I am not a crazy fan of Bhindi but my mom is. I love Bhindi in general, it goes very well with any kind of dal rice or even seddho bhat (Only bengalis would know about this. Basically you just boil all vegetables whole along with rice and then mash it up, and eat it with a dash of desi ghee and salt).
It is quite a versatile vegetable but quite tricky too. Because of its slimy nature, at times we end up having a subzi which is very sticky and looses the look and feel. There are a couple of tried and tested rules to make bhindi which helps in cooking it just perfect. First, wash and pat them dry. Yes you need to take care they are as dry as possible before you start cooking. Also adding a souring agent to the subzi helps in retaining its nice and dry texture.
I would simply stir fry it with salt and turmeric most of the times to have it with my meal. Or just boil it and have it as is. Never really thought about trying out any ornamental recipes with this unassuming vegetable. Until I became a member of a food group on Facebook. Its called Pune Food Freak. And on a daily basis folks keep posting amazing creations from their kitchen. At times it feels that I really need to step up on my game to match up to the powerhouse of talent over there.
So it happens that I was part of this group from many months but only became an active contributor from May, yes you guessed it right, lockdown has made us all great homechefs. I was no exception. It wont be wrong to say that it is primarily a female dominated space, but there are male folks too who post. When I came into this group I knew no one. When during lockdown I started posting I had a lot of apprehension that no one will give hoot to a newcomer like me when there are already so many amazing homechefs here. But slowly I realized that this group is more than just the pictures we post. It percolates to the level of creating much more deeper bonds with similar minded people. People who bond mainly over food, but not limited to it alone. This was like a power house of talent who also shared a common love for food. Over the period of last couple of months, I could manage to know a few people better and we shared a nice camaraderie over the posts. We gossiped, we cheered, we spammed the comments section at late nights, we felt happy for achievements. I never imagined that I will end up getting new friends from this space.
One of those friends is Kavita or Kavu as we fondly call her now (don't kill me for this Kavita). She is a masterchef herself. I mean I feel every home chef who cooks a meal for their family is nothing less than a masterchef. The kind of variety that is being spun, is beyond belief. So Kavu keeps cooking these gorgeous meals and posting at all the unholy hours so that we are tormented by the visuals before we go to bed. Its kind of a sweet torture because I really look forward to her dishes. Now one day she posted these gorgeous green looking Rajasthani Bhindi Recipe and I was like this I have to make.
Preparation Time : 20 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Serving : 3-4 person
Ingredients :
- Bhindi (Okra) - 300 gm
- Besan (Gram flour) - 5 tbsp
- Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
- Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
- Hing - 1 tsp + 2 tsp
- Fresh Coconut grated (optional) - 2 tsp
- Amchur Powder (Dry Mango powder - optional) - 2 tsp
- Mustard Seed - 1/2 tsp
- Fennel Seed - 1 tsp
- Cumin Seed - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
- Refined oil
Method:
1. Wash the bhindi with water and wipe them dry with a kitchen towel. Then spread them out on a newspaper and let the paper soak up any of the moisture left. Leave them for about 15 minutes
Tip: Choose bhindis which are fresh and tender. If you can break off the end of bhindi with your finger easily then it is fresh and tender.
Note: If you do now dry the water off then the bhindis will become sticky while cooking.
2. Remove the head and a little off the bottom tip form each of the bhindis and make a length wise slit on each
3. Now coming to the filling preparation. Take a tawa or a skillet and dry roast the besan till they are fragrant. Make sure to stir it so that the besan doesn't get burnt. Transfer the roasted besan into a bowl to cool.
4. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the masala mix. For this take - turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, hing, coriander powder, grated coconut, fennel seeds, amchur powder, salt and sugar and mix it.
Note: The original recipe didn't have grated coconut or hing. But I liked the flavors of these two in the masala. Also you can vary the spiciness. Since I added Kashmiri mirch powder hence I added more. If its any other chilli powder which is hot reduce the amount to 1 tsp.
