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

Lal bhaji Curry (Tambadi, Amaranth Leaves)

Red leaf vegetable has so many names, I grew up saying lal maath and tambdi bhaji meaning red leaf vegetable. It's also called as amaranth leaves. It's very very nutritious and tasty, it goes very well with chapatis and phulkas. When it came to leafy vegetables I have liked 2 of them the most, fenugreek leaves and red leaves vegetables. Even today they stand out. I feel blessed that I can find these leaves in the stores out here in the USA. You can find it in Trader Joe's by the name red spinach. Gives me a soul satisfying feeling when I have either of it on my plate. Am glad my whole family enjoys it too...

Let's take a look at the recipe:

                                                                                      Lal Bhaji
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Red leaves bunch cleaned and chopped (around 3 cups pressed) 
• 1 medium size onion 
• 3-4 tbsp oil 
• 4-5 garlic cloves whole crushed slightly 
• 10 curry leaves 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai) 
• 4-5 dry red chillies 
• 1/2 tsp urad dal 
• 1/2 tsp channa dal 
• 1/2 cup toor dal 
• salt as per taste 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp chilli pwd 
• pinch asafoetida (hing)

Preparation:

• Pressure cook toor dal for 2 whistles and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera seeds once it splutters add urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies and saute quickly till dals turn light brown. 
• Now add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame till translucent. 
• Add garlic, stir well and mix everything together, now add chopped amaranth leaves, salt, turmeric, chilli pwd, hing and cook till partly done. 
• Add cooked toor dal and bring it to a boil. 
• Serve hot with rice or rotis, cucumber raita.

njoY!! happY cooking!!

-recipe was shared by a good friend Uma Prem Kumar a fellow foodie :)-

Health Benefits: 
Red leaves is one of the leafy vegetables consumed widely around the world. Its nutritional benefit list is so long that you will need fingers and toes to count :) Few of the key benefits includes- it prevents electrolyte imbalance, makes a great gluten free diet, stops hair loss and greying, improves eyesight, aids in weight management, very good for anemic patients. Packed with antioxidants, protein, vitamins, calcium, carbohydrates, iron and minerals, this vegetable is too good to ignore.