Okra (ladies fingers) Stuffed with Spices and Herbs (Bherala Bhinda nu Shak)

Okra or ladies finger curry can be made in several different ways.  Today I made it stuffed with spices and herbs.  This curry is made very dry and usually served with chappatis and rice and kadhi.  Okra are quite sticky when cut so they have to be prepared in a particular way. Always, soak and wash the okra and then dry each okra using a kitchen paper.  For this curry, cut the top and tail with a sharp knife.  If your hands get sticky, dip your fingers in some salt before washing them.

Ingredients for  2 servings:

For the stuffing:

2 tablespoons Chickpea flour
2 tablespoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
some Indian grocery stores may sell a bag of cumin and coriander powder which is fine.
Salt to taste
Chilly powder to taste
4 gloves of crushed garlic
teaspoon of crushed ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice.
4-5 tablespoons Sunflower oil

For the seasoning:

a teaspoon of dried mustard seeds


For the actual curry:

15-20 fresh green okra or ladies fingers.

Method: 

1.   Mix the Chickpea flour, cumin and coriander powder, salt , turmeric, chilly powder, crushed ginger and  garlic  in a saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil and stir the mixture. This mixture needs to be warmed gently until you get an aroma of the spices. For those of you who are unsure, I would suggest that you cover the mixture and microwave it for a minute, stir it and microwave it again for another minute. Stir and allow to cool.


2.  Top and tail the okra and half slice all the okras:

3.  Fill the okras with the prepared spice mixture as shown below:

4.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add in the dry mustard seeds.  Once they stop popping, add the stuffed okras to the oil.   Add any remaining filling on top of the okras.  Put the lid on and cook the okras on a very low heat.  Do not add any water to this curry or it will get very sticky.  Using a fork, gently turn the okras after 5 minutes and let them cook gently for a further 5 minutes.  Fresh okra don't take too long to cook. Prick them with a knife to ensure the okras have softened.

5.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with hot chappatis.

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