Month: September 2023

Achaari Gajar Kobi No Sambharo| Gujarati Stir-Fry With Pickling Spices

‘Sambharo‘ is a sort of crunchy Gujarati stir-fry made with various vegetables like carrots, raw papaya, beetroot, cabbage and radish. This one is a carrot-and-cabbage sambharo with an achaari twist – with powdered pickling spices added in to make it all the more flavourful. Trust me, this little twist elevates the dish so much! You have to try it out. 🙂

Let me take you through the simple process of making this Achaari Gajar Kobi No Sambharo. It pairs perfectly with rotis and with rice and dal tadka too. It makes for a nice accompaniment to Gujarati snacks like fafda, dhokla and khaman.

Achaari Gajar Kobi No Sambharo, with pickling spices

A Closer Look At Sambharo

Sambharo is somewhat like a salad. The difference is that we do not cook the vegetables in a salad, but we do so in case of sambharo. Here, the vegetables are quickly stir-fried so that they are not completely raw, but they are still crunchy.

Sambharo is a dish from the Gujarati cuisine, a popular accompaniment to rotis and rice with dal. It is made with minimal oil and very basic pantry ingredients. It is a super-quick dish that gets ready within a few minutes.

As I was saying earlier, sambharo can be made using a variety of vegetables like raw papaya, cabbage, radish, beetroot and carrot. Here’s the Raw Papaya Sambharo that I demonstrated on Instagram reels a while ago. Here’s the Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo that is made with a mix of carrot, radish and beetroot.

What Goes Into This Sambharo – The Ingredients

Carrots and cabbage are the major ingredients used here, grated thick so that the sambharo remains crunchy. Green chillies are used to add heat. Salt, sugar and lemon juice are used to flavour the dish.

The tempering is simple – mustard seeds sputtered in a little oil, along with asafoetida. Finely chopped fresh coriander is used for garnishing.

Here, I have added a little twist to make the sambharo more flavourful – I have used some ground mustard and fenugreek seeds. Do read the detailed recipe to see how this twist is incorporated.

Achaari Gajar Gobi No Sambharo Recipe

Here is how to go about it.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

  1. 2 medium-sized carrots, about 2 cups when grated
  2. 1/2 of a small cabbage, about 2 cups when chopped
  3. 1 tablespoon oil
  4. 3/4 + 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  5. 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
  6. 2 pinches of asafoetida
  7. 2 green chillies, chopped into large pieces
  8. Salt to taste
  9. 1 tablespoon of sugar or to taste
  10. Juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste
  11. 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander or as needed

Method:

Top left, centre and right: Steps 1, 2 and 3, Bottom left, centre and right: Step 4

1. Peel the carrots and grate it thickly. Chop the cabbage thickly too. Keep ready.

2. Take 1 teaspoon of mustard and 1/8 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a small mixer jar. Grind to a slightly coarse powder. Keep ready.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add in the 3/4 teaspoon of mustard, and allow them to sputter. Then add in the asafoetida. Allow these ingredients to stay in for a couple of seconds.

4. Add the carrot and cabbage to the pan. Add in salt to taste and the green chillies. Mix well.

5. Turn the flame down to medium. Cook uncovered on medium flame for about 2 minutes, stirring intermittently.

Left top and bottom: Step 6, Right top: Step 7, Right centre and bottom: Step 8

6. Now, add in the sugar. Mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes or till the vegetables are done, but retain their crunch. Stir intermittently. Switch off gas at this stage.

7. Add the coarsely powdered mustard and fenugreek at this stage. Mix well.

8. Add in the lemon juice and finely chopped coriander. Mix well. Your Achaari Gajar Gobi No Sambharo is ready. Let it sit for some time, to cool and for the flavours to blend together well. Serve warm or at room temperature with rotis or dal-rice.

Is This Recipe Vegan/Gluten-Free?

This is a completely vegetarian recipe that is vegan too. It is suited to people following a plant-based diet. It is a no-onion, no-garlic dish as well.

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply skip the asafoetida used in the tempering. Most commercially available brands of asafoetida in India do contain wheat flour and are, therefore, best avoided when one is following a gluten-free diet. However, if you have access to 100% pure asafoetida that does not contain any wheat flour, you can definitely use it.

This recipe for Achaari Gajar Kobi No Sambharo is made using minimal oil. However, it does contain sugar, so diabetics and health-conscious people should consume it in moderation. I would, personally, not recommend skipping the sugar because it adds such a lovely flavour to the dish. I have always eaten sambharo with sugar in it, so I can’t imagine it any other way!

Other Gujarati Dishes On The Blog

There are quite a few Gujarati recipes on the blog already, many of which I have learnt from friends and neighbours, growing up in Ahmedabad.

