My parents come from a melting pot of cultures and hence we were introduced to simple yet wide range of everyday cooking. My dads side consists of  Punjabi’s and Sindhi’s, while moms side consists of Gujarati’s and Maharashtrian’. Owing to this awesome blend of cuisines there are tons of childhood recipes, memories and daily menus archived within the family. One such recipe is the Sindhi Sai Bhaji,  a simple wholesome dish of vegetables and lentils seasoned with everyday simple ingredients.

I have made this in my instant pot but you can make this in a Dutch oven as well.  Cooking times might vary by 10 mins. The lentils add a natural medium thick consistency to this dish which is how it should be.

Ingredients

1 big bunch of Spinach –  (washed and chopped )

1/2 cup dill leaves -( washed and chopped)

1/2 cup fresh Fenugreek leaves-  ( washed and chopped ) ( optional)

2 tomatoes- roughly chopped

1 small eggplant – chopped in small cubes

1 potato- peeled and cut in to 4 pieces

1 onion – roughly chopped

1 cup of Bengal gram Lentils ( washed and soaked for about 40 minutes )

1 green chilly – chopped ( Serrano works great )

1/2 inch ginger – finely chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of coriander powder

1 cup of water

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds ( brings great smoky flavor ) (optional )

3 tablespoon of ghee or oil to temper

Salt to taste

In your instant pot add the first 13 ingredients and cook for 30 minutes manual setting and natural release. Once you open the lid everything should be cooked down.  Take an electric hand blender and slightly blend, you don’t want a complete puree but rather want some chunky bits.  Add salt to taste, mix well and set a side. Heat ghee or oil in a small pan over  medium heat. Add cumin seeds and chopped garlic; as the garlic gets some brown edges add the tempering to the pot of veggies and lentils, cover for a couple minutes , open the lid stir well and serve hot.

Here I have served it with some rice flavored with peas, and as a side I have some pan fried potatoes and eggplants. This dish can be served as is if you are avoiding carbs as it is such an wholesome dish.  Goes well with any flat bread as well. This is great way to add vegetables and greens to your diet . Enjoy !

 

 

 

 

Holiday time I like to personalize gifts in some small manner to spread the cheer. Each year I have been doing the traditional fruit cake and cookies, but this year I had a new addition to the giving basket and it was these yummy crumbly and not too crunchy Biscotti’s.

 

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

6 tablespoon room temperature unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachio roughly chopped

1 cup dried sweetened cranberry

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla, fennel seeds and orange zest. Beat in flour mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (sticky dough). Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather and very lightly kneed. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 15 inch-long log and 1.14 inches wide . Transfer logs onto the baking sheet, space them a couple inches apart. Bake logs until almost firm  when you touch but still pale, 25 to 28 mins. Cool the logs on baking sheet for about 12 minutes.

Carefully transfer the logs with the parchment paper to cutting board. Using a serrated knife  or  big heart knife cut logs into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices, any cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake until firm and lightly golden, about 8 to 10 mins. Transfer cookies onto cooling racks to cool. Enjoy them warm or store in an air tight container .