can cut these into smaller pieces if you like)
1 x head of garlic
1 Tbsp mixed spice
1 Tbsp Himalayan sea salt
1 Tbsp white pepper
1 x lemon
2 Tbsp tomato concentrate
1 x tin of organic chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried coriander
2 Tbsp of olive or rice bran oil
4 cups of water
150g Buckwheat groats - (to be cooked just like rice)

Directions:

1. Boil buckwheat groats with water and a pinch of salt as if you were cooking rice, once cooked set aside
2. For the stew, crush a whole head of garlic and chop okra into smaller pieces if they are too big
3. Cut up lamb shoulder or whatever cut you like (can even make it with beef) and add to a pot to quickly sear it
4. Add okra with half the garlic to the pot and add mixed spice and pepper
5. Pour water over it and let it boil for a bit
6. Skim off any scum on top of the water to make sure the broth is clear
7. Cook for around 10 mins then add a tin of tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of tomato concentrate
8. Let cook for another 20-30 mins.
9. In a fry pan cook the remaining garlic with lots of olive oil and a tablespoon of dried coriander (you could also use rice bran oil)
10. Add to the pot of okra stew
11. Add salt to taste
12. Serve with buckwheat groats and a lemon wedge as lemon brings out the flavour