Raw Vegan Stuffed Bhindi Recipe

Raw Stuffed Bhindi is our favorite.

Bhindi tastes amazing raw! Have you ever tried it? Participants in our Healing With Food Masterclass can’t believe the bhindi we serve is raw. It’s so yummy!

What most people don’t like about Ladies finger or Okra is the slime that oozes out from it. Although it is amazingly medicinal, most people fry vendakkai in oil to make it crispy. Why destroy the nutrition in bhindi when you can make super tasty dishes without frying?

Recipe by Prathima Prashanth, Health Coach & Plant-based Cooking Expert, NutritionScience.in

Yummy Bhindi, Two Ways!

Raw Stuffed Bhindi is our favorite. Alternatively, simply cook okra with something sour, like tomato, to prevent it from becoming gooey.

Try out this stuffed okra recipe with nuts and spices! Yum!

Whole Food Plant Based Raw Stuffed Bhindi Recipe

Course: Salad; Course 1 (Raw Dish) at Lunch & Dinner meals; Snacks
Cuisine: Indian Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 people

INGREDIENTS

8 Okra / Ladies Finger / Bhindi / vendakkai, slit
1 tbsp Mildly Roasted Peanuts (not browned)
1/4 tsp Jeera Powder / Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1 tsp Black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp Amchur powder dry mango powder
2 tsp Coriander leaves chopped
15-20 Pudina Leaves / Mint Leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Alternative. See Nutrition Science Highlights below for details)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Coarsely grin peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix all the ingredients together to make the masala, except bhindi. Adjust miso paste and pepper to suit your taste.
2. Wash and pat dry bhindi / okra. Chop off the top if you wish. We like to eat it whole! Make a long slit at the centre and stuff it with the masala you just made.
3. Garnish with some pudina sprigs and serve fresh!

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Raw Stuffed Bhindi Recipe

1. To make the cooked version, steam the bhindi for a few mins. Half cooked tastes better than fully cooked. Once done, add the stuffing. Serve fresh!

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Raw Stuffed Bhindi Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. Why raw dishes at meals? Every meal we consume has an immediate, measurable effect on the antioxidant capacity of our blood. Consuming raw fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices at every meal can help us always have a positive blood antioxidant response to our meals. This is perhaps why every traditional Indian meal began with fruits and salads (kosambari / kosumalli)
3. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!