Shepuchi Bhaji (Stir fried Dill leaves dish)

Shepuchi bhaji is a well known Maharashtrian dish. Very popular food amongst villagers and farmers. It falls under the category of either you Love it or Hate it, more or less like Karela (bitter gourd). It has a cult followers of its own if you ask me heheh and I am one of them. I can polish off my plate when I get served these cult vegetable curries like karela, shepu(dill), bitter beans etc. My husband is just the opposite, he doesn't like it at all. One other reason I look forward to make it as I make it once in a while :)

It is used as a herb in western countries. Dill has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Apart from giving a strong, tangy, appetizing flavor and taste, it possesses plenty of medicinal properties. It is very good for health and has a pretty green color on it. Used these days for garnish, flavoring and for styling food plates to present on Internet handles, it is has multipurpose value- so Dill ain't going anywhere soon :)

I have enjoyed it so much while growing up- eating it with jowar bhakri or rice bhakri elevates its taste 10 folds more. I sill get all nostalgic when I visit my hometown in Belgaum and step into our family friends home, that aroma always lingers in their house. Have you ever experienced that? Every house has its own typical aroma and energy around it.

Anyways coming back to Shepu- my moms fav dish is shepu Idlis...well that is one thing which I am not a great fan of maybe because we add loads of jaggery in it... my tastebuds go crazy where ever it finds spice. Even now when I visit home there is a list of things that I want from my moms kitchen and Shepuchi, methichi bhajis are one of them. I am actually drooling as I am writing this as its dinner time and I cant wait to get my hands on it :)

Lets check the simple recipe:

Ingredients: 

• 2 bunch of Dill leaves (about 21/2 cups of chopped dill)
• 4-5 garlic pods chopped (large in size)
• 3 green chillies slit
• 1 onion med size chopped
• 1/4th cup toor dal soaked for 30 mins (or split yellow moong dal)
• 1 tbsp grated coconut for garnish
• 1/4th tsp jaggery 
• 3 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Clean and wash Dill leaves for a couple of times. It is usually muddy by the roots, so clean it nicely.
• Chop the leaves and keep aside.
• Soak the toor dal in little water for about 30 minutes and drain the water.
• Heat oil in a pan, then add garlic, saute for a few seconds. Add onions and chillies, saute and let it cook till onions are translucent. 
• Add toor dal and mix it well, add 2 tbsp water and cook it covered for 5-6 minutes.
• Now add the dill leaves, salt, jaggery and mix everything nicely. Close the lid and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Do not add water. It gets cooked in the steam that gets generated. If need be then add very little water. 
• Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot with roti, yogurt, rice etc

Njoy cooKing!

Health Benefits:

Dill is packed with micronutrients that provide health benefits. It is a good vitamin A intake that helps you to maintain healthy vision, skin, immune function, growth, and reproductive health. You'll also get a significant boost of vitamin C, an important antioxidant that helps your body to resist infection. Dill is also a good source of fiber, folate (important for cell division and production of DNA), calcium for healthy bones, riboflavin for cell function and development, manganese, and iron.

Dill has been used for centuries in traditional Asian and Ayurvedic medicine. Currently, people use dill for certain medicinal purposes, including: Gastrointestinal disorders  Loss of appetite, Kidney disease, Flatulence, Fever and colds, Cough, Bronchitis, Urinary tract disorders, Hemorrhoids, Insomnia and other sleep disorders.

source:https://www.verywellfit.com

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).