BHARWAN BHINDI

I love love love Bhindi (Okhra) and had always wanted to make BHARWAN BHINDI.. BHARWAN means stuffed and Bhindi as you all know is okhra.. I tried a great recipe by CHEF HARPAL SINGH and it came out great.



The original recipe had madras onions (pearl onions) in the list of ingredients. I did not have it , hence used the regular red onions.For the most part I stuck to the original recipe but did add a few extra ingredients.



INGREDIENTS:

1. 500 grams Bhindi (OKHRA) (small sized ones)
2. 1 inch ginger (grated)
3. 3 big cloves of garlic  (finely chopped or grated)
4. 1 medium onion (1/2 cup finely sliced)
5. 2 green chillies slit (then should not be fully slit, just 3/4th so that it still retains its whole state)
6. 4 curry leaves
7. 1/2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds.
8. 2 tbsp oil
9. 2 tbsp roasted peanut powder
10. 1 tsp sugar
11. Cilantro leaves or coriander for garnishing
12. For the stuffing you need:

• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin or jeera powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 tsp chat masala
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (you can adjust this as per your taste)
• 1/4 tsp hing or asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste  (chat masala does have some salt, so add all the masalas (except salt) and taste a pinch, accordinly add the salt)

PROCEDURE:

• Wash and pat dry the bhindi. For the bhindi dishes to turn out good, then need to be dry. Once they are dry , remove the top and the end of the bhindi.

• Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients for the stuffing ( i.e, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, chat masala powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, hing and salt) in a bowl and set aside.

• Now take a bhindi (okhra) and make a slit. Be careful that it should not become two halves. We just need a slit to stuff the masalas while the bhindis themselves look whole.

• Once you make the slit, stuff the bhindi with the prepared stuffing mix.Repeat the procedure for all the okhras and set aside. Do not throw the left over masalas, we will be using it later.

• Now heat some oil in a thick bottomed pan. I use a nonstick pan as cooking is much simpler and there is no fear of the masalas getting stuck to the pan.
• Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, green chillies and the curry leaves.
• Once the seeds start splattering, add the grated ginger , grated garlic and the sliced onions. At this point I add a tsp of sugar to the onions. This helps to caramelize the onions quickly.

• Nowly slowly drop the stuffed okhras and give it a good mix. Add the the remaining (left over) dry masalas to the bhindi (okhra).

• Cook covered for 15 - 20 mins. Give it a stir in regular intervals. Once you see that the bhindi is soft and cooked, turn off the heat.
• Lastly add the roasted peanut powder and the cilantro.Serve hot with the bread of your choice.

NOTE:

• Buy tender okhras. While buying okhras in the store, test the tenderness. With your finger try to break the end tip of the okhra. If it breaks easily with the snap, you know they are tender. If its hard to break the tip, it means that the okhras are not tender .
• Instead of red onions, preferably use madras onions or pearl onions or shallots. They give a better taste. I did not have it, hence used the regular red onions. If using pearl onions, do not chop them.

HAPPY COOKING!!