The Mefraak: Cooking Okra with the Ancient Whisk
Okra stew recipes from Upper Egypt that pay close attention to the getting the texture right.
Introducing okra and the mefraak
Since the time of ancient Egyptians, bamia (okra) has been grown and eaten along the Nile as an important part of the local cuisine. And for hundreds of years mefraak has been used to blend the bamia into the perfect texture for soup and stew.
Okra (bamia) and flower (2020-09-12) by NawayaNawaya
The okra plant
The okra plant gives and gives. In season, okra plants are harvested daily. Farmers shuffle through the tall plants, and use gloves to protect themselves from the thorny pods. Young okra pods are soft and are cooked whole; if left to grow the pods become longer, thicker and their tiny seeds become more pronounced. At the end of the season, the largest pods are left to seed for the next planting season.
Two types of mefraak (2020-10-23) by NawayaNawaya
The magic of the mefraak
This ancient design survived the test of time, and is still used by contemporary Egyptians today. Households across Upper Egypt use it regularly to make a special okra dish. The mefraak is traditionally made out of wood or palm fronds and is held between the hands, and rubbed together to whisk the okra. Hence its name, bamia mafrouka.
Cooking Bamia mafrouka - a wonderful okra stew
Bamia mafrouka is an essential part of southern cuisine in Egypt. The okra dish anchored in an ancient cooking tool, might not be cooked using the mefraak that gave its name, but it continues to exist, and adapt to modern kitchen tools.
Adding chopped okra to broth (2020-04-28) by Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project.Nawaya
Step 1: chopping the okra
The larger pods are chopped into disks and used to cook weika, the renowned dish from Upper Egypt. The okra is cleaned and the tops and ends are removed from the pods.
A lot of fresh corriander (2020-04-28) by Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project.Nawaya
Step 2: boiling the okra and adding flavor
The chopped fresh okra is boiled in meat or poultry broth with hefty amounts of fresh coriander. Garlic cloves are smashed, some added to the okra, and some fried in ghee.
Step 3: using the mefraak
Women rub the mefraak handle between their hands, and continue whisking the bamia until they are satisfied with the texture of the weika dish.
Whisking the okra with the makhrata (2020-04-28) by Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project.Nawaya
It is an art using the mefraak. Women now-a-days use a whisk, as the traditional mefraak is not always available.
Dry okra flour (2020-08-11) by NawayaNawaya
Dried okra
Moving South, Nubian households eat weika all year round, not just fresh in the summer season. They dry the okra, and store it year round as an essential ingredient in their kitchen. They go a step further, and fully grind the dried okra into a powder before cooking it.
Using a mafraka - traditional whisk (2020-04-28) by Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project.Nawaya
Step 4: boiling and whisking to perfection
The dried, powdered okra is added to broth, and left to boil till it thickens. Women continually whisk it to reach the desired consistency.
A wekka lunch in Esna (2020-04-28) by Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project.Nawaya
Dinner is served
Bamia Mafrouka, or weika, can be enjoyed mixed with rice - but in Upper Egypt this tick stew is best with a loaf of fresh shamsi bread.
A passion for food
The Egyptian culture of cooking and eating food.
These materials were developed by the “Rediscovering Esna’s Cultural Heritage Assets” (RECHA) Project. The RECHA Project has given us permission to use the materials and distribute any modifications under a similar license.
For more information: www.facebook.com/Discover.Esna
Photos credits to (Xenia Nikolskaya, Amr Abd El-Rahman , Ahmed Dream) @ 2018 Takween-ICD
As well as Amr Hady
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