Sai Bhaji (Sindhi Cuisine)

Sai bhaji is an excellent dish that comes from the Sindhi Cuisine. I am always looking out for nutritious leafy vegetable recipes and this one tops the list with the greens. It gives you enough flexibility to use a variety of vegetables along with a variety of greens, where basically spinach leads the pack. I have tried just a few recipes from Sindhi cuisine and have loved all of it. Lauki Chana sabji, Aloo methi tuk, Koki roti, Sindhi kadi, Sindhi biryani etc.

Sai means green and bhaji means vegetable. Sai bhaji is basically a mashed mixture of spinach, dill, methi, bengal gram dal, eggplant, yam, tomatoes, potato, onion etc. The blend you get in the end is very tasty and nutritious, a very soul-satisfying comfort dish indeed! The best part is it is a one pot meal. Start with a tempering in a pressure cooker and add all the vegetables. Pressure cook it for few whistles and your dish is ready in no time.

 It is one of those dishes where if your kid takes a liking don't think twice, make it once a week :) Because there is no better way to get those nutrients into his/her system without any fuss. I am glad I got lucky with this one (knocking on wood), though I have to be careful about not getting chunks of eggplant into my kid's plate, that goodness is all for the mommy and daddy :)

Let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of spinach
• 2 tbsp fenugreek leaves (or 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tbsp dill leaves
• 2 tomatoes 
• 1 onion sliced
• 2 small eggplant big cubes
• 2-3 okra
• 1/2 plantain cubed
• 1 small potato cubed
• 1/4th cup bengal gram dal (chana dal)
• 1 tsp coriander powder 
• 2-3 green chilies
• 1-2 inch ginger chopped
• 1/4th tsp turmeric pwd
• salt to taste
•  2-3 tsp oil

Preparation:

• Chop leafy vegetables roughly. Soak chana dal in water for 30 minutes and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add ginger, onion, brinjal, potato, okra, plantain, gram dal and cook for just a few minutes till it is slightly tender. 
• Now add all leafy vegetables, tomatoes, powders, chilies and lightly saute everything. 
• Add little water till everything is just soaked. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles. Wait till the cooker cools down and lets out all the pressure. 
• Mash gently the mixture before serving. Adjust the consistency of the dish by adding a little water and serve hot with rice or rotis or pooris or koki.

You may also like Patal Spinach Peanuts curry, Lal Bhaji, KhatKhate, Vali Bhaji (Vietnamese spinach)...

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Notes:* You can add various vegetables in this dish like carrots, cauliflower, yam, arbi, potato etc. If you don't have dill leaves, you can skip and add an extra tomato to make it sour.

Seen in the plate: brown rice, fried tapioca fritters, and tomato poori.

Health Benefits: Spinach has a high content of vitamin K and is useful for protein modification and plays an important role in protecting bones from osteoporosis. Spinach is also high in fiber, which helps break down food and keeps your digestive system moving.One cup of spinach is all you need to get a full day’s requirement of vitamin A. That’s good news for your tired eyes. Very rich in iron content, that’s why vegetarians and anemics are encouraged to eat lots of spinach for healthy blood and proper red blood cell production.If you are prone to asthma attacks or have difficulty breathing, include spinach in your diet. The beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium in spinach all have anti-asthmatic properties. Addition of other vegetables will provide more minerals, vitamins, and protein( from chana dal).