Aish Cooks

Stuffed Okra / Baked Bharwan Bhindi ~ Okras stuffed with a simple spice mix and pan cooked or baked to yummy goodness.

This was my first attempt at making stuffed okra, and it was such a refreshing changeover the usual kadai bhindi or any other bhindi curry/ sabji recipe.The moment I suggested this dish, D’s immediate reaction was ‘not-on-a-weeknight’ cause he thought I was going to end up spending 2 hours in the kitchen (and for good reason cause I have often underestimated some of these recipes that need to be sautéed or fried, especially when needing to be done in batches because of the large quantity that I need to make).

Well, don’t be intimidated. It seems like it would take a ton of time, but most of that time is spent with the okras sitting on the stove or even better, in the oven where you don’t even have to baby sit these little guys while they are on their way to becoming delicious finger food. Oh, and also because I made a ton of these, and most of you would need just about half this quantity. Cooking was done in an hour (plus a little extra time in the oven!) and perfectly baked Bharwan Bhindi was served with creamy Matar Paneer and jeera rice. Yum 🙂

Enjoy this spicy side with your curries or surprise your friends with this appealing appetizer for the next dinner party!

Source: Adapted from http://www.tarladalal.com/Bharwan-Bhindi-13755r

Serves: 6 – 8

Cooking Time: 40 minutes (10 minutes pre-prep + 10 minutes prep + 30 minutes cooking)

Ingredients:

• Okra / Bhindi – Approx. 1.5 lbs or 3/4 kg
• List of Spices

1. Coriander powder – 3 tbsp
2. Chili powder – 1 tbsp or to taste
3. Gram flour (Besan) – 2 tbsp
4. Garam masala – 1/2 tbsp
5. Cumin / Jeera powder – 1/2 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Lime juice – from 1 lime
9. Oil – 1 tsp

• Oil for sauteing or baking

Method:

Prepare the okra:

1. Wash and dry the okra with a paper or cloth towel.
2. Cut off the top part and tip of the okras. Make a length-wise slit, enough to put some spice in but not fully separating the okra in halves.

Make the spice paste:

1. Mix the dry spices from the ‘List of spices’, add some water to make a thick paste.
2. Add the lime juice and oil and combine with the spice paste.
3. Taste and adjust to get desired level of salt & spice.

Stuffing the okra:

1. Fill the okra slits with a small amount of the spice mix and press together to fully spread along the cut area.
2. Rub some spice mix sparsely all over the okra’s outer body and on the cut end on top.

Cooking the okra:

• Baking method
  1. Pre-heat oven to 420 degrees F.
  2. Grease a baking tray/ pan with some olive oil and arrange stuffed okra without overlapping, with the slits facing upwards.
  3. Spray / sprinkle some oil on the top.
  4. Bake at 420 F for about 20-25 minutes. Broil for another 5 minutes and stop.
• Kadai/ Stove top method
  1. Heat some oil in a shallow pan or kadai.
  2. Arrange the okra in the pan, slit-side facing up.
  3. Cook for 10-15 minutes on med-high.
  4. Flip okras and cook for another 10 minutes until fully done and remove off heat.

Notes:

1. Adjust the amount of spice mix to taste. You can get creative by using spices like amchur powder or sambar powder to replace any of the ones in this recipe.
2. You can pre-prepare the okra with the stuffing and save it in the refrigerator for up to a day or so and bake or saute just when you need it.