You might want to check out these popular Gujarati food recipes:

Tips & Tricks

  1. For best results, keep the carrot and cabbage thick. Grating/chopping them too thin will cause the sambharo to become too soggy.
  2. Do not overcook the veggies. Cook them just enough, so that they retain their crunch. This is critical to a beautiful-tasting sambharo.
  3. Adjust the quantity of salt, sugar, green chillies and lemon juice as per personal taste preferences.
  4. Do not use more than the specified quantity of fenugreek seeds, otherwise it might make the dish bitter.
  5. It is best to grind the mustard and fenugreek slightly coarsely, instead of making a fine powder. I have used black mustard here.
  6. Cook the sambharo on medium flame for not more than 4-5 minutes. Stir intermittently, to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Do not cover the pan.
  7. You can use jaggery instead of sugar, but that will affect the colour of the sambharo.
  8. Some people add coriander and cumin powder to their sambharo. I have avoided that here, becasue I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as I could and to let the flavours of the powdered mustard and fenugreek shine through.
  9. Peanut oil is traditionally used in sambharo, as it is in most Gujarati food. However, really, you can use any oil that you prefer.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

(Lasooni) Lehsooni Palak| Garlicky Spinach Gravy

Lehsooni Palak is a pretty green Punjabi-style gravy made with spinach, topped with lots of fried garlic. If you are a garlic lover, this is one dish you will surely love. Serve it with rotis, parathas, naan or kulcha, and it makes for a lovely treat!

My daughter and I are fans of the fried garlic taste, and enjoy ordering Lehsooni Palak whenever we are eating out at a North Indian place. I also make it often at home, a simpler, less fancy version that does not contain any cream or other processed ingredients, with minimal oil. I would venture to say that the home-made version is just as delicious as the restaurant versions, definitely less guilt-riddled because I can see and control all the ingredients going in.

Let me share with you the way I make Lehsooni Palak at home. Mine might not be the most authentic recipe for Lehsooni Palak, but it was arrived at after careful consideration and several trials and tribulations, and is what works best for me and my family. Read on if you would like to know more!

Lasooni or Lehsooni Palak, spiach gravy with garlic

If you are looking for other Punjabi-style recipes, do check out these previous posts of mine: Matar Paneer| Matar Paneer Mughlai| Aloo Matar Ki Sabzi| Baingan Bharta| Rajma Masala| Dal Makhani| Methi Matar Malai| Kala Chana Masala| Paneer Butter Masala| Paneer Paratha

This Lehsooni Palak recipe is based on the way I prepare Palak Paneer.

A Note On The Ingredients Used

Spinach (palak) greens is one of the major ingredients used in this dish. I grind the spinach together with some fresh mint, coriander and green chillies to up the flavour quotient.

I also use another puree made of tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic, along with some cashewnuts to thicken the gravy.

Cumin (jeera), a bit of garam masala and jaggery are used to flavour the curry. The jaggery is optional though, personally, I love the way it rounds off the other flavours so well. And then, of course, there’s salt and turmeric.

Finely chopped garlic (lehsoon) is fried in a little oil and added to the curry at the end, along with a couple of dry red chillies. This is another of the major components of the dish, which infuses it with a rich, garlicky fragrance. So, garlic is used in two ways here – 1. One, ground into a puree along with tomatoes and other ingredients, 2. Fried in oil and added to the curry as a tempering.

(Lasooni) Lehsooni Palak Recipe

Here is how I go about making it.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

For the green puree:

  1. A small bunch of spinach, 2 tightly packed cups when chopped
  2. 2 green chillies
  3. 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
  4. 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

For the red puree:

  1. 3 medium-sized tomatoes
  2. 1 small onion
  3. 5 cloves of garlic
  4. A 1-inch piece of ginger
  5. 7-10 cashewnuts

Other ingredients:

  1. 1/2 tablespoon oil
  2. 1/2 teaspoon cumin (jeera)
  3. Salt to taste
  4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  5. 1/2 tablespoon jaggery powder or to taste (optional)
  6. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala or to taste

For the tempering:

  1. 3/4 tablespoon oil
  2. 5-6 cloves of garlic
  3. 2 dry red chillies

Method:

Top left and centre; Step 2, Top right and below: Step 3, Bottom right: Step 4, Bottom centre and left: Step 5

1. We will start by washing the spinach well, to remove all traces of dirt from the greens. Place in a colander and let all the water drain out.

2. Next, we will prepare the green puree required for the curry. Chop up the washed and drained spinach roughly. Chop the green chillies, coriander and mint roughly too. Put all of this in a mixer jar, along with a little water, and grind to a smooth puree. Keep aside.

3. Now, we will prepare the red puree for the curry. Chop up the tomatoes and onion roughly. Peel the ginger and garlic and chop roughly. Add these ingredients to a mixer jar, along with the cashewnuts. Grind to a smooth puree – there’s no need to add water while grinding. Keep aside.

4. We will now start preparing the curry. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add the cumin and let it sputter.

