What exactly is SABJE?!
What exactly is SABJE?
Hi! I'm American and I'm going to marry an Indian man. I LOVE cooking and I'm learning a lot. However, I find some things confusing...grin. When I am there in India, I hear that word "sabje" a lot...my fiance says he wants to eat sabje and a couple times we made some veggies and he called it that - but, it was different each time. I tried to ask him about it, but I guess it's no surprise that he's not that familiar with cooking terms to explain things to me. Also, right now I can't talk to him online so it's hard to get answers - so I thought I'd ask you all! :) So, are there different kinds of sabje? How do you make it? Is it just cut up veggies cooked in oil with jeera and then masala and tumeric? Is it any veggie? Or, only certain ones? Do you use it to stuff paranthas, too? I'm really clueless, I know! ha ha Thanks for your help!
Answers:
First, CONGRATULATIONS! What an exciting time for you! It's so nice that you are trying to cook Indian food for your fiancee, I am sure he really appreciates all your hard work & efforts!
It's spelled sabji or subji (pronounced sub-jee), also know as bhaji in some parts of India. It's usually a vegetable based stir fried type of side dish. It may or may not have "gravy". They are eaten with Indian chapathis (or rotis, naans, phulkas...) or rice.
Different subjis have different recipes: cooking methods, techniques and spices (masalas) are different. They should have their own unique taste, you dont want to eat sabjis that all taste the same.
There are tons of different sabjis (veg or paneer dishes).
Parathas are stuffed with vegetables that are mildly spiced as fillings but they not proper subjis. Parathas are stuffed flatbreads traditionally eaten with yogurt and Indian pickles.
This is an informative & helpful website: it will provide you with lots of recipes.
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/indianfo...
EXAMPLES: they are all sabjis but with very different ingredients.
KADAI PANEER (Wok Fried Paneer with Vegetables)
Ingredients:
8 ounces of paneer (cubed and pan fried)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 small green thai bird chilies, cut lengthwise in half
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8-10 large white button mushrooms, halved
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili powder
? cup roasted unsalted cashews
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
juice of ? a lime
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
METHOD:
In a wok or large skillet on medium high heat, add the oil and the onions. Stir until slightly browned and add the green chilies, ginger and garlic. Stir and add the turmeric, garam masala, ground cumin, red chili powder and salt. Stir for an additional 4-5 minutes and add the vegetables. Stir for 2-3 minutes, reduce the heat to low and add the cashews and fried paneer cubes. Garnish with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with fragrant Basmati rice and hot chapathis or rotis.
Variations: feel free to add your favorite combination of vegetables such as carrots, peas, baby corn, zucchini…
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Spicy Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are a truly underrated and underused vegetable. They are not even Indian. But my spicy version will definitely make Brussel sprouts a favorite in your house just as it is in mine. It’s a unique dish where new world vegetable meets old world spices. I hope you will enjoy it.
Spicy Brussel Sprouts
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 lb of Brussel Sprouts (around 20 or so)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 cups of corn kernels (frozen is fine)
? tsp black mustard seeds
? tsp cumin seeds
4-6 dried red chilies
4-6 fresh curry leaves
? tsp turmeric
juice of ? a lime
4 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 cups of water for boiling
? cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
Method:
To prepare the Brussel Sprouts: trim the stems and cut any large size Brussel sprouts into quarters, medium size Brussel sprouts can be cut into halves and any small ones can be left whole. In a large pot, bring salted water to a good boil and carefully add the Brussel sprouts. Cook for 5-6 minutes, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water for a minute or so (this will stop the cooking process and set their lovely green color). Drain well and set aside until needed.
In a large saute pan on medium high heat, add the oil and then carefully add the black mustard seeds (they tend to splatter and pop tremendously). Then add the cumin seeds and the onions. Stir fry the onions until they are golden brown in color, this may take up to 5-6 minutes. Next add the garlic and ginger. Keep stirring so the onion mixture will not burn and then add the turmeric, curry leaves, dried red chilies, salt & pepper. Mix well to combine and then add the Brussel sprouts. Stir once and let sit for 2-3 minutes, the key is to caramelize the Brussel sprouts. Caramelization equals intense flavor. Stir once and again let the Brussel sprouts sit for a few minutes to caramelize. Once the Brussel sprouts are a delicious golden brown in color, add the corn and lime juice. Stir to combine thoroughly. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve with warm rotis.
Variations: try using different vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower, green beans, potatoes
or green peas.
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Alu Gobi (Potatoes with Cauliflower)
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
1 pound cauliflower
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger paste. Cook about 1 minute until garlic is lightly browned. Add the potatoes. Season with turmeric, paprika, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Cover and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes stirring occasionally.
Mix the cauliflower and cilantro into the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking 10 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are tender. Garnish with cilantro leaves & serve with rotis or Basmati rice.