ii. In Cooking

The unripe fruit of bāmīa, which has a large amount of mucilage, is used in preparing certain dishes, including stews and casseroles. The fruit, or pod (12-15 cm long), is dark green, conical, tapered at one end, and contains numerous dark-colored seeds. Among Persian dishes that utilize bāmīa, are the following: Ḵᵛorāk-e bāmīa bā morḡ (okra with chicken), ḵᵛorāk-e bāmīa bā qeyma (okra with ground beef), ḵᵛorāk-e bāmīa bā gūšt (okra and lamb casserole), and ḵᵛorešt-e bāmīa (stewed lamb with okra). In preparing these dishes, the bāmīa is always first soaked in vinegar and salt water.