Stuffed Okra

Ingredients

• ▢40 pieces Okra (Bhindi) medium size
• ▢4 tablespoons Oil
• ▢⅓ cup Desiccated coconut
• ▢2 tablespoons Peanuts Ground into powder
• ▢1 tablespoons Sesame seeds
• ▢⅓ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped
• ▢1 Green chili chopped finely
• ▢½ teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
• ▢1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ▢1 ½ teaspoons Coriander powder
• ▢½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ▢1 teaspoon Red chili powder
• ▢1 teaspoon Garam masala
• ▢3 teaspoons Sugar
• ▢2 tablespoons Lemon juice
• ▢Salt to taste

Instructions 

Step 1: To make the stuffing, take dry coconut, ground peanuts, sesame seeds, green chili, ginger and cilantro in a bowl. Mix well.

Step 2: Add salt, sugar, lemon juice and spice powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala).

Step 3: Mix everything really well using your fingers and keep it aside.

Step 4: Now cut off both the ends (head and tail part). Make a vertical slit in the center, but be careful not to break the bhindi into two pieces.

Step 5: Now using your one hand hold the bhindi and insert the thumb inside the slit, so it makes a gap in the bhindi to fill the stuffing. After stuffing all of them you will have leftover stuffing; we will use that later in this recipe.

Step 6: Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. I recommend using a wide non-stick pan because non-sticks require less oil and we can arrange them in one layer if it is wide. If not using the nonstick then you might need more oil. Alternately, you can cook them in an air fryer (see the details below in the notes section).

Step 7: Once hot arrange stuffed okra and sprinkle some salt (be careful we already added salt to the stuffing).

Step 8: Cover it and cook it for 12-15 minutes or until okra is cooked perfectly. Stir or flip the okra in between for even cooking. Make sure that okra doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Step 9: Add remaining leftover stuffing and mix well. Cook it for 2 minutes uncovered or until added stuffing gets heated through.