Paneer stuffed Bhindi

Bhindi is one of our favorite vegetables to eat! I can have it pretty much in anything i.e. appetizer, gravy, raita… But he’ll make a grumpy face if it’s a sticky outcome! Well, I too don’t much enjoy slimy ones… but then over the years, I have learnt a few tricks to avoid or reduce it to a certain level. For example, I add lemon juice to avoid stickiness while cooking it in a pan or kadai. Microwave gives me a lovely result even without lemon though ;)

But yes, if I give him choices, he’ll only choose Aloo-Bhindi. But if I cook something else without prior notice, he’ll eat that happily too! and that’s exactly what I did on his birthday… I planned making those stuffed with paneer crumbs n spices, made it in microwave (it was an appetizer/side only) and he absolutely loved eating it :)

While talking about it with my pretty girl-friend, she asked me if I use MW for the same as the color green was intact! And yes, we both realized we share very much similar cooking methods too. Ohhh yes, not only in this dish but in everything that we cook on daily basis, we find our ways/thoughts of cooking is nearly the same. I now need to discuss more on it… will share it all in a detailed post here, sometime soon!!!

Till then, enjoy this recipe :)

INGREDIENTS:

250 gms Bhindi
1 tbsp Onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 cup Paneer (crumbled or grated)
2-3 tsp Oil + Oil Spray
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Amchur Powder
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Salt, to taste

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Wash bhindis, pat them dry and trim the ends. Make a vertical slit to split them all.
2. Heat oil in a small pan and add onions, ginger-garlic paste into it. Saute it for a while.
3. Combine paneer, all spices and sauteed mix in a bowl.
4. Mix everything well.
5. Stuff each bhindi through slits and make sure it holds the stuffing tightly.
6. Grease a microwave safe tray with oil and arrange all the bhindis onto it.
7. Microwave it on high for 5-6 mins and take it out carefully.
8. Serve it with a sprinkle of chat masala, some lemon juice and coriander leaves!!!

SJ’s NOTE:

• Optionally, you can make a gravy (onion-tomato based) and cook the bhindis in it too. But microwave method retains its color and it doesn’t loose the texture too, so I prefer that way.
• If you’re planning to serve it as an appetizer, heat some oil in a pan and grill those microwaved bhindis to give it a crisp outside.
• You can eliminate using onion-garlic in it to make a jain version :)