This bharwa bhindi is medium spicy, and nutty with a balance of sweet and tangy taste. This Gujarati style of making stuffed okra goes well with roti, paratha or as a side with dal-rice.
To make the stuffing, take dry coconut, ground peanuts, sesame seeds, green chili, ginger and cilantro in a bowl. Mix well.
Add salt, sugar, lemon juice and spice powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala).
Mix everything really well using your fingers and keep it aside.
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. After stuffing all of them you will have leftover stuffing; we will use that later in this recipe.
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. I recommend using a wide non-stick pan because non-sticks require 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).
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.
Add remaining leftover stuffing and mix well. Cook it for 2 minutes uncovered or until added stuffing gets heated through.
Notes
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.