5 traditional and delicious stuffed vegetables

Eating vegetables is the best way to easily include nutrients and antioxidants in daily meals. Vegetables help to boost health and help fight off diseases. They are a must in all people’s daily diets.

They are so varied that you can create countless combinations and dishes with them. Whether cooked or raw vegetables, they are easy to prepare exquisite dishes. Varied flavours and textures of vegetables create an infinite repertoire for any meal.

How to eat vegetables?  

The versatility and cooking options of vegetables please everyone. You can make plenty of dishes with them, so you will never get tired of eating them. Generally, vegetables are part of other meals complementing flavours and textures. They are included in soups, stews, salads, sauces, rice bowls, casseroles, omelettes, and so much more.

They can be used alone and become the start of any dish: vegetables with rice, veggie noodles, vegetable lasagnas, pizza toppings, and so on.

Stuffing vegetables  

Eating vegetables is anything but boring. A fun way of eating vegetables is stuffing them. It is the best method to have a satisfying and notable-looking meal with relatively little time and effort.

You only need to choose a vegetable and fill it with anything with your pantry and fridge ingredients. You can even use leftover food since it becomes the best way of taking advantage of remains to create a delicious and nutritious meal.

Stuffed vegetables make it possible to have in a single dish all your favourite ingredients. For instance, combine rice with meat, tuna, or shrimp. A vegetarian option includes beans or mushrooms along with seasonal veggies.

5 delicious Indian stuffed vegetables  

Many vegetables can be stuffed. The stuffing depends on your imagination.  Here are 5 delightful ideas for making stuffed Indian vegetables.

Stuffed Eggplant (stuffed brinjal or Bharwan Baingan)

Eggplants are the preferred vegetable to stuff. Their delicious flavour and shell consistency make the perfect container for any filling. Traditional brinjal stuffed includes spices like coriander seeds, chana dal, asafetida, urad dal, and dried red chillies; coconut and onions served with rice. Another different option is made with eggplant rice in the fillings and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Bharwan Baingan (Stuffed Baby Eggplant/Brinjal)

Recipe by Amrita Iyer

Stuffed vegetables and meat are popular across cultures worldwide. They vary in terms of ingredients, spices, condiments, and cooking methods. Some are deep-fried, shallow-fried, baked, or even cooked underground, as seen in certain Hawaiian delicacies. The variations are endless.

In India, every state boasts unique stuffed vegetable recipes. Coastal regions often use coconut in their stuffing, while other areas rely on locally available produce. Regardless of the recipe, stuffed dishes are always delicious and timeless, making them cherished culinary treasures.

This particular recipe was shared by my aunt, Alka Narayan. She joined our family nearly three decades ago when I was a young child and brought magic to our dining table with this recipe. Although I was too small to remember many details, I vividly recall her delightful stuffed brinjals served with hot, ghee-smeared rotis and aromatic, perfectly cooked Basmati rice.

These stuffed brinjals are simple to prepare and feature a delicious stuffing. The recipe includes the Bengali Panchphoron masala—a blend of five roasted and powdered spices. I’ll also share the recipe for this special masala.

I recently asked my aunt for the recipe, and she gladly shared it. Now, I am delighted to pass it on to all of you!

Check out this recipe

Stuffed Bitter Gourd (Bharwan Karela)

They must be salted and washed out several times to reduce the bitter taste. There are many versions of this dish, the most popular is with caramelised onions filling with contrast to the regular taste of bitter gourd. It is traditionally fried in mustard oil.

Stuffed Bitter Gourd

Recipe by Sai Priya

As a child i used to dislike bitter-gourd .But Mom never allowed me to escape from having this ..In an easy way i always gulped down everything with lot of water . A happy Mom at this sight !! Now it’s been part of my food routine. I prefer to have raw juice in morning too.Sometime i make a glass of juice adding one cucumber ,one tomato to two bitter-gourd. This particular juice helps you to control your blood pressure with diabetic . Bitter melon disrupt the production of glucose,so it’s highly beneficial for diabetic patient. Bitter melon may also starve cancerous cells in the liver, colon, breast, or prostate. It’s a liver tonic good for irritable bowel system & indigestion.This has high amount of beta-carotene that helps alleviate eye problems .Try this stuffed bitter-gourd recipe to reap the reward of this unusual gourd.

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Stuffed Capsicum (Bharwan Simla Mirchi)

The varied colours of capsicum allow playing with different colours and textures to create funny meals. Filling may include mashed potatoes, paneer, or peas blended with traditional spices and served with chapati or rice.

Vegan Stuffed Tomatoes With Lentils

Recipe by Samira Gupta

When I say that we all have not one but 2 mothers then you all will agree with me. Today for Mother's Day recipes I have chosen my Mother in law's specialty, Stuffed Tomatoes with Lentils. She was an excellent cook and made special, very different and exquisite dishes. Thus certain dishes were her forte only. I neither had the capabilities nor the confidence to try them out. So, with due respect, I dedicate this recipe to my late mother in law.

