Bhinda Sambhariya (Gujarati Style Stuffed Okra)

Okra is my favorite vegetable. It surprises me, as almost everyone, when I say this because I am known for my picky habits where many food items are concerned. 


The humble okra however, to me, tastes good in all forms. The only issue I have with it is, you start out with a lot of okra and after cooking it shrinks to half the quantity! What a loss! One way I make it often is okra smothered in coconut or another is the 'upvaas' or the fasting version, which is a peanut based curry version. But the stuffed version, I believe takes it to the next level! Stuffing does that to most things, doesn't it? Take for example the everyday humble Roti (Indian flat bread) and the big fat potato, match the two, add some spices and viola!you have Aloo Paratha! or, or... take Paav ( bread / burger buns) and use this recipe to transform it into one of Mumbai's favorite street food! See what I mean?


The same theory applies to okra, now there are so many combinations of stuffed okra, what appealed to me about the recipe I am going to present, is the simple list of ingredients and  how well balanced they are to create a harmony in your mouth. The second reason why I zeroed down on this version, it has coconut, an ingredient I indulge in, when the hubby is away from home. he has a psychological allergy to coconut, and this recipe packs in a lot of that! 


Tarla Dalal works her magic with this stuffing and the slightly sweet taste, the natural one in coconut and the added sugar and with the heat coming from ginger and green chilies, cilantro lends flavor and lemon juice the tang! What's not to like?


Here's what you need, right from the Mistress of Gujarati food :



2 cups Okra / ladies finger (bhindi)
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp Asafetida (hing)

For the filling

6 tbsp Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen)

6 tbsp chopped Cilantro(dhania)

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp Ginger-Green chilli paste

1 tsp Turmeric powder (haldi)

2 tsp Coriander-Cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder

1 tsp Garam masala

1 tbsp Sesame seeds (til)

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp oil - I skipped this

Salt to taste

Wash and cut the ladies finger into 50 mm. (2") pieces and slit lengthwise carefully, so that the segments do not separate. Or choose tender small Okra pods.

Fill each ladies finger with a little of the prepared filling and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the asafetida. A cast iron skillet works well.

Add the stuffed ladies finger and mix well.

Cover and cook on a medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes or till the okra is cooked, while stirring occasionally.

Serve hot.

Note:
You can also add 2 tbsp of coarsely ground peanuts to the filling.

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Tried and Tasted a Fabulous Jugalbandi of Okra and Spices!

This month Zlamushka has the dynamic Jualbandi blog up for her Tried and Tasted series. What makes choice SO difficult is the mind boggling variety of food these Jugalbandits have cooked! The amazing recipes are topped off with photographs of food that I had hitherto come across only on glossy cookbook covers. The dynamic duo cook, garden, travel, give photography solutions and tips.. do everything!!Looking thru their extensive repertoire, I landed on this and my mind was made up!

I had a pack of okra sitting in the fridge these many days and I couldn't really decide what to make of it. I love okra in all it's forms, not so the Husband, he will eat it, but will have some comment to pass, like this one time I made okra the Maharashtrian fasting style and in my humble opinion, it tastes good with tamarind- jaggery and peanut powder gravy, but DH had only one word to describe it 'murder', okra he maintained is best either in Sambar or dry. So dry it was! And what better than a tongue tickler with spices like fennel, nigella, cumin, amchoor?!

Every bite is a delight! I tis easy to make, not time consuming (which is a priority for me now),my only crib was, the quantity .. in this case supply did not match demand.This recipe is definitely a keeper, I will only double the quantity the next time. Thank you Jai and Bee for this wonderful recipe.

I followed the recipe with only a couple of changes. I am also reproducing the recipe here with my changes but for the original version, please click on the link in the first paragraph.

Ingredients:

About half a pound (1/4 kg.) tender okra

1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

3 green chillies slit

1 tablespoon besan (chickpea flour) * I used Rice Flour

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala powder * I used 1/2 tsp Rajwadi Garam Masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp amchur (dry mango powder) (or 1 tsp lime juice) * I used 1/2 tsp Amchur powder

3 tbsp oil

salt

Method:

1. Wash and wipe the okra and cut it diagonally into inch-long pieces. .
2. Heat the oil in a wok or pan to nearly smoking, add the fennel, cumin, nigella seeds and green chillies, after a few seconds, lower the flame and add the besan and all the powdered spices except the amchur.
3. Fry for a minute or so, until the besan stops smelling raw, then add the okra and the salt. Stir gently to coat with the spices, and spread them out in an even layer.
4. Leave the pan uncovered on medium flame.Turn them over after 3-4 minutes (maybe more if you are using a non-stick pan) cook them until crisp.
5. Towards the end, add the amchur powder. Stir for a minute, and take it off the flame.
Serve hot with rotis or with rice and plain yogurt.


Mistakes I made and Lesson I learnt: MUST use FRESH okra (I made this mistake despite the list of ingredients stating tender okra). I used a packet that was in my fridge for a few days and heaven knows how long on the Vons shelf. If you do not grow your own (like the Jugalbandits) and rely on the store, try to select by testing the okra by simply bending the end of the okra, if it snaps easily, it is fresh. I also went a little overboard with the rice flour , it did not taste bad, no way, but visually a little less appealing perhaps?

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