Bharvan bhindi / Stuffed okra

Bhindi or lady's finger as it is popularly known in India, is my favorite vegetable. It makes a very tasty stir fried dry vegetable(side) in an Indian meal. A few weeks ago, I had seen a very tasty picture on this blog, and I wanted to make this recipe. However, it took me a long time to find the picture again. When I read the recipe, I realised I use the same stuffing for brinjals(eggplants). So, I knew that the recipe would be a success.....:) 

Ingredients:

• 30-35 okra(about 300-350 gms)
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
  
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1 green chili
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• Juice of half a lemon

For the stuffing:

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut (I used frozen)
• 2 tbsp peanuts
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp maharastrian goda masala(or garam masala)
• 1 tsp salt

Recipe:

• Wash and clean the okra with water. Drain and leave it in a single layer on a newspaper to dry. You can wipe it dry with a kitchen napkin. 

• Heat a skillet and dry roast the sesame seeds for 2-3 mins, by shaking the pan often.
• Take them out and crush them coarsely.

• In the same skillet roast the coconut(4/5 minutes) and the peanuts.(7/8 minutes -- I used pre-roasted and crushed peanuts)

• Add them to the powdered sesame seeds and crush the peanuts and mix well.
• Take this mix in a wide platter and add the dry spice powders and salt. Mix well. Keep this mixture aside to cool.

• Now cut the tops and ends of the okra and carefully make a slit in the center. Make sure that the slit is from one side and the okra is not cut into two.

• Now, stuff each okra with the above coconut-peanut-sesame-spice mix.

• Heat a wide and flat bottom skillet, (I used my regular wok) add 1 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is heated, add curry leaves, mustard seeds, chilli and asafoetida.

• Once the mustard seeds crackle, lay the stuffed okras in a single layer and the leftover stuffing and cook it on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring gently. You can add remaining tbsp of oil if needed.(If you feel that the okra is sticking to the pan)

• You can cover the lid, in between for faster cooking and keep stirring.

• Once it is cooked, drizzle a tsp or two of lemon juice. Mix well. Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Quantity:

• 3-4 servings

Notes:

• It is advisable to use a flat bottom skillet to retain the shape of the okra better. However, I used my regular wok....and the shapes were fine.
• I haven't used any chili powder in the stuffing. You can add about a tsp or two of chili powder if you like your vegetable really spicy.