India has a tradition of stuffing its vegetables.
Usually with a pungent masala and fresh ingredients, but sometimes even with mince meat. The stuffing of the sabzi turns simple vegetables into particularly tasty delights.
Stuffed vegetables might have a place in everyday meals or are made for special occasions.
Explore 11 recipes for a range of bharela dishes that are easy to prepare, taste good and are loved in homes across India.
1. No Onions Stuffed Paneer Tikka
A flavourful version of Paneer Tikka, Ameya Warty makes it without onions: Thick paneer slices are stuffed with a spicy green-peas-chilly mixture, marinated in hung curd, mustard oil and tandoori spices, then grilled till golden.
Please find the recipe here: No Onions Stuffed Paneer Tikka
2. Bharwa Shimla Mirchi Or Stuffed Bell Peppers
Chef Kunal Kapoor's filled capsicums are a rich, restaurant-style dish. Colourful bell peppers are filled with corn, potatoes and paneer and then cooked in a creamy red gravy. It's an elegant, mildly spiced preparation.
Please find the recipe here: Bharwa Shimla Mirchi
3. Stuffed Kalonji Karela
Jayanti Soni's homestyle vegetarian recipe sees bitter gourds filled with a delicious masala that includes kalonji (nigella seeds) and pakao-ed until tender. It's a traditional preparation that brings a balanced, savoury taste to the karela.
Please find Jayanti's recipe here: Stuffed Kalonji Karela and two more recipes, Stuffed Karela and Jodhpuri Bharwan Karela.
4. Aloo Khazana
Chef Roshan Tadadikar hollows out potatoes and spoons in a mixture of chopped carrots, peas, paneer, mashed potatoes and gently cooks them. They are garnished with almonds and make for a visually appealing vegetarian snack that works beautifully for parties.
Please find the recipe here: Aloo Khazana
5. Stuffed Mushrooms
Mushrooms filled with cheese, mustard, chopped bell peppers like how Binish Baby does it becomes a popular snack, turning mushrooms into delicious bite-sized starter or light side dish.
Please find the recipe here: Stuffed Mushroom. Or one more: Bharwan Mushroom
6. Spicy Cabbage Rolls
A crunchy, flavour-rich Indian snack, Zelda Pande stuffs cabbage leaves with a spiced potato filling, dips them into chickpea-flour batter and deep-fries the rolls until crisp.
Please find the recipe here: Spicy Cabbage Rolls
7. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Chef Sabyasachi Gorai creates a festive starter by filling sweet potatoes with nuts, maple syrup, cranberries, brown sugar and spicing it with cinnamon to create a satisfying holiday treat.
Please find the recipe here: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes=
8. Rajasthani Bharwan Mirch
Swati Pareek brings the rustic taste of Rajasthan to the table with chillies that have been bharo-ed with masala and besan (chickpea flour), carefully fried to bring out bold, earthy flavours.
Please find the recipe here: Rajasthani Bharwan Mirch
9. Bharwan Bhindi
A homestyle Bharwan Bhindi preparation where the okra or lady's fingers are slit and filled with a spiced stuffing and cooked for a long while over low heat -- a staple in many Indian kitchens.
Please find the recipe here: Bharwan Bhindi
10. Stuffed Brinjal
This Konkani-style stuffed baby eggplant recipe, by Seema Nayak, uses small round eggplants that are slit and filled with a fragrant paste of coconut and spices, then cooked without haste till tender. An excellent match for rice or rotis or bhakris.
Please find the recipe here: Bharwan Bhindi
11. Dum Ke Bharwan Parwal with Sangri Pulao
A festive rice and stuffed vegetable combo, shared by Chef Avinash Kumar, it pairs strongly spiced, stuffed pointed-gourds (parwal) cooked on dum (slow heat) with a fragrant pulao made of sangri (a traditional dry bean) and basmati rice. Together they form a classy, celebratory meal.
Please find the recipe here: Dum Ke Bharwan Parwal With Sangri Pulao
Feature Presentation: Hemantkumar Shivsharan
© 2025