Name: Stuffed Okra (Bharwa Bhindi Recipe)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 40 pieces Okra (Bhindi) (medium size); 4 tablespoons Oil; ⅓ cup Desiccated coconut; 2 tablespoons Peanuts (Ground into powder); 1 tablespoons Sesame seeds; ⅓ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves (chopped); 1 Green chili (chopped finely); ½ teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed; 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder; 1 ½ teaspoons Coriander powder; ½ teaspoon Cumin powder; 1 teaspoon Red chili powder; 1 teaspoon Garam masala; 3 teaspoons Sugar; 2 tablespoons Lemon juice; Salt to taste

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Our favorite bharwa bhindi recipe! This Gujarati version is prepared by stuffing the okra with a mixture of dry coconut, ground peanuts, sesame seeds and a few basic Indian spices. This stuffed okra makes a great side dish for your roti, paratha or dal-rice.

❤️About Stuffed Okra Recipe

Not your usual bharwa bhindi: Most recipes that you find on the internet have lots of spice powders and sometimes besan as a stuffing. While my Gujarati style of stuffed okra has a more nutty flavor with fewer amount of spices.

Another variation is bharli bhendi (Maharashtrian style).

Taste: Bharwa bhindi has a balance of sweet and sour taste with a medium spice level just like many other Gujarati recipes. It has coconut flavor along with nutty flavor from peanuts and sesame seeds.

Healthy: Because it is a healthy, hearty and super satisfying dry veggie preparation, you can add this to your weekly menu. Whenever okra is in season, I make sure to make it at least once a week. At home, we love bhindi dishes.

No onion no garlic: This stuffed okra is the satvik recipe made without onion and garlic.

No more slimy mess: Because we are not chopping the okra here so no more slimy knife or cutting board. To make bharwa bhindi, you just need to cut the head & tail and make a vertical slit to fill the stuffing.

🧾Ingredient Notes

Here is the picture of the ingredients required to make this delicious bharwa bhindi (aka stuffed okra recipe).

Bharwa bhindi ingredients with labels on the marble surface.

Okra: I always prefer to buy desi okra from the Indian grocery stores. These are long and thin with fewer seeds. The one you get in American stores is really thick and has bigger size seeds which I do not prefer.
- For bharwa bhindi, try to select the same size okra. So all get cooked at the same time.
- Always wash bhindi and let it air dry completely before slicing. If in the rush then wipe it dry using a towel.
Dry coconut: Alternately, you can use fresh coconut as well.
Peanuts: It is ground into a coarse powder. If you have time then dry roast and grind. Otherwise, skip the roasting step. It won’t make much of a difference.
Green chili & Ginger: I have finely chopped the chili and freshly grated the ginger. You can crush both together in mortar and pestle or in a wet jar of a spice grinder.
Sugar: It looks like a lot of sugar but keep in mind that it is making 4 servings. Plus, we are adding a good amount of lemon juice to balance the sweet and tangy flavor. Please do not skip it.
Lemon or Lime juice: Lately, I have been using limes in my Indian cooking.

👩‍🍳How To Make Bharwa Bhindi? (Stepwise Pics)

1) To make the stuffing, take dry coconut, ground peanuts, sesame seeds, green chili, ginger and cilantro in a bowl. Mix well.

2) Add salt, sugar, lemon juice and spice powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala).

3) Mix everything really well using your fingers and keep it aside.

Collage of 3 images showing stuffing ingredients in a bowl and mixed together.

4) Now cut off both the ends (head and tail part). Make a vertical slit in the center, but be careful not to break the bhindi into two pieces. Now using your one hand hold the bhindi and insert the thumb inside the slit, so it makes a gap in the bhindi to fill the stuffing. See below. And using your other hand fill that gap with a stuffing mixture.

5) Stuff all the okra this way. You will have leftover stuffing; we will use that later in this recipe.

Collage of 2 images showing a vertical slit in okra and stuffed okra in a plate.

6) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. I recommend using a wide nonstick pan because non-stick requires less oil and we can arrange them in one layer if it is wide. If not using the nonstick then you might need more oil. Alternately, you can cook them in an air fryer (see the details below in the notes section).

Once hot arrange stuffed okra and sprinkle some salt (be careful we already added salt to the stuffing).

7) Cover it and cook it for 12-15 minutes or until okra is cooked perfectly. Stir or flip the okra in between for even cooking. Make sure that okra doesn’t stick to the bottom.

8) Add remaining leftover stuffing and mix well.

9) Cook it for 2 minutes uncovered or until added stuffing gets heated through.

Collage of 4 images showing stuffed okra in a pan cooking and cooked okra with more masala.

💭Expert Tips

Air Fryer Bharwa Bhindi:

Place the stuffed okra in an air fryer basket in a single layer.
Spray some oil or lightly brush the oil.
Cook at 360°F (180°C) for total 12 minutes (cook for 8 minutes + flip okra + cook 4 minutes). When you flip the okra and you feel that okra are too dry then again spray with oil.

Buying okra: They should be fresh-looking and dark green in color. Don’t buy those who have blemishes, cut or leaked internal juice. Try to buy those that have fewer seeds in them. Buy the same size of okra so all of them cook evenly.

Please do not skip the sugar here. It will not taste sweet like dessert because we are adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to balance out the flavors.

Check Out Other Bhindi Recipes

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