Wash bhindi 2-3 times in water. Drain in a colander and then dry with a cloth towel till completely dry. You can also leave them to airdry for about 15 to 30 minutes.
Snip off the cap of the okra. Now make a slit right through the bhindi till the base ensuring that the slit does not cut the bhindi into half.
Do this for all the bhindi and keep aside.
Now take all the spices and mix them together.
Now gently open the slit of the bhindi and fill with the spice mix.
Do this for all the bhindis and keep aside.
For Air frying
Preheat Air fryer at 360 F or 180 C for 6 minutes.
Lightly brush Air fryer basket and stuffed bhindi with oil and arrange in one layer in the basket. Air fry for 8 minutes for smaller bhindi at 360 F or 180 C.
For larger bhindi, you may take from 10 to 12 minutes air frying time at 360 F or 180 C. Do keep checking.
For shallow frying on pan
Heat oil in a flat pan. Now keep the flame low and spread out the bhindis carefully so that they are in a single row.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side and then gently turn them ensuring that you don’t overlap bhindi.
Repeat this till the bhindi are tender and cooked through. Serve bharwan bhindi as a side to a meal or even as a snack.
Video
Notes
1. Ensure that bhindi are completely dry before you use them. 2. You can vary the quantity of pepper powder or not use it if you don’t want your bhindi to be too hot. 3. If any spice mix is left over just sprinkle it on top of the bhindis cooking. 4. Once the bhindis are done, taste and if low on salt, sprinkle some on top. You could also sprinkle some chaat masala to add some tang. 5. I often cut my bhindis into half and then stuff them. This was the cooking time reduces. Otherwise, the bhindis take longer to cook. 6. While stuffing the bhindi do also check for worms. 7. You could also use 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds powder or even peanut powder to add another layer of flavour to the spice mix. Some people use coconut powder as well. 8. You could double the recipe ingredients for a larger batch.9. The bhindis must look dark green with a tinge of brown to be perfectly air fried. Remember they will crisp up a bit more even after being removed. Taste and check one.10. I liked to brush again with a little oil after air frying. That enhances the taste. You can skip this if you like. Overall usage is just 2 tsp. of oil.11. Cook bhindi in batches. Also the bhindis shrink a little on air frying.