When I'm looking for a dinner that packs in oodles of nourishment and tastes fabulous, I turn to this Sindhi sai bhaji recipe. This is a simple but delicious dal loaded with vegetables and greens. You can make the recipe in the Instant Pot or a stovetop pressure cooker and serve it with khichdi, rice or roti.
Table of Contents
What is sai bhaji?
Sai bhaji is a popular dal from the Sindhi community that straddles India and Pakistan. The words "sai bhaji" translate to greens and vegetables and this dal is indeed loaded with veggies, much like a Parsi vegetable dhansak. But unlike a dhansak, where the vegetables and dal are pureed and flavored with a special spice mix, the vegetables in sai bhaji are minimally spiced and mashed by hand to give the dal a coarse, full-bodied texture.
The gorgeous flavor of sai bhaji comes from a unique mix of vegetables that includes leafy greens like spinach, dill, fenugreek leaves, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes. The dill and spinach are essential, but you can tweak the other veggies to what you have in your refrigerator.
Sai bhaji is traditionally made with chana dal or Bengal gram dal, which has a nutty flavor that goes nicely with the veggies. I like adding a tadka of garlic and red pepper flakes to the sai bhaji before serving. It looks great and adds more depth of flavor, but it is optional and you can skip it. The sai bhaji is delicious even without it.
This Sindhi sai bhaji is part of an occasional series on Indian dals, where I introduce you to a special dal from a special region, community or ethnicity in the Indian subcontinent, like Konkani dalitoy, Maharashtrian suva dal, Rajasthani panchmel dal, Tamil sambar and Bengali cholar dal.
Recipe card
Sai Bhaji (Sindhi Dal)
Ingredients
- ½ cup chana dal
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 large red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste (or mash together six cloves garlic and an inch-long knob of ginger)
- 4 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
- 1 green chili pepper (like jalapeno or serrano, minced)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 heaping tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 carrot (cut in ½-inch dice)
- 1 medium zucchini (cut in ½-inch dice)
- 1 Italian eggplant (cut in a ½-inch dice. Or use 3 small Indian eggplants or two medium Chinese or Japanese eggplants)
- 2 medium potatoes (cut in ½-inch dice)
- 3 cups spinach (finely chopped)
- ¾ cup dill (finely chopped)
- 1 cup methi greens (fenugreek leaves, finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
For optional garlic tadka
- 8 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (skip if you don't want more heat in the recipe)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Soak the chana dal in water to cover by an inch for 30 minutes. Drain all water before using.
- Heat oil in Instant Pot liner with the saute function at medium heat or in a stovetop pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds and stir, after 30 seconds add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent but not brown. Stir in the ginger garlic paste.
- Add the tomatoes with chopped green chili peppers, turmeric and ground coriander. Mix and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the carrots, zucchini, eggplant and potatoes to the pot. Mix thoroughly. Add all the leafy greens - spinach, dill and fenugreek leaves and mix again.
- Stir in the soaked, drained chana dal. Add three cups water and salt to taste. Mix. (You can use two cups water if you want the sai bhaji thicker - I like some fluidity and the sai bhaji also thickens as it stands).
- If using an Instant Pot turn it off. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, slide the button to "seal," then set the IP to pressure cook for 15 minutes. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the sai bhaji for three whistles or for 10 minutes after it reaches pressure. Force-release the Instant Pot after 10 minutes or let the pressure release naturally.
- Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables and dal until the sai bhaji is thick but still has plenty of texture. Check salt and add more if needed. Remove the sai bhaji to a serving bowl.
For optional garlic tadka
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, if using. Saute until the garlic begins to brown. Pour the garlic tadka over the sai bhaji in bowl. Serve.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Leafy greens: Spinach, fenugreek leaves (methi) and dill. You can also add any other leafy vegetables you have on hand, including sweet potato greens, amaranth, Malabar spinach, arugula and watercress.
- Vegetables: Eggplant (use any variety, including Italian eggplant, Indian eggplant or Chinese and Japanese eggplants), potatoes, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes and onions.
- Chana dal: Also called Bengal gram dal, this lentil is easily available at Indian stores. It has a nutty flavor that's perfect in sai bhaji.
Nutrition Information
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How to make sai bhaji
Heat oil in Instant Pot liner with the saute function at medium heat or in a stovetop pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds and stir, after 30 seconds add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent but not brown. Stir in the ginger garlic paste.
Add the tomatoes with chopped green chili peppers, turmeric and ground coriander. Mix and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the carrots, zucchini, eggplant and potatoes to the pot. Mix thoroughly.
Add all the leafy greens - spinach, dill and fenugreek leaves. Mix again.
Stir in the soaked chana dal. Add three cups water and salt to taste. Mix. (You can use two cups water if you want the sai bhaji thicker - I like some fluidity and the sai bhaji also thickens as it stands).
If using an Instant Pot turn it off. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, slide the button to "seal," then set the IP to pressure cook for 15 minutes. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the sai bhaji for three whistles or for 10 minutes after it reaches pressure.
You can force-release the Instant Pot after 10 minutes or let the pressure release naturally.
Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables and dal until the sai bhaji is thick but still has plenty of texture. Check salt and add more if needed. Remove the sai bhaji to a serving bowl.
Make the optional garlic tadka
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, if using. Saute until the garlic begins to brown.
Pour the garlic tadka over the sai bhaji in bowl. Serve.
Sai bhaji FAQs
You can find fenugreek leaves at Asian stores and Indian stores. A good substitute for methi is dandelion greens, sold in specialty stores (or foraged from your own backyard). You can also use any other greens you have in your fridge.
You can add sweet potatoes to the sai bhaji instead of potatoes, or butternut squash or any winter squash instead of zucchini.
Sai bhaji is delicious the next day so yes, it is make-ahead friendly and you can make it up to three days ahead of serving. Store in the fridge for up to three days and freeze for longer storage. Thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in microwave.
Yes, absolutely. Use a large pot and after adding the dal and water, bring it to a boil. Cover with a tight lid, lower heat to simmer, and cook until the lentils and veggies are very, very soft. This will take about 30-40 minutes. Mash the dal and veggies and proceed.
Sai bhaji is served in Sindhi homes with koki, a tasty wheat flatbread or bhuga chawal, a simple rice pilaf with spices. But it is just as delicious with roti or jeera rice or khichdi, like this sprouted moong khichdi. Serve papad or poppadum and Indian lime pickle or carrot pickle on the side.
Nishi says
So, so tasty. Everyone loved it, including the children. Great way to get my family to eat their greens.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear - that's awesome!!
Zuri says
Wow. This looks and sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I look forward to trying it. 🙂
Vaishali says
You're welcome, Zuri. 🙂 Hope you love it.