In a large and heavy-bottomed 5-quart stockpot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and onions. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes.**
Stir in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomato sauce, beef broth, and salt and pepper.
Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then cover and turn the heat down to low, keeping the dish at a steady simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.
Stir in the okra, cover again, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
*You can use frozen chopped onions, but then they will release quite a bit of water into the pan, preventing the meat from browning. It will still be delicious (you can see in the video below that's how I made it for the video). But if using frozen onions, consider cooking the meat separately, then removing it and adding the onions.**The stockpot will be a bit crowded, so if you'd like you can cook in batches - two batches for the beef, setting it aside, then cook the onions. But I'm a super lazy cook so I just cook them together with excellent results.If you'd like a thicker stew, there are two ways to achieve that: 1. Cook the stew partially covered to allow some of the liquids to evaporate. 2. Stir in cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water, then stir the slurry into the stew.You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.