Stuffed Bhindi/Okra

We love Okra and we love almost anything with it. But stuffed bhindis is a special one on the list and we never get tired of eating it. Yes, its a little cumbersome to get the whole dish done, from the slitting and stuffing, but all worth in the end ;)...So, here goes...

Ingredients

Bhindi/Okra/LadiesFinger, small tender ones - about 20 - 25

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Haldi powder/ Turmeric powder - a pinch

Jeera/Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Besan - 3 tbsp

Amchur powder/Mango powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp (optional)

Salt - to taste

Oil

Method

- Wash the bhindi, pat completely dry. Cut the stalk portion of it and make a shallow slit lengthwise such that the bhindi still remains intact as one whole.

- Mix the besan, cumin powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt.

- Stuff a generous amount of this mixture into the slit bhindis. Pour the lemon juice over the stuffed bhindis.

- Heat a wide non-stick pan, drizzle little oil all over the pan, and place the stuffed bhindis evenly so that the bhindis are directly on the pan and not on one another.

- Keep the flame on very low, cover the pan and let them cook. Keep turning the sides every once in a while to avoid them getting burnt and evely fried on all sides.

- Enjoy hot.

Note :

- Lemon juice is optional. I did not add it this time, but the mango powder gave it a nice tang and was enough.

- I usually add a little bit of garam masala powder also to the stuffing mixture. But you can leave it out and it tastes just fine too.

- I like to sprinkle the leftover stuffing mixture over the bhindis in the pan so that they would get caoted with it also.

- A great way to enjoy these stuffed bhindis are to soak them for a minute in a bowl of yogurt and then have them with rotis or just like that.

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