Bharwan Bhindi ki Sabzi Recipe

I love bhindi. In any form. Bharwan bhindi. Bhindi masala. Bhindi do pyaaza. Dahiwali bhindi. Anything works.

Stuffed Okra Masala - Bharvan Bhindi Sabji - Stuffed Lady's Fingers Recipe

Yesterday I made two sabjis: Bagara Baingan for dinner and Bharwan Bhindi for his lunch.  He comes straight to kitchen when he comes home from work, so when I told him what’s for dinner he said “jab bhindi hai toh main aur kuch thode na khaunga” (translation: when there’s okra, there’s no way I’m eating anything else!”).

 

I have cooked several kinds of Bharwan Bhindi Sabji (Stuffed Okra Masala) in the past.  For instance, with only powdered spices: like cumin + coriander + fennel seed + dry mango + red chili powder + garlic powder + turmeric + salt.  Dry roasting, then stuffing the mixture in the okra, then stir-frying them in oil.

Stuffed Bhindi with only spices

Or the other kind of filling, from Tarla Dalal’s recipe 'Bhinda Sambhariya': grated coconut + chopped cilantro + grated ginger + chopped green chilies + coriander-cumin powder + sesame seeds + turmeric powder + lemon juice + garam masala + salt + sugar.  Stuffing in bhindi then cooking them covered in oil.

Stuffed Bhindi with coconut and spices

And some other combinations here and there.  But the only one super hit stuffing for Bharwan Bhindi has been with tomato, and that’s the only one worth sharing with you here.

Stuffed Bhindi with tomato and spices mixture

What you’ll need for Bharwan Bhindi / Stuffed Okra Masala / Stuffed Lady Fingers:

Serves only 2 hungry bhindi lovers like us 

2-3 dozen lady's fingers/okra [bhindi] (preferably smaller ones else cut long ones into half)

2 Tbsp oil (some for stuffing, some for stir-frying)

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (or grated ginger, minced garlic, or skip)

1 cup tomato puree (grind 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes until fine paste without water)

¼ tsp turmeric [haldi] powder

2 tsp coriander-cumin seed [dhaniya-jeera] powder

1 tsp red chili [lal mirch] powder (or to your taste; I like it spicy)

1-2 tsp dry mango [amchur] powder (or lemon juice, or tamarind chutney, but not vinegar)

2 Tbsp sesame seed [til] powder (roasted or not roasted, whatever you have)

1 tsp salt (or to your taste)

1 cup onion (white, yellow, or red, sliced or diced, up to you)

Let’s Begin!

1.  Rinse the okra clean and wipe completely dry.  Cut the head and tail of each okra and discard.  Make slits on one side of each okra from top to bottom without cutting through and without breaking into two pieces.  You should be able to open it only slightly from the slits, the way you secretly opened notes to cheat during exams in school.

2.  Heat ½ Tbsp oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic, stir, add tomato puree, stir for a minute, add all the turmeric + coriander-cumin + red chili + dry mango + sesame seed powders + salt, mix all and cook couple of minutes more until it looks like thick paste.  Stir continuous.  Let cool.

3.  While the stuffing cools, I would chop the onions.  Or I would slit the okra if I haven’t done before.  Then take small portions of the stuffing & fill them up inside all the okra.  Let it overflow if it does.  Keep aside.

4.  Heat the remaining oil in same pan; add onions and sauté for a minute.  Then add all the stuffed okra along with any excess stuffing/filling masala and gently mix all well.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, then cook open gently stirring every 5 minutes.  If you wait to add okra after sautéing onion to almost golden-brown, by the time okra cooks, your onions will turn black-brown.

   

Your Bharwan Bhindi ki Subzi / Stuffed Okra Masala is ready, best eaten with roti or paratha.  If stuffing seems like a lot of work, slice bhindi into small pieces or split it lengthwise or cut it however you wish, and then cook it with the prepared stuffing.  Whatever you choose to do, this bhindi sabji is going to be great.

The four-roti-appetite husband of mine ate almost 8 rotis last night because of this bharwan bhindi.  And today again after his lunch he was praising the sabzi on chat.  So while you read our little conversation, let me go plan my cruel moves.



Search Terms:
- bharwan bhindi
- filled bhindi recipe
- stuffed okra recipe
- stuffed okra masala
- bhindi ki subzi