Besan Wali Bhindi Recipe / Okra with Gram flour / chickpea flour recipe - Rajasthani Cuisine

Besan Wali Bhindi

Rajasthani cuisine offers an amazing variety of rich colourful spicy and mouthwatering dishes. Due to  the paucity of fresh vegetables in the dessert region , Gram flour or Besan is the major ingredient in making a couple of delicacies. Also curd or dry Amchur powder is used to add tangy flavours to the dishes instead of Tomatoes. Ghee is an integral part in preparation of Rajasthani food and hence the spice content is quiet high in comparison  to other Indian cuisine but the food is absolutely fabulous and lip smacking.

Source: http://anshu-rajasthanicuisine.blogspot.com/

Besan Wali Bhindi is a spicy and crispy Bhindi dish which is a tasty twist to the typical Bhindi fry. It is a dry and aromatic dish and the original recipe calls for stuffing whole Bhindi/Okra with spices and gram flour and then deep frying the Okra. To cut down the extra calories of frying and to save time of stuffing each Bhindi individually, I have slit the Okra into half length wise and stir fried with spices and gram flour.

The dish serves good option for lunch box and goes well with Phulka / Chapati or with Rice. A must  try for all the Okra/ Ladyfinger lovers !

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Bhindi/ Lady fingers /Okra 
• 1/4 cup gram flour/chickpea flour/ Besan
• 2 medium size Onions chopped
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds/ Jeera
• 1/2 tsp garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds / Saunf  powder
• 1/2 tsp dry Mango . Amchur powder
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing
• 3 tsp Ghee
• 1-2 tsp water to sprinkle
• Salt to taste

      Method:

1. Clean the Okra with wet kitchen towel and let it dry. If the Bhindi remains wet the curry will become sticky. Now slit in half length wise. 

    2.  In a non stick pan add ghee and allow it to heat. Add cumin seeds and let it flutter. Now add hing and onions. Saute the onions and then add lady finger. Mix well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

    3.  Add salt to taste and turmeric powder. Mix and cook Bhindi for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally till it gets a little crispier on medium flame. 

   4. Once the oil separates, add Besan, Cumin Coriander powder, Fennel powder, Red Chili powder and dry Mango powder. Mix every thing well.

   5.  Now cover the pan with a lid and let the okra cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame. Open the lid after 3-4 minutes , sprinkle some water, so that it doesn't stick to the pan. Now mix again and turn off the gas after 1 minute. The Besan Wali Bhindi is ready to serve. Serve it with Chapati / Phulka or Rice.

    Notes: 

• I have used Onions in this recipe. You can avoid adding onion and the same recipe will become a Onion Garlic free dish.
• Can add lemon juice for tangy flavour if Amchur powder not available.
• This dish is a modification to the  original Rajasthani Besan Wali Bhindi recipe which calls for stuffing spices and gram flour into the Bhindi and then deep frying it.