Bharwan Bhindi | Stuffed Okra

Stuffed okra or bharwa bhindi is a delicious, popular Indian vegetable dish made by stuffing okra with aromatic spice mixture. The dish can be enjoyed with flatbreads like paratha, roti or as side dish with everyday meals.

Unlike most of the Indian vegetable dishes, this stuffed bhindi fry has no onion, no garlic and no tomatoes. The word bharwa means ‘stuffed’ in english and true to its name, the dish gets all its flavour and aroma from the spice mixture which we stuff inside okra or bhindi.

At my home, we love to have it with some hot parathas and yogurt or as side dish with Indian curries, dal (like masoor dal, dal fry), roti or rice. The stuffed okra recipe is simple to make and yet tastes so delicious. It is:

Vegan
Vegetarian
Gluten free
Easy, quick & wholesome
Made without onion or garlic

Stuffed Bhindi Ingredients:

Okra: Also known as lady’s finger or bhindi (in hindi), this green vegetable in known to be a good source of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. While buying it, always opt for fresh green okra without any dark spots. It should be firm not hard.

Spices: The stuffing is made by mixing commonly found spices in most Indian kitchens like coriander (dhania) powder, cumin (jeera) powder, red chilli powder, turmeric (haldi) and garam masala etc. Amchur or dry mango powder gives tangy taste to bhindi. You can adjust the amount of red chilli depending on how spicy you want the dish to be.

Apart from these, fennel or saunf powder is added to enhance the flavour of this dish by its sweet woody flavour. It will be better if you add it but it can be skipped also.

Oil: Use any ghee or any cooking oil of your choice like peanut oil, sesame or sunflower oil.

Herbs and Lemon Juice: Chopped herbs like coriander or cilantro along with freshly squeezed lemon juice are added before serving and instantly add fresh vibrant flavour to the dish.

Variations:

Each state in India has unique version of this dish with little variations. For instance in Maharashtrian style bhindi along with spices, grated coconut and ground roasted peanuts are used in stuffing. In Gujarati style, sesame seeds, peanuts and ginger-green chilli paste are added with freshly grated coconut.

If you want to add protein to the recipe, you can add 1-2 tbsp roasted besan (gram flour) or grated paneer in stuffing. To make gravy dish, you can prepare a onion tomato masala (as in this mushroom masala recipe) and then add the cooked stuffed okra in it.

Hope you would like & try this easy yummy stuffed okra fry recipe. More vegetarian / vegan recipes:

Ingredients:

Okra / Bhindi- 200 grams (7 to 8 oz)
Asafoetida (Heeng)- A pinch (optional)
Oil- 2 tbsp
For Stuffing:
- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)- 2 tsp
- Coriander powder (Dhania powder)- 2 tbsp
- Dry Mango powder (Amchur)- 1 tsp
- Fennel Powder (Saunf powder)- 1 tsp (optional)
- Red Chilli powder- 3/4 tsp (to taste)
- Turmeric powder (Haldi)- 1/4 tsp
- Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
- Salt- 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
- Oil- 1 tsp
For garnishing:
- Chopped Coriander / Cilantro- 1 to 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice-1 tsp

Directions:

Step 1:
Wash all the okra properly under running water. Spread them on a kitchen towel to dry completely. If you are short of time, you can scrub them with towel to dry quickly.

Step 2:
Chop the crown, tip of okra and make an incision or slit in the middle (without cutting it completely). Repeat this for all pieces and keep them aside.

Step 3:
Take all the spices for stuffing in a bowl and add 1 tsp oil to it. Mix well. We will use this masala mixture as stuffing. (If you want to add roasted besan, coconut, peanuts, seasame or ginger-chilli paste, add at this step.)

Step 4:
Take about 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture and fill it in the incision made on okra. Do it for all the okra one by one.

Step 5:
Heat some oil in a non stick pan. Add asafoetida (heeng) to it. Once it starts releasing its aroma, add stuffed bhindi to the pan while spreading them in single layer. Avoid overlapping if possible for even cooking.

Step 6:
Cover and let the bhindi cook on medium to low flame. Stir it after every 5-6 minutes. It takes around 13-15 minutes for it to cook. (Check an okra with a knife or spoon after 13 minutes. If you find resistance, cover and let it cook for 2-3 minutes more).

Step 7:
Once it is cooked, garnish with some chopped cilantro (coriander) and sprinkle lemon juice. Delicious stuffed bindi is ready. Serve it hot roti, paratha or naan.

Air fryer Stuffed Bhindi:

You can make this recipe in air fryer as well. Spray or brush oil on stuffed okra. Preheat the air fryer at 180°C (360°F) for 3-4 minutes. Transfer okra in air fryer basket and air fry at 180°C (360°F) for 12-13 minutes. (You can line the basket with parchment paper for easy cleanup later.)

Tips:

Keep the salt in okra stuffing on lighter side as it shrinks after cooking. Taste it once it is cooked. If after tasting, you feel the need to increase the salt then sprinkle some salt on top and mix gently.
Use a heavy bottom flat base pan for cooking as this way all the okra pieces gets cooked properly.
Any leftover bhindi can be stored in fridge in airtight container easily for 2-3 days.

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(Note: This post was originally published on Sep’10, 2017 and has been updated with better images and cooking tips.)

If you try this bharwa bhindi recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

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