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Colocasia bhaji

Colocasia leaves cooked with chana dal, peanuts, tamarind and a fresh coconut paste

A Gujarati-style dry vegetable dish made with chopped colocasia (arvi) leaves and chana dal, cooked with peanuts, tamarind and jaggery for a sweet-sour taste, then thickened with a fresh paste of coconut, green chilli, coriander and ginger and finished with a mustard and cumin tempering. Uses only two teaspoons of oil. Serve hot with baked parathas.
Total time
65 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
4
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Ingredients

Serves4

To grind into a paste

For the tempering

Method

0/7 done
  1. Step 1: Grind ½ cup fresh coconut, 3 green chillies, ½ cup fresh coriander and 6 mm fresh ginger to a paste with a spoonful of water.

  2. Step 2: Heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy pan. Add 1 pinch asafoetida, 5 cups colocasia (arvi) leaves, the drained ½ cup bengal gram lentils (chana dal) and 1 tbsp roasted peanuts and sauté for 3 minutes.

    3 min
  3. Step 3: Add ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tbsp tamarind pulp, 2 tsp jaggery, 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook over a low heat until the lentils are soft, about 25 minutes, adding a splash of water if it dries out.

    25 min
  4. Step 4: Mix 1 tbsp bengal gram flour (besan) with a little water. Add it to the pan with the ground paste and stir well.

  5. Step 5: Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

    3 min
  6. Step 6: For the tempering, heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan, add ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 pinch asafoetida and let them crackle.

    1 min
  7. Step 7: Pour the tempering over the cooked bhaji and mix well. Serve hot with baked parathas.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
190 kcal
Protein
8 g
Carbs
22 g
Fat
8 g
Fibre
7 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does colocasia bhaji take?
About 65 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?
Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
Is it gluten free?
Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
What can I use instead of asafoetida?
A pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder (asafoetida stands in for onion and garlic).
What can I use instead of bengal gram lentils (chana dal)?
Yellow split peas, same amount.

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