Tip: Make the masala a little more than you would need for the filling. This will be used later to make the base.
5. Now add this spice mix to the roasted besan and fold everything in.
6. Add about 4 tsp or more of oil to make a nice smooth paste. Use your hand to knead the masala mix
7. Carefully add this filling into the slitted bhindis, taking care not the break the bhindis. Keep aside almost 1/4th of the masala mix to be used later.
Note: Do not overstuff the bhindis as they will start coming out when you fry them.
8. Now take a wok and heat it. Add refined oil. When the oil is hot temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and 2 tsp of hing.
9. When the spices are fragrant, turn the gas on sim and add the stuffed bhindis. Keep giving the bhindis an occasional light stir to turn them in the wok and let all the sides be cooked. It will be about 8 to 10 minutes.
Tip: Now here is the important tip to keep your bhindis firm and green while making sure they are cooked. Do not cook the bhindis with a lid on. That will help bhindis retain their color.
Flip them over from time to time to ensure all sides are getting cooked without turning brown. Lower the flame while you are at at. also you can put the covers for one minute on and off, it will help cook them faster.
10. When the bindis are almost done, add a little water about half a cup to the remaining spice mix. Give it a nice stir and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Now create some empty space in the wok and add some oil if there is none already. Add this mix to it and give it a nice stir. The masala will start changing color and also the water will start drying off. When the water is nearly dried, and masala looks a bit brown, push all the bhindis from the side and mix everything together with a light hand.
Note: I prefer to have this extra masala coated over the bhindis. If you do not want that then you can skip this step all together.
Serve it with rice and daal or roti as per your preference.
Tip: Choose bhindis which are fresh and tender. If you can break off the end of bhindi with your finger easily then it is fresh and tender.
Note: If you do now dry the water off then the bhindis will become sticky while cooking.
| Washed Bhindis |
3. Now coming to the filling preparation. Take a tawa or a skillet and dry roast the besan till they are fragrant. Make sure to stir it so that the besan doesn't get burnt. Transfer the roasted besan into a bowl to cool.
4. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the masala mix. For this take - turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, hing, coriander powder, grated coconut, fennel seeds, amchur powder, salt and sugar and mix it.
Note: The original recipe didn't have grated coconut or hing. But I liked the flavors of these two in the masala. Also you can vary the spiciness. Since I added Kashmiri mirch powder hence I added more. If its any other chilli powder which is hot reduce the amount to 1 tsp.
Tip: Make the masala a little more than you would need for the filling. This will be used later to make the base.
5. Now add this spice mix to the roasted besan and fold everything in.
6. Add about 4 tsp or more of oil to make a nice smooth paste. Use your hand to knead the masala mix
7. Carefully add this filling into the slitted bhindis, taking care not the break the bhindis. Keep aside almost 1/4th of the masala mix to be used later.
Note: Do not overstuff the bhindis as they will start coming out when you fry them.
8. Now take a wok and heat it. Add refined oil. When the oil is hot temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and 2 tsp of hing.
9. When the spices are fragrant, turn the gas on sim and add the stuffed bhindis. Keep giving the bhindis an occasional light stir to turn them in the wok and let all the sides be cooked. It will be about 8 to 10 minutes.
Tip: Now here is the important tip to keep your bhindis firm and green while making sure they are cooked. Do not cook the bhindis with a lid on. That will help bhindis retain their color.
Flip them over from time to time to ensure all sides are getting cooked without turning brown. Lower the flame while you are at at. also you can put the covers for one minute on and off, it will help cook them faster.
10. When the bindis are almost done, add a little water about half a cup to the remaining spice mix. Give it a nice stir and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Now create some empty space in the wok and add some oil if there is none already. Add this mix to it and give it a nice stir. The masala will start changing color and also the water will start drying off. When the water is nearly dried, and masala looks a bit brown, push all the bhindis from the side and mix everything together with a light hand.
Note: I prefer to have this extra masala coated over the bhindis. If you do not want that then you can skip this step all together.
Serve it with rice and daal or roti as per your preference.