5. Add the red gravy to the pan at this stage. Turn the flame down to medium. Cook on medium flame for 5-6 minutes or till the raw smell of the puree goes away completely. You will need to stir intermittently to make sure the puree does not stick to the bottom of the pan. By the time the puree is done cooking, it would have thickened up. Add a splash of water if it becomes too thick.

Top left and centre: Step 6, Top right and below: Step 7, Bottom right, centre and left: Step 8

6. Once the red puree is cooked, add a little salt and the turmeric powder to the pan. Add in the green puree too. Continue to keep the flame at medium. Mix well.

7. Add the jaggery powder (if using) and garam masala. Mix well.

8. Cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring intermittently. Add about 1/2 cup of water, if needed to adjust consistency. Taste and adjust salt, garam masala and jaggery powder accordingly. Switch off gas when the gravy has thickened up but is still slightly runny – it thickens up further upon cooling. The raw smell of the puree should have gone away completely by this time.

Left top, right: Step 9, Left bottom: Lehsooni Palak, ready to serve

9. Now, we will do the tempering for the curry. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them up finely. Heat the oil in a small tempering pan, then add the chopped garlic and dry red chillies. Turn the flame down to medium. Let the garlic get golden-brown, without burning it. When done, pour the tempering over the curry. Let the curry rest covered for at least 15 minutes, for the flavours of the garlic to seep into the gravy. Once this is done, your Lehsooni Palak is ready to serve, with rotis, parathas, naan or kulcha.

Related Event: Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge

I am sharing this recipe in association with the Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge.

The Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge is a group of enthusiastic food bloggers who share recipes based on a fixed theme, every month. Each month, the participants are paired together, and each pair discusses upon two ingredients secretly, unknown to the rest of the group. These two secret ingredients need to be incorporated by each pair into a dish that suits the group’s theme for the month. Upon completion, a picture of each dish is posted in the group, with the members trying to guess the secret ingredients that went into it.

For the month of August 2023, Seema of the food blog Mildly Indian suggested that we create dishes using any variety of greens. Seema was also my partner for the theme, and ‘tomato’ and ‘green chillies’ were the two secret ingredients she gave me. I decided to write about my family favourite Lehsooni Palak, wherein both these ingredients are used but stay well hidden out of plain sight. 🙂

Do check out the lovely Restaurant-Style Chinese Broccoli that Seema prepared for the theme.

Is This Curry Vegan?

This Lehsooni Palak recipe is completely vegetarian and vegan too. It is suited to people following a plant-based diet.

This is a gluten-free recipe as well.

Tips & Tricks

  1. For best results, use tender, fresh spinach. Using very mature spinach can cause the curry to get bitter sometimes.
  2. Do not cook the gravy for too long after the spinach puree has been added in. Cook it just for about 3 minutes for the raw smell to go away, as it is believed that spinach loses its nutrients when it is overcooked.
  3. Adjust the quantity of green chillies you use, depending upon personal taste preferences. If the heat from the green chillies is not enough, you may add a dash of red chilli powder to the gravy along with the garam masala.
  4. I have used home-made garam masala, which is quite strong, so a very little quantity is needed. Adjust the quantity as per personal taste preferences. Chana masala or goda masala also works well in place of the garam masala.
  5. Make sure the garlic in the tempering is fully cooked before adding it to the gravy – this needs to be done patiently over medium flame, to avoid the taste of uncooked garlic in the curry. At the same time, make sure the garlic does not get burnt either – it should turn a nice golden brown, for maximum flavour.
  6. Adding the jaggery is completely optional. There is only a little amount of jaggery used here, which does not make the gravy sweet, but balances the other flavours beautifully.
  7. I do not blanch the spinach, but grind it raw, along with fresh mint, coriander and green chillies. This is why the colour of my gravy does not turn out a bright green, but it tastes just as flavourful as the one with blanched spinach. I also use mint and coriander leaves for extra flavour, which you can easily skip.
  8. I use 3 tomatoes (preferably the ‘country’ or ‘Nati‘ variety), as we prefer the gravy to have a lightly tangy taste.
  9. Adjust the quantity of water you use, depending upon how thick you want the gravy to be.
  10. Remember to let the curry rest, covered, for a few minutes after the garlic tempering has been added in. This allows the garlic to flavour the gravy well.
  11. You may add whole spices like bay leaves, cinnamon and kapok buds while adding the cumin to the pan. However, I don’t as I prefer keeping my food as simple as I can.
  12. I have used regular refined oil to fry the garlic, here. You may use ghee instead, in which case the curry would not remain vegan.
  13. You may add cubes of paneer/cottage cheese (I prefer using them raw, but you could also fry them before adding to the gravy). You would need to add the paneer while adding the spinach puree, and cook everything together for 3-4 minutes. In this case, the curry would be called Lehsooni Palak Paneer (not vegan).

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!