Bharwan Bhindi (Stuffed Okra)

I inherit my love for good food and hospitality from both my parents, an apple can fall only so far away from the tree. My dad or us (my sister and me) would make a special request, dad would make a tidy shopping list with my mom and get all she needed, she then whipped up awesomeness in her kitchen. If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, my mom sure had the golden stairs leading to my dads. Someday I hope to be as good a cook as my mom.

Mom grew up in Rajasthan and thats how some of the typical Rajasthani food made its way to our dinner table. This is one of them and another family favorite. If I could give an award for lifetime favorite dish, this would be it. And I think this dish has a lot to do with how Okra became my favorite vegetable (even more than potatoes!).

If this was on the menu for dinner, I volunteered to help. Mom and I would sit, talk about our day and fill one Okra at a time with the spices. So here’s two things I learnt from that: First, the spice mix has turmeric and if your using your fingers to fill the Okra, your nails will turn yellow. So if you have just spent $$ on a Manicure use a spoon. Second, this is a time consuming process so if you are in need for a quick weeknight dinner, then this dish may not be the one.

Time for Prep: 30 mins Time to Cook: 25 mins Yield: 4 servings Level: Medium

Ingredients:

1 lb Okra
2-3 tbsp of oil (I prefer mustard oil).
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp cayenne or chilli powder
2 tbsp cumin powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or to taste (I use rock salt)
1.5 tbsp amchur (dry mango powder)

Process:

Wash and wipe dry the Okra. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
Trim both ends, slit each of them vertically. Be careful not to break or cut it into half.
Combine all the spices, add oil and mix it up.
Fill each Okra with the spice mix.
Layer in a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins
If cooking on stove top. Heat a tbsp of oil in a skillet, add the stuffed Okra and cook until tender.