Sai Bhaji

Sai bhaji is basically a sindhi dish.It was during  my India trip, I was invited for lunch to my cousin Manju's house.She had made Sai Bhaji  with hot phulkas . I simply fell in love with the sabzi. After coming back to the states,I made this dish with her recipe many times.My son loved eating this dish with phulkas. Manju's recipe uses palak, methi leaves and chana dal as the main ingredients. But sometimes to bring some variation to the dish, I add more vegetables like carrots and green beans(french beans ) too. I sometimes replace chana dal with yellow moong dal and it tastes equally good with all these variations. In this post i will share with you the recipe that my cousin Manju shared with me.

Ingredients:

1. Spinach(palak) - 1 bunch (approx. 200gms) 
2. Methi leaves - 50gms
3. Chana dal -  3 Tbsp
4. Potatoes -1 big
5. Onions(Finely chopped) - 2 (75 gms)
6. Tomatoes- 2 medium size
7. Ginger - 1/2 inch thick piece(Grated)
8. Garlic  - 3-4 cloves(finely chopped)
9. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
11. Salt as per taste
12. Cumin seeds or jeera - 1/2 tsp
13. Oil -2-3 tsp

Method:

• Clean  the spinach leaves and wash them thoroughly and chop them finely.
• Repeat the same with methi leaves.
• Heat the pressure cooker. Add the oil.When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion , grated ginger and chopped garlic and mix well.
• Now add the tomatoes and cook.
• At this point, add the methi leaves and fry it a bit.
• Add in the spinach, potaotes,chana dal,turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and mix well. 
• Add 1/2 cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker. When the steam starts coming put the whistle. Cook for about 3 whistles and turn off the heat.
• Once the pressure is off, open the lid and check the constistency.
• If you  find that the sabzi still has extra water, turn on the heat and cook till you get the desired consistency.
• Serve hot with phulkas.