Lentil and vegetable stew (Sai Bhaji)

Creating content for this blog is fun most of the time. I love experimenting with recipes (the kitchen clean up afterwards not so much.), taking photos, and editing photos. The part about blogging that I dread the most is writing; sometimes I know exactly what to write and then there are times (95% of the time) I am staring at the computer screen with a blank stare. I am not a writer, my grammar is not the best, and a lot times I wish I could hire a ghost writer to write my post. Any writers out there who would like to do this? The position is open and I pay in food.
A few months back I was in California visiting family and one of my friends asked:
Friend: Can I have your brownie recipe?
Me: yes it’s on my blog.
Friend: Ahh. Can you just tell me, the post is too long for me to read?
Me: You can just skip the post and go straight to the recipe (rolling my eyes a little). This simple conversation with my friend got me thinking that why am I putting effort into writing a post? I should just skip all the writing and just post photos along with the recipe. I might consider doing that for some post, but at the same time I have to think about google.
According to many search engine optimization experts writing 1000 to 1500 words per post positions your blog better on google. I am struggling over here to get a friend to read 400 words about brownies. I can’t imagine writing or even convincing people to read a 1000 words on vegetable stew (Blogger problems).
I am not going to fluff up a recipe post just so I can meet google word-count requirement, it’s not my style. I am appreciative to people who take the time to read my full post(I do really try writing with intention).If you are skimming through I still would like to thank you for at least visiting my blog. Today’s recipe is lentil and vegetable stew which is another childhood favorite that my maternal grandmother use to make. This lentil and vegetable stew or properly known as Sai Bhaji is a traditional Sindhi vegetarian curry.

Sai Bhaji is considered to be a stew full of rich nutrients because of the mix of various green, other vegetables, and lentils. The main greens in this stew include chopped spinach leaves and dill. Traditionally Sindhi’s also add fenugreek leaves and other type of greens called gongura leaves which you only really find in India.
I learnt this lentil and vegetable stew (Sai Bhaji) recipe from my mom. The most tedious part about this recipe is to cut all the vegetables, but once you are done all you have to do is just add everything to a pressure cooker and let it do its thing. This recipe is vegetarian and vegan(just use vegetable oil instead of ghee.). My favorite way to eat is with methi rice. Enjoy!

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Lentil and vegetable stew (Sai Bhaji)

This lentil and vegetable stew is rich in nutrients as it is made with mix of various greens, other vegetables, and lentils. The most tedious part about this recipe is to cut all the vegetables, but then all you have to do is just add everything to a pressure cooker and let it do its thing.

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Indian

Prep Time

1 hr 25 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Passive Time

1 hrs

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 cup Chana dal(yellow split peas) soaked for an hour.
• 1 lb. green spinach washed and chopped
• 1 bunch of dill ( washed, stem removed,and finely chopped)
• 10 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 medium potato peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ medium onion finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot roughly chopped
• 1 small green zucchini roughly chopped
• 3 small eggplants roughly chopped
• 2-3 tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. turmeric + a pinch
• 1 1/4 tsp. red chili powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Course Main Dish Cuisine Indian Prep Time 1 hr 25 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Passive Time 1 hrs Servings people Ingredients 1 cup Chana dal(yellow split peas) soaked for an hour. 1 lb. green spinach washed and chopped 1 bunch of dill ( washed, stem removed,and finely chopped) 10 cloves garlic finely chopped 1 inch ginger grated 1 medium potato peeled and roughly chopped ½ medium onion finely chopped 1 medium carrot roughly chopped 1 small green zucchini roughly chopped 3 small eggplants roughly chopped 2-3 tomatoes roughly chopped 1 tsp. turmeric + a pinch 1 1/4 tsp. red chili powder 2 cups water 1 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a pressure cooker add all the vegetables, lentils, ginger, half the garlic, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. chili powder, salt, and water. Give everything a good stir. Close the lid and on medium heat pressure cook for 7-8 whistles. Turn the heat off and let the pressure release before opening the lid.
2. Make sure the vegetable and lentils are cooked and then with a whisk mash the mixture. The stew should be on the thicker side.
3. In a small pan heat ghee or vegetable oil on medium heat, add the garlic and brown it (not burn). Add a pinch of turmeric and ¼ tsp. chili powder. Give everything a good stir and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Add the garlic mixture to the vegetable stew and give it a good stir. Taste the stew for salt and adjust accordingly. Serve with rice and enjoy.

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