As a family, we like our food and we both love and hate our carbs. So we cooperate with any attempt to reduce their presence in our lives. Elimination, in case you’re wondering, is both impractical and not really healthy unless you know what you’re doing.
This stew is a mixture of a number of vegetables and one grain – bajra. I soaked the stuff for 3 whole days, trying to see if it would grow in size and when it would soft enough to eat by itself. The water was changed every 12 hours or so and it lay on the kitchen platform, it being cool enough these days to do so. It never grew in size, though it did get soft enough to eat by itself, though with a slight bite.
Ingredients:
- Lauki, 1 small-medium, diced
- Radish, 2 medium, diced (root and leaves)
- Carrots, 1 small, diced
- Spinach, one bundle, washed, trimmed and chopped
- Mushrooms, 1 packet, diced
- Parval, 2 pieces, trimmed, cleaned and sliced (no seeds)
- Bell peppers, 1, sliced
- Bajra, 6 tbsp, pre-soaked
- Dhaniya powder, 1 tbsp
- Garam masala, 1.5 tbsp
- Chilli Garlic chutney, 1 heaped tsp
- Fresh ginger, 1 – 2 inches, finely diced
- Dahi (yogurt), 250ml
- Haldi powder, 1.5 tsp
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Method:
- Heat oil. Saute bajra for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Add all spices. It’s okay if there isn’t enough oil in there to drown them. Saute/stir for a minute on low heat.
- Add all vegetables, except spinach.
- Add chutney, ginger and dahi.
- Mix. Lower heat. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender or as you like them. Took me about 20 minutes.
- Add spinach, mix, wait for a minute for it to wilt.
- Serve.
Notes:
- Serve as is, or with rice, roti etc. We ate it in bowls as a chunky soup, without any accompaniments.
- Pre-cook the bajra in a pressure cooker if you don’t want to pre-soak for 3 days.
- A bit of ghee on top would taste quite nice.
- Keeping the bajra a little hard helps reduce post meal fridge visits because the mouth has yet chewed enough.
- Add any more or less vegetables you like.
