Sai bhaji (the name means 'green vegetable' in Sindhi) is the everyday home food of Sindh province, a one-pot dish of spinach, lentils and seasonal vegetables cooked with minimal spices. Unlike the richer, ghee-heavy curries of Punjabi and Mughlai cooking, sai bhaji is light and wholesome, the flavours clean: cumin, garlic, turmeric and green chilies. Spinach, a small amount of masoor dal (red lentils) for body, and diced vegetables (potato, tomato, eggplant) are simmered together until soft, then lightly mashed. The lentils thicken the gravy naturally, and the spinach gives a deep green colour and earthy flavour. Eaten with steamed rice or koki (Sindhi flatbread) and a side of yogurt, sai bhaji is the weekday dinner of Sindh.
A thick, green, earthy and wholesome curry, the spinach and lentils melting into each other, the cumin and garlic warm, the green chili a gentle heat. Eaten with rice, it is light, nourishing and deeply comforting.
The technique is a simple one-pot simmer. Masoor dal is cooked in water until half-tender. Spinach (washed and chopped), diced potato, tomato and eggplant are added, along with turmeric, cumin, garlic paste and green chilies. The pot is simmered covered for 20 minutes until everything is soft, then lightly mashed with the back of a spoon to create a rough, textured curry. No onion and no ghee tempering are traditional; the flavours come from the vegetables, lentils and a few spices. The dish is finished with a tarka (oil tempered with cumin seeds and dried red chilies) poured on top for aroma. The result is light, healthy and deeply green.
Variations
Some add drumstick or okra. A version with fish head is a coastal specialty.
On the Palate
Where Sindhi Sai Bhaji sits in the Pakistani flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 14 min
Cook 100g masoor dal in 500ml water for 10 minutes until half-tender.
- 25 min
Add 300g chopped spinach, 2 diced potatoes, 1 tomato, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp garlic paste and 3 green chilies.
- 37 min
Simmer covered 20 minutes until all vegetables are soft.
Watch outSimmer covered until every vegetable is soft enough to crush — this is meant to mash down rough, so undercooked lentils and potato spoil the texture.
- 44 min
Lightly mash with a spoon; add salt.
- 54 min
Make tarka: heat 2 tbsp oil, fry 1 tsp cumin seeds and 2 dried red chilies; pour over the curry.
Watch outFry the cumin seeds just to fragrant and sizzling before pouring the tarka over — burnt seeds turn the whole pot bitter.
- 63 min
Serve with rice or koki and yogurt.