Today, I cannot serve these to her and see how much I have passed in making these but definitely remember her more fondly. These tomatoes are different in the sense that instead of cottage cheese or potatoes these tomatoes are stuffed with Bengal Gram Lentils (chane ki dal).

These tomatoes are undoubtedly a delicacy on its own. But making these stuffed tomatoes is a little lengthy process. This is because boiled and ground lentils are cooked on a slow flame for about an hour or so, till absolutely dry and powder like. But once you taste these all the efforts seem worthwhile.

You can have these in breakfast also just like grilled tomatoes. Since these are stuffed with lentils therefore these are filling also. Also, these are best made with ‘desi tomatoes as these are tangy and sour. Whenever I make these, I make them in bulk so that they last for at least 2 to 3 days. This is a no onion no garlic recipe. Tomatoes are filled with cooked chana dal and roasted. There is no gravy also.

Since these have only tomatoes, lentils and oil, therefore, therefore those who are on vegan diet can also go for it. These tomatoes are in fact very healthy. Both tomatoes and chana dal come with a host of health benefits. Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and are known to be a good source of lycopene, the phytochemical which makes them red in color and significant antioxidant properties, which get enhanced with cooking.

The chana dal is fiber rich and a good source of zinc, folate, calcium and protein. It is helpful in weight loss, helps lowering cholesterol and has a very low hypoglycemic index. Earlier we used to make these tomatoes in a pan only but now have shifted to air fryer. I cook these in air fryer and when done then cook for a minute or two in a pan to get that charred look which unfortunately is missing in air fryer.

Though this is not necessary but as they say habits die hard and unless we get that look on tomatoes, it seems something is missing. However, you can make these directly in a pan or air fryer or OTG. If making in a pan, ensure that you do not cover it. As covering will make these soggy and the skin would peel off. So, cook them in open pan, tossing in between so that these are cooked from all sides.

Also, cooking in air fryer is hassle free and takes very little time as compared to cooking on the gas stove. Instead of air fryer, you can bake these in OTG also. Though these tomatoes taste best when cooked in clarified butter (ghee) but now I have switched over to oil.

Hope you will like this recipe and try it out. Try out these tomatoes. Yes time consuming and lengthy process but the end result is simply beautiful.

Check out this recipe

Stuffed Potatoes (Bharwan Aloo)

This is another favourite vegetable for stuffing. Potatoes are a subtle flavour, so the filling must be with dense taste. It includes cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger, turmeric, coriander, Garam Masala, amchur powder, cashews, and raisins.

Broccoli Stuffed Potato Skins

Recipe by Prachi Bagde

These loaded skin potatoes are stuffed with healthy things like broccoli and corn. Added are cream cheese and cheddar cheese along with spices which makes it delicious.

Check out this recipe

Stuffed Lady Finger (Bharwan Bhindi)

It consists of okra filled with traditional Indian spices. It has tender green okra, onion, roasted peanut powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chilli powder, Garam Masala, fennel powder, and amchur powder. It is eaten with roti chapati or rice.

Achari Bhindi (Okra/Ladyfinger)

Recipe by Kirti Misra

Achari Bindi/ Orka is simple and easy to make yet tempting and tasty. I have used mustard oil while preparing the stuffing which brings a completely different flavor I am also a fan of  Maharastrian Masala called “Goda Masala” which I generously use to stuff any vegetable.

Check out this recipe

Try an Indian stuffed vegetable recipe  

This is the way of eating okra. It is a traditional Indian dish served for lunch or dinner. It is a bit spicy and very healthy.

Stuffed Ladyfingers  

 Ingredients:

• 300 grams of smooth ladyfingers.
• 3 tablespoons of oil.
• 2 teaspoons of anise powder.
• 2 teaspoons of coriander powder.
• ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder.
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
• ½ teaspoon of amchur powder.
• ¼ teaspoon of Garam Masala.
• 1 inch-long piece of grated ginger.
• 1 ping of Heeng.
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds.
• 1 tablespoon of gram flour.
• ¾ teaspoon of salt.

 Preparation: 

1. Clean the ladyfingers and cut the top and bottom parts.
2. Make a long slit along each ladyfinger. Be sure not to cut through the whole vegetable.
3. In a bowl, combine anise, coriander, red chilli, turmeric, amchur, and ginger.
4. In a saucepan, pour oil and heat at medium temperature.
5. Add the heeng, cumin seeds, gram flour, and salt. Roast them.
6. Incorporate the mixture of spices and cook for 1 minute.
7. Stuff the ladyfingers with the spice blend.
8. In another saucepan, add more oil and place the stuffed ladyfingers.
9. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
10. Flip the ladyfingers for cooking for all sides.
11. Serve it with chapatis, naan, or rice.

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