Veg Indian Cooking: Palak Chana Dal - Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe

How to make Palak Chana Dal | Authentic Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe

Hello Friends,

Today's blog post is one of my all time favorite dish. If you want to learn as how to cook very delicious, authentic Sindhi palak chana dal sabji, then please refer my this blog post. Sharing recipe with step by step photos...

Also refer - quick recap - one minute video presentation of this recipe

Palak chana dal aka Sai Bhaji is a very popular Sindhi vegetable dish cooked with different varieties of green leafy vegetables, Chana dal, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, potatoes and flavored with garlic and Indian spices. This dish is a powerhouse of nutrients. It's an excellent combination of carbohydrates, protein, iron and minerals.

Did you know in authentic sai bhaji, we need 4-5 varieties of green leafy vegetables for the perfect taste and flavor. Palak aka spinach is the main and base ingredient and it is used in good quantity, along with it dill leaves (shepu, suva), sorrel leaves (Khatta palak, ambat chukka), methi leaves and coriander leaves are also added, but they are added in small quantity, i.e only 5-7% of the base vegetable.. You can skip them, if not easily available to you.. but having palak leaves+ dill leaves+ sorrel leaves is like sone pe suhaga.. You'll surely going to love this dish a lot with this combination...

Some important points to consider....

✔️To make your palak chana dal bhaji very delicious, you need to add onions in good quantity, plus onions should be nicely stir fried for a perfect sindhi sai bhaji taste.

✔️After cooking, churn it very gently, make sure chana dal is visible and not fully mashed..

Let's get started - Recipe details

Preparation time 10-15 minutes
Cooking time 20-25 minutes
Servings for 4
Cuisine - Sindhi (India)
Method of cooking - pressure cooking

Ingredients needed

1 bunch palak
¾ cup chana dal
3 medium size onions,
3 tomatoes
3-4 green chillies or as preferred
1 small piece ginger
1 large potato
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 -3 tbsp cooking oil

For tadka - tempering

12-15 garlic cloves
2 tsp red chilli powder - optional
2tsp cooking oil

Method

Step 1 Mise en place

Chana dal - rinse - soak it for 25 minutes

Palak - remove the stems - wash under running tap water - roughly chopped

Onions - peeled - sliced

Potato - peeled - roughly chopped

Tomatoes - roughly chopped

Ginger - peeled - cut into small cubes

Garlic - peeled - cut into small cubes

Step 2 Cooking time - pressure cooking

◾Heat oil in cooker for about 30 seconds.

◾Add onions, stir fry till onions are golden brown.

◾Slow the gas stove, Now add all the ingredients in layers - first add - half of the chopped Palak leaves followed by a handful of Chana dal - chopped tomatoes - potatoes - green chilies... and repeat same way with all the ingredients again...

◾Add turmeric, chili powder and salt to taste.

◾Add 1½ cup of water.. About 400 ml. Gently mix it well.

◾Close cooker, bring to full pressure on high heat, allow 3-4 whistles. Slow the gas stove and cook it for 3-5 minutes, then switch off the gas stove.

◾Allow the pressure cooker cool down naturally. Open the pressure cooker lid and gently churn with the help of dal churner or just mash it with the back of a ladle. Make sure chana dal is not fully mashed..

Step 3 Tadka - tempering

◾Finally temper it with finely chopped garlic. Serve hot with your preferred rice or Indian bread.

◾This can be served with steamed white rice or Sindhi Tahiri or with Sindhi Bhugha Chawal (Stay tuned - Sindhi Bhuga Chawal - recipe coming very soon)