This stir fry okra or bharwa bhindi is my all time favorite but it tastes so good especially in summer. Enjoy it as a main or side dish with some fresh roti. I remember my mom used to make it and I was always the first one to dig in. I don’t make it very often because fresh okra is not available year round at my grocery store but whenever I make this recipe, it literally takes two minutes to disappear.
Ingredients for Stir Fry Okra
Okra/ Bhindi
I used fresh okra for this recipe. Frozen okra is not a good choice, as it will have more water content and will not give the same crispiness. I washed the okra in plenty of water and then left it in the strainer to dry for about 1 hour.
Prepare your Okra/Bhindi
After washing leave okra in the strainer or kitchen towel to dry. Once the okra is dry, cut the top and bottom of each okra and make a slit in the middle for filling.
Spices for filling
Stir fry okra recipe doesn’t have a lot of filling, only a couple of simple spices are mixed together and a very small quantity is filled in each bhindi. I used red chili powder, salt, turmeric, and ground coriander seeds for the filling.
Filling the Okra/Bhindi
To make spice mix for bharwa bhindi, mix salt, red chili, turmeric and ground coriander seeds. Open each okra from the middle slit with out breaking it. Add a little bit of the spice mix and gently shake off the excess. A little amount goes a long way. This step is important for this recipe and probably the most time consuming, but doing this step will give the flavorful okra.
What to serve with bharwa bhindi?
Stir-fried bhindi/ okra tastes so good with fresh roti and naan. Okra makes a perfect side dish with any meat or dal. Refreshing and slightly crispy okra tastes amazing with a side salad and tandoori roti.
How to store bharwan bhindi?
Store any leftover okra in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in a freezer for a few weeks. Simply thaw it and heat it in the microwave once ready to eat.
Stir Fry Okra/ Bharwa Bhindi
Equipment
- 1 wide pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh okra medium size okra will be best for this recipe
Spice Mix
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds crush them in a blender or with mortar and pastel
- 1/3 cup oil
Instructions
Wash and dry Okra
- Wash okra with plenty of water and leave it in a strainer to dry.
Prepare Okra
- Cut the both ends of okra and make. a slit in the middle length wise.
Make spice mix
- In a mortar and pastel add 2 tbsp of coriander seed and crush them finely. You can also do this step in the blender.
- Add salt, red chili, turmeric and coriander powder in a bowl and mix it together.
Fill in the okra/bhindi
- Take a little bit of the spice mix and fill in the bhindi, only about 1/8 tsp or less. Shake the excess off and keep filling in the rest of the okra.
- We do not want to over fill and also not to skip this step.
Fry okra
- In a pan add 1/3 cup of oil and layer okra/bhindi in a single layer.
- Cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Cutting and filling is time-consuming, but I find it very therapeutic.
- Don’t skip filling bhindi or else it would taste bland.