Sai Bhaji - Palak Chana Dal Curry

How to make Sai Bhaji | Green Leafy Vegetables With Split Bengal Gram | Sindhi Sai Bhaji | Palak Chana Dal Sabzi

Sai Bhaji is a very famous, awesomely delicious, healthy, religiously cooked  and most  preferred green leafy vegetable dish from Sindhi cuisine. This dish is an excellent combination of green leafy vegetables and chana dal - split Bengal gram... which provides plenty of calcium, protein, iron and vitamins.

The term Sai Bhaji means green vegetable as the base of this recipe is combination of green leafy vegetables, as we mainly add good quantity of Spinach leaves. Along with palak (spinach) other green vegetables are also added such as Dill leaves, Fenugreek Leaves, Coriander leaves and Sorrel leaves.

Also refer : 

Paneer Palak Bhurji (Scrambled Cottage Cheese With Spinach)

About Sorrel Leaves:
Botanists know it as Rumex vesicarius (Khatta Palak) also known as Chuka in Hindi, Chukoo in Sindhi, Amlavetasa In Marathi, chukkakura in Telugu, chukkankeerai in Tamil and hammaaz in Urdu.

Take a little bite of a leaf and it will reveal its true identity. The tart, lemony flavour of khatta palak makes this stand out from its similar-looking cousins.

If in case sorrel leaves are not available to you, in such case you can add one extra tomato as my today's recipe of sai bhaaji is without sorrel leaves.

Required 

◾Split Bengal Gram

150 gms, Washed, soaked for 20-30 minutes.

◾Spinach - 

1 bunch (medium size) approx 200-250 gms, roots cut off, washed & roughly chopped

◾Dill leaves - very much required 

1 -2 tbsp  roughly chopped

◾Fenugreek Leaves - can be skipped 

1 -2 tbsp, roughly chopped

◾Coriander Leaves - can be skipped

1- 2 tbsp, roughly chopped

◾Sorrel Leaves - very much needed 

3-4 tbsp, roughly chopped

If all leafy vegetables available to you then too good, if not then you can skip few and manage without them, but base vegetable that is spinach and dill leaves are most important and can't be skipped...

◾Onions 

3 medium size - sliced

◾Tomatoes

3-4 medium size, roughly chopped

◾Potatoes

2 medium size, cut in two halves.

◾Green Chillies

2 or as per your taste

◾Ginger 
1small piece,  chopped 

◾Garlic 
7-8 cloves, chopped required lastly for tempering

◾Dry Ingredients

• Turmeric Powder - 2tsp
• Red chilly Powder - 3tsp
• Salt to taste

◾Refined oil 

• cooking 1tbsp 
• Tempering 1tsp

Action

Step 1 : Soaking of chana dal

In a medium size bowl, first wash chana dal thoroughly then soak in enough water for 20-30 minutes. Drain before using for preparation.

Step 2: chopping

1. Wash and roughly chop all leafy vegetables

2. Peel and slice onions

3. Wash, cut potatoes in two halves, keep in water.

4. Roughly chop tomatoes

5. Peel and roughly chop ginger

6. Peel and finely chop garlic, this we will going to use for tempering.

Cooking will be done in the pressure cooker.

Step 3. Cooking 

Heat refined oil in pressure cooker, add onions, stir fry on high flame till golden brown. (This will take app 5-7 min). This is the most important step of sai bhaji, your onion should be stir fried with good care and caution,  it should be golden brown and should not be burnt. If you can able to make judgement in this step, you will able to make best and very tasty bhaji. This step actually give the taste and color to your dish.

Slow the flame, add all things in layer's, like first 1/2 quantity of green leafy vegetables, then chana dal, tomatoes, potatoes, ginger, green chillies, 

then again remaining green leafy vegetables and chana dal.

Now add all dry ingredients mentioned above and add 250 - 300 ml of water ... mix all, cover the lid and allow to pressure cook up to 4 whistles, then slow the flame and cook for 2-3 minutes.

remove potatoes from the sai bhaji in the plate, mash them with help of cooking spoon and add them back in sai bhaji..

Mash sai bhaji but with gentle hands with help of masher so that chana dal is visible..

Now temper with finely chopped garlic..

 Sai Bhaji is ready to be served with steamed rice or sindhi onion pulav (Bhugha Chavaran) or chappati.

(All new images added on June 28, 2014), 4.11.2016  and 12.8.17