Stuffed Bhindi - Okra with Indian spices

Lady's finger is a popular vegetable in India, and many just love the cuisine. A variety of dishes are been prepared out of it in many forms ranging from dry side dish, semi-gravy to curries. Its cooked with different ingredients in different part of the country.

This is a simple recipe, and easy to cook but take 30 minutes to cook, as the whole cooking is done in slow flame. This goes along with rice or roti or chapati.

Ingredients:

1. Bhindi (Okra) washed and slit length-wise to stuff masala - 200 gms
2. Shallots 10 - 15, diced
3. Masala 1 or 2 tbl spoon each (red chilli, cumin,coriander, fennel (sombu/ saunf/perum jeeragam))
4. Masala - Half tbl spoon (turmeric, garam masala, amchur/dry mango powder)
5. Besan 2 table spoon (optional)
6. Cooking oil as needed
7. Cumin seeds/Jeera for tempering
8. Salt as per taste

Preparation:

1. Wash whole bhindi in water, and wipe with a cloth or paper towel before removing the edges and slit them.
2. Mix the masala (item 3 & 4) in a bowl along with salt. If you do not have dry mango powder, substitute with little tamarind juice, else you can simply omit it.
3. Stuff the masala in the slit bhindi and just sprinkle the left over masala over it.
4. Add oil on top the stuffed bhindi, be generous it consumes lot of oil, and its cooked without water. Mix the bhindi with a spatula so all of them get coated nicely with oil.
5. In a non-stick pan or kadai, heat little oil and add the cumin seeds
6. Add diced shallots, saute for a min
7. Add in the besan and saute for another minute
8. Transfer the oil coated stuffed bhindi to the pan, give a quick toss. cover and let it cook in low flame.
9. Open and toss in between, it would take 15 - 20 minutes to cook well
10. Small onions and besan would turn brown and would be coated on bhindi.
11. Sprinkle water only if needed,
12. Taste for seasoning and salt, add if anything is necessary.
13. Serve hot with rice or roti.