Sambhariyu

Every culture and family has their way for cooking veggies. According to the region people belong to and the climate, these veggies and stuffed with spices and then cooked. In my last recipe, veggies were stuffed with sesame seeds and peanuts.

Sambhariyu is also a stuffed veggie recipe belonging to the Gujarat or Kutch (a district in Gujarat, western India) In this recipe chickpea flour/ besan is seasoned with spices and then stuffed in veggies eventually slow cooked to perfection. What makes it special is the combination of sweet, sour, and spice in the stuffing!

Sambhariyu is usually served with roti, rice, and dal or kadhi, but I love it as is as a side. It is very important to slow cook the veggies and toss them lightly to prevent them from breaking. And, while mom is here, it was Sambhariyu time last week.

Ingredients (Serves 5-6)
Veggies to stuff: (you can change the quantities depending on your family's preference) 
12 small to medium sized potatoes
6-7 small to medium onions
10-15 tindora
10-15 bhindi/okra
3-5 small brinjals/ eggplants
3-5 long green chilies

For stuffing
2+1/2 cup besan/ chickpea flour
1/2 cup oil
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. turmeric
1-2 tbsp. red chili powder (depending on the spice)
4 tbsp. coriander powder
1/4 tsp. hing/asofoetida
1 cup finely minced gud/jagerry
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

• Wash and dry all the veggies. Peel potatoes and onions. Keep them aside. Slit all the veggies to stuff them with the stuffing.
• In a large bowl or plate mix all ingredients for the stuffing. Mix them really well.
• Stuff the stuffing into every slit veggie and keep it aside.
• Heat a large pan and add 1/2 cup oil in it.
• Once the oil is heated arrange the stuffed veggies in order of their cooking time. Potatoes and tindora go in first at the bottom. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes. Open and toss the veggies.
• Then add stuffed onions and eggplants. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid and toss the veggies lightly.
• Next add stuffed okra/bhindi and green chili. Cover and cook again. Remove the lid and toss the veggies. If there is any extra stuffing remaining, add it on top of the cooking veggies. Cover and cook again for 5-6 minutes or till done.
• Serve with roti.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Wash and dry all the veggies. Peel potatoes and onions. Keep them aside. Slit all the veggies to stuff them with the stuffing.

In a large bowl or plate mix all ingredients for the stuffing. Mix them really well.

Stuff the stuffing into every slit veggie and keep it aside.

Heat a large pan and add 1/2 cup oil in it.

Once the oil is heated arrange the stuffed veggies in order of their cooking time. Potatoes and tindora go in first at the bottom. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes. Open and toss the veggies.

Then add stuffed onions and eggplants. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid and toss the veggies lightly.

Next add stuffed okra/bhindi and green chili. Cover and cook again. Remove the lid and toss the veggies. If there is any extra stuffing remaining, add it on top of the cooking veggies. Cover and cook again for 5-6 minutes or till done.

Enjoy Gujarati Sambhariyu!

Bharwo

Although Gujarati cuisine consists of an elaborate meal which is difficult to cook and eat on regular basis, weekends are the times to enjoy a full-fledged or almost a full-fledged thali. My husband is a foodie, and he surely enjoys good food. One of his favorite childhood menu is my mother-in-laws special Bharwo which is elaborately served with dal, kadhi, rice, and roti. Some of the traditional/family recipes and cooking styles and worth learning and adapting in daily life. And after cooking this special meal, it is also fun to serve it is style.

Bharwo means stuffed. Here the veggies are stuffed with a mixture of spices and then slow cooked. This bharwo recipe is slightly different from the traditional gujarati bharwo or sambhariyu which I will be posting next. The stuffing of peanuts, sesame seeds and spices flavor the veggies well and the aroma is amazingly appetizing. You should try this recipe, even if you do not serve it like we do at home, roti and bharwo veggies are just too delicious to go wrong.

Ingredients to make Bharwo for 4-5 people
10-12 small potatoes
5-6 small eggplants
5-6 small-medium onions or 3 large onions cut into half
1+1/2 cup peanuts
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1+1/2 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup oil

• Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds separately and keep them aside.
• When cooled gently rub peanuts in your palm to remove the skin.
• Powder roasted sesame seeds and roasted peanuts and mix them together.
• Add shredded coconut, salt, turmeric, chili powder, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix the stuffing well. This is the only time spices and salt can be added so take a taste test and add if needed.
• Peal potatoes and onions and slit them. Make two cross slits into the eggplant.
• Gently open the veggies and stuff with stuffing.
• Stuff all the veggies and keep them in a plate. Keep extra stuffing aside as it will be needed for later.
• Heat a heavy bottom pan. Add oil and heat well. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and pinch of hing/asoefotida.
• Place potatoes first and then eggplants. Cover with a large plate with water over it. This traditional method of cooking helps veggies to cook evenly. Cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
• Remove the lid/plate, gently flip veggies and make some space for stuffed onions. Cover once again with a plate of water. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove the plate and toss veggies gently. Add remaining stuffing mixture over the veggies. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
• Serve hot with rotis, rice, dal, and kadhi.
• Enjoy!!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds separately and keep them aside.

Peal potatoes and onions and slit them. Make two cross slits into the eggplant.

Powder roasted sesame seeds and roasted peanuts and mix them together.

