Bharwa bhindi, literally translated as stuffed okra, is a delicious and flavorsome Indian side dish.
Bhindi aka okra are sliced and stuffed in a delicate yet earthy blend of spices and pan fried until they’re nice and crisp, then served with some Indian flatbread.
This simple vegan side dish will take your taste buds on a ride, and is a great recipe to try out when you’re looking to experiment with an Indian recipe that’s comforting and easy to make.
Ready to try out the recipe? Here’s all you need to know about it.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this bharwa bhindi tawa fry.
- Lady’s finger/ Bhindi: 300 grams
- Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
- Red chili powder: 2 tbsp
- Coriander powder: 4 tbsp
- Cumin powder: 2 tbsp
- Garam masala: 2 tbsp
- Salt: 2 tbsp
- Ginger powder: 1 tbsp
- Onions (finely chopped): ¼ cup
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): ¼ cup
- Green chilies (minced): 2 tbsp
- Oil: 3 tbsp
How to Make the Bharwa Bhindi Tawa Fry
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do next to make the bharwa bhindi.
Wash the lady’s fingers and pat them dry.
Remove the top head and the bottom thin part of the lady’s fingers. Then make a vertical slit on each of them.
Take a mixing bowl and add the powdered spices. Mix.
Add the onions, coriander leaves, and green chilies and mix well.
Next, take the lady’s fingers and stuff them with the spice mixture through the slit that was made earlier.
Once stuffed, keep them aside.
Heat oil on a pan and add the stuffed vegetables.
Saute and cook all sides for 8-10 minutes or until it looks completely cooked.
Serve as a delicious side dish with rice and dal of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure you choose fresh okra to make the bharwa bhindi tawa fry. The okra should ideally be bright green in color and firm to touch, but not too hard. 
Make sure you use fresh Bindi aka okra for this recipe. Frozen Bindi will not work as well as the fresh ones.
Also remember to pat dry the okra after you’ve washed it. This step is crucial when it comes to dealing with the veggie, as even a teeny bit of moisture can cause the okra to become slimy.
If you have any leftovers, just move them to a clean container with an airtight lid and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.
I would recommend reheating this in the microwave, with a little sprinkle of water to moisten it up. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Bharwa Bhindi Tawa Fry
Ready to give this recipe a shot? Here are some tips and tricks you might want to take note of.
- To make this dish even more healthy and nutritious, you can add some lightly toasted chickpea flour into the mixture along with the spices and then use it to stuff the sliced okra.
- When you’re cooking the okra, make sure the heat is low. Cooking this on high heat will cause the spices and the okra to get burned, and the okra will end up staying undercooked on the inside.
- You can also add a little squeeze of lemon juice into the bharwa bhindi once it is done cooking. This can help control the slime.
- Another great trick to reduce the sliminess of the okra is to add salt into the dish towards the end, when the okra is almost done cooking.
- To lend the dish some more tangy flavor, you can add some dried mango powder into the mix.
- Okra can sometimes cause flatulence, and if you’re concerned about that, just add a pinch of asafoetida into the mix.
- Coarsely chopped peanuts can also be a great addition to the stuffing for the okra. They can lend a bit of a crunch factor to the dish.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This Bharwa Bhindi recipe is the perfect Indian meal time essential. You can serve it with some Indian flatbread aka roti or even some beetroot pulp chapati if you want to make it a healthier meal.
I personally love the combination of bhindi and dal, and whenever I make this recipe, I always team it up with a comforting dal like my Instant Pot fenugreek dal or shahi masoor dal.
If you enjoyed making this Indian side dish and are inspired to try some more, here are some good recipes to look at.
📖 Recipe
Bharwa Bhindi Tawa Fry
Ingredients
- 300 gms Lady’s Finger/ Bhindi
- ½ tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- 4 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 2 tablespoon Cumin Powder
- 2 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 2 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Powder
- ¼ cup Onions , (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup Coriander Leaves , (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon Green Chilies , (minced)
- 3 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- Wash the lady’s fingers and pat them dry.
- Remove the top head and the bottom thin part of the lady’s fingers. Then make a vertical slit on each of them.
- Take a mixing bowl and add the powdered spices. Mix.
- Add the onions, coriander leaves, and green chilies and mix well.
- Next, take the lady’s fingers and stuff them with the spice mixture through the slit that was made earlier.
- Once stuffed, keep them aside.
- Heat oil on a pan and add the stuffed vegetables. Saute and cook all sides for 8-10 minutes or until it looks completely cooked.
- Serve as a delicious side dish with rice and dal of your choice.
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