Whenever my Mum made the trip to the Indian grocery store, she would without fail get okra. If they looked fresh, she always bought a batch. That very same evening, we would have a meal with bhinda as the main, whether its this bharwa bhindi, gujarati style bhinda nu shaak or bhindi bhaji. It is almost always served with gujarati dal, boiled basmati rice and gujarati rotli for a healthy, well balanced meal. Bharela bhinda is made by stuffing whole okra in a tangy masala. The okra are then cooked in the pan simply with oil and cumin seeds until tender. The trick to nailing this recipe is to use the freshest bhinda and to cook the okra well. Okra need to be washed and then dried thoroughly before cutting into. Cooking okra with moisture leads to slimy okra so it is best to either let them air dry or thoroughly wipe individually with a clean kitchen towel. The stuffing also plays a large part in the success of this recipe as that is where all the flavour comes from. Freshly prepared masala is best.
Ingredients notes
Okra – available in Indian grocery stores and some supermarkets. Always look for okra that are bright green and plump. Bhinda that are discolouring, sinking in and softening are old. As this is a stuffed recipe, you cannot use frozen okra. Bharwan masala – the stuffing masala is made from coconut, coriander and indian spices. Oil Cumin seeds and mustard seeds or either Hing – optional
Serving suggestion
Bharwa bhindi is a dry curry, or sabzi, so is best paired with a dal. There are many dal recipes that would work well such as Gujarati dal or Masoor dal. Flatbreads like wholemeal chapati, mag ni chutti dal and gujarati kadhi go best with okra recipes and the curry can be part of your Gujarati thali.
Storage
Store leftover bharela bhinda in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop. I do not recommend freezing this recipe as the okra will loose their texture. As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in July 2016.
