Bharwa bhindi is a popular Indian okra fry with a flavorful dry spice stuffing. Bharwa means stuffed and bhindi means okra in Hindi. This is a vegan gluten free stuffed okra fry that tastes so good with rice or roti. Here is how to make bharwa bhindi easily at home.
Okra or bhindi is one of the most loved and popular vegetable across the globe. You will find so may okra recipes from each cuisine right from fries to curries to gumbo to masala.
We all love okra at our home, especially my kid loves it a lot. I make this okra rice for lunchbox at least once a week. Okra fry with peanuts is a huge favorite at home with sambar, rasam and dal. At times I also make kurkuri bhindi, besan bhindi, Punjabi bhindi masala, chili garlic okra.
This bharwa bhindi is a very delicious and easy to make slow cooked okra which are stuffed with a dry spice mixture. If you want to make an impressive side dish with minimum prep work then do try this recipe.
This stuffed okra fry goes wonderfully well with flatbread like naan, paratha, tandoori roti, ajwain roti or rice varieties like jeera rice, palak dal rice, peas pulao etc.
Bharwa or the stuffing is the key part of this recipe. The dry spice mixture used here is flavorful, delicious and moderately spicy.
There are many variations with this bharwa or stuffing used in this bhindi recipe. Here I am sharing the basic ones with few variations.
The basic bharwa mixture I use is garam masala, coriander powder, dry mango, chili powder, dried mango, fennel, roasted cumin powder, salt and turmeric powder.
If you see the pictures, my bharwa bhindi is super crispy and very dark in color. That is how we like it at our home. Slow cooked until it turns absolutely crispy and dark. You can easily cook it as you like by reducing the cooking time.
This Bharwa Bhindi Recipe Is
Easy & simple to make
No chopping or grinding required
So flavorful, delicious & crispy
Vegan & gluten free
Uses low oil and made on stove top
Made with easily available spices like garam masala!
Prepping Okra For Bharwa Bhindi
For bharwa bhindi or any okra recipe, it is important to keep in mind few point while prepping okra. Okra is a slimy vegetable and if not handled properly it will turn gooey and mushy once cooked. Trust me not everyone like slimy okra 🙂
Fret not, okra slime can be hugely reduced with these tips.
- Firstly make sure your rinsed okras, knife and cutting board are completely dry.
- Rinse the okras and gently wipe of the water with clean kitchen towels. Then spread okra over several kitchen tissues and let dry naturally.
- You can actually do this step beforehand and let okra air dry overnight
- Usually cutting increases okra slime, so we are good with this bharwa bhindi recipe as no cutting involved :)But in other recipes chopping okra into bigger pieces reduces slime to an extent.
How To Make Bharwa Bhindi
Rinse and pat dry the okras thoroughly. There should be no trace of moisture in the veggie.
Combine all the dry spice powders and required salt in a bowl. Mix well.
Take a okra and put a long slit along the length of the bhindi keeping the ends intact. You should be able to stuff the dry spices into the bhindi. Prepare all the okras like this.
Now stuff some spice mixture into each bhindi.
You can also cut and stuff the bhindi as seen this picture.
Heat a cast iron pan or skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
Place the stuffed okras carefully stuffed side facing up. Lat cook for 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle any stuffing remaining over the bhindi.
Stir very gently and flip carefully. Cook in low flame for 12-1 5 minutes.
You can cook for 15 minutes for very crispy bhindi else 10-12 minutes will do.
Serve bharwa bhindi immediately with rice or roti.
Variations With Bharwa Bhindi
- While making the stuffing for bharwa bhindi you can add 2 tablespoons dried coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut.
- Another option is to add 2 tablespoons coarsely powdered roasted coconut
- You can also add 2 tablespoons coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds
- For milder stuffing mix one tablespoon besan or chickpea flour to the dry spice powders.
Tips For Making Bharwa Bhindi
- There should be no moisture in okra while making this recipe. If the okra has some moisture it will turn mushy or slimy while cooking
- Use a heavy cast iron pan that will retain heat and distribute it evenly.
- Slow cooking is the key for perfect bharwa bhindi. Cook in low flame stirring every now and then
- You can easily double or halve the recipe
- Reduce the quantity of chili powder for mildly spiced bharwa bhindi.
More bhindi recipes
I hope you will try this bharwa bhindi recipe and enjoy as much as we did. P
Bharwa Bhindi Recipe
Bharwa Bhindi (Punjabi Stuffed Okra Fry)
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
For Making Bharwa Bhindi
- 25 tender small okras
- 2 tablespoons oil
For making bharwa masala
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teqaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried mango or amchur
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the okras thoroughly. There should be no trace of moisture in the veggie.
- Combine all the dry spice powders and required salt in a bowl. Mix well.
- Take a okra and put a long slit along the length of the bhindi keeping the ends intact. You should be able to stuff the dry spices into the bhindi. Prepare all the okras like this.
- Now stuff some spice mixture into each bhindi.
- You can also cut and stuff the bhindi as seen this picture.
- Heat a cast iron pan or skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
- Place the stuffed okras carefully stuffed side facing up. Lat cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle any stuffing remaining over the bhindi.
- Stir very gently and flip carefully. Cook in low flame for 12-1 5 minutes.
- You can cook for 15 minutes for very crispy bhindi else 10-12 minutes will do.
- Serve bharwa bhindi immediately with rice or roti.
Notes
- Use a heavy cast iron pan for sauteing okra
- Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per taste
- You can double the recipe
ARCHANA says
Lovely recipe. I want some of them.