Add shredded coconut, salt, turmeric, chili powder, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix the stuffing well. This is the only time spices and salt can be added so take a taste test and add if needed.

Gently open the veggies and stuff with stuffing.

Stuff all the veggies and keep them in a plate. Keep extra stuffing aside as it will be needed for later.

Heat a heavy bottom pan. Add oil and heat well. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and pinch of hing/asoefotida.

Place potatoes first and then eggplants. Cover with a large plate with water over it. This traditional method of cooking helps veggies to cook evenly. Cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes.

Remove the lid/plate, gently flip veggies and make some space for stuffed onions. Cover once again with a plate of water. Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the plate and toss veggies gently. Add remaining stuffing mixture over the veggies. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve hot with rotis, rice, dal, and kadhi.

Enjoy!!

Brun: Kadak Pav

These golden brown beauties bring back lot of memories of my childhood. 

When we were in school, my sister and I used to carpool to school with group of other friends. 8:30 a.m. we would wait at a particular spot. That spot coincidentally was outside a little pav shop/ a small shop that would mainly sell varieties of bread. Occasionally, mummy would give us cash to buy maska pav for our recess snack. It was great to see soft pav being stil open and lathered with amul butter. It was then packed in a newspaper for my sister and myself to take to school. Those were amazing school days! Next to soft bun pavs wes a stack of these beautiful dark colored pav breads. I wasn't sure of the taste, but they just were very appealing. So one day. instead of buying bun maska for recess snack, I bought these golden brown pav. And only during recess, I realized that these were kadak pav... yes for a school going child, these were kadak. Kadak means hard...they were hard from outside and soft from inside. Nice, chewy, and delicious to taste :)

Check out my post on Bun Maska.

I had totally forgotten about them until our Irani/Parsi friends reminded me of it. I have made my pav for bhaji for my friends and tasting my regular soft pav, my friends demanded for brun... kadak pav came back to my life after so many years, and that is when I realized i have had brun in my childhood. I had made crisp bread before and I applied my knowledge of baking here to make brun bread. 

So while our Irani/Parsi friends were here last weekend, We had freshly baked Brun pav, maskao, and choi (chai) with our never ending GupShup :) Love you guys for so much fun we have together!

So what is BRUN? Brun means browing... brun pav are dark brown, hard, and crisp bread that are the delicacy of Irani bakeries in Mumbai and Pune. There are very few Irani Bakeries, but we still visit them for the pav, mawa cake, khari biscuit, and other freshly baked products. If you are not able to visit an Irani cafe soon, try making some brun at home... they are super easy to make and bake. They could be round or big and oval in shape. Our friends said these small round ones are mostly from Mumbai called Goti Brun. :) Below are some of the photos of Irani cafe, Yazdani and Merwan in Mumbai where I had visited.

Ingredients (makes 15 brun pav)

1+1/4 cup warm wtaer

1+1/2 tbsp. sugar

3 cups all purpose flour

1 packet yeast (active dry or rapid rise)

1+1/4 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. butter

• In a large bowl add yeast and sugar. Add warm water (heat water in microwave for 30 seconds) to yeast and mix well. Let the mixture rest for 5 mins. 
• Add flour, salt, and softened butter to yeast mixture.
• Using a wooden spoon or a spatula mix and bring all ingredients together.
• Use your palm and fist to knead the dough for 4-5 minutes to make a soft dough.
• Cover and keep it aside in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough will double in size.
• Take a baking pan (11inches X 18 Inches). grease it well and also sprinkle dry flour. Thin layer of dry flour with stick well on greased pan.
• Knead the dough again for 4-5 mins. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and arrange in a pan. Cover the pan again and keep in a warn place for 1 to 1+1/2 hour for the dough to rise again.
• Preheat convection oven to 400 F. Place a big pan on the bottom of the rack. the pan is the one that will contain water later and provide steam for the brun to be hard and crisp after baking. 
• When preheated, place pav tray in the middle rack. Add 4 cups of hot water into the bottom large pan.
• Close the oven immediately and let the brun pav bake for 30 minutes or till they turn into beautiful brown color.
• Remove pav and place the tray on a a wire mesh. 
• Remove pav on wire mesh to avoid getting moist with the steam.
• Serve with butter and enjoy with chai!

 Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a large bowl add yeast and sugar. Add warm water (heat water in microwave for 30 seconds) to yeast and mix well. Let the mixture rest for 5 mins. 

Add flour, salt, and softened butter to yeast mixture.

This spatula is a gift from my sister... she always brings me cute and thoughtful things :)

Using a wooden spoon or a spatula mix and bring all ingredients together.

Use your palm and fist to knead the dough for 4-5 minutes to make a soft dough.

Knead the dough again for 4-5 mins. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and arrange in a pan. 

Cover the pan again and keep in a warn place for 1 to 1+1/2 hour for the dough to rise again.

Preheat convection oven to 400 F. Place a big pan on the bottom of the rack. the pan is the one that will contain water later and provide steam for the brun to be hard and crisp after baking. 

When preheated, place pav tray in the middle rack. Add 4 cups of hot water into the bottom large pan.

Close the oven immediately and let the brun pav bake for 30 minutes or till they turn into beautiful brown color.

Remove pav and place the tray on a a wire mesh.

Remove pav on wire mesh to avoid getting moist with the steam.

Serve with chai and butter.

Enjoy with Chai!!