The Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe is a flavorful, high-protein Sindhi dal dish made with a unique blend of green leafy vegetables, and dal, all cooked together with aromatic spices to create a delicious one-pot meal.
Highly nutritious, wholesome meal, easy to make in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Serve this delicious, comforting Sai Bhaji with some steamed rice or Tahiri (sweet rice).
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The Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe is a traditional and beloved Sindhi dish, commonly enjoyed in Sindhi households. This healthy, one-pot meal is packed with lentils, leafy greens, and a variety of seasonal vegetables, making it both wholesome and delicious.
A nutritious and well-balanced meal, this dish is cooked to perfection with the right blend of spices, then tempered with ghee and garlic. It can be enjoyed on its own or served alongside phulka (roti) or rice.
Sai Bhaji is a complete and wholesome meal for diabetics on its own, and can be optionally paired with Bhakri for a nutritious diabetic lunch or dinner. The combination of spinach, methi, vegetables, and various dals makes it a fiber-rich and protein-packed dish, ideal for managing diabetes.
"Sai" in Sindhi means "green," and "bhaji," as we know, refers to vegetables.
Serve this Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe with Sindhi Doda, Sindhi Bhuga Chawal or Sindhi Tahiri, and Sindhi Tariyal Vangan (Fried Eggplant) for a complete Sindhi Rasoi meal.
You can also enjoy the Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe with Jowar Jo Dodo (Sindhi Sorghum Roti) and Gobhi Ka Paani Wala Achar for a simple and satisfying weekday lunch.
Here are some more leafy greens recipes for you to try – Kale Sarson Ka Saag, Palak Paneer (Spinach with Indian cottage cheese), Punjabi Sarson Ka Saag, Microgreens Methi Thepla (Fenugreek Flatbread), and Aloo Suva (Indian Fried Dill Potatoes)
You may also like these Sindhi dal recipes: Sindhi Moong Dal, Sindhi Makhni Moong Dal pair it with puri or roti for a wonderful brunch. Sindhi Tidali Dal, popular Sindhi breakfast Dal Pakwan
Pic Shown: Sindhi Sai Bhaji (Spinach Dal)
About Sindhi Sai Bhaji
Sai bhaji or spinach dal, is one of the popular dish from Sindhi/Indian Cuisine. Sindhi cuisine is known for its rich and nutritional food.
Sindhi Sai Bhaji or Spinach dal is a power pack of wholesome nutrients. Spinach and lentils give a nice balance of nutrients to this dish. "Sai" in Sindhi means "green" and "bhaji" means "vegetables".
There are many variations to this recipe, depending upon the availability of the greens this dish is prepared. Here's my family's Sindhi Sai Bhaji recipe.
Ingredients
Following ingredients are used in making of this healthy and delicious Sai Bhaji. For variations to this dish please refer to the post later for - Variations
Leafy greens - I used fresh baby spinach for this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen spinach. In addition to spinach, I occasionally like to add other greens, such as, methi leaves, dill leaves, or turnip greens.
Lentils - I used chana dal (split chickpeas lentils) for this recipe. You can use moong dal, masoor dal, toor dal, or chana dal. A combination of dal would work great too.
Onion - I like to use yellow or red onion for this recipe.
Ginger - My personal favorite is organic fresh ginger. I think it is packed with flavor. You can use ground ginger if that's what you have.
Garlic- Again nothing beats the fresh flavor of organic garlic. A little goes a long way. I love lots of garlic in this recipe, and hence have used it for tempering the dal too. Feel free to add as much or as little to your preference.
Green chili - I used Thai green chili or birds eye chili. For milder flavor use Serrano peppers.
Tomatoes - Simply the best, fresh tomatoes! I do not prefer any canned or puree tomatoes for this recipe. It just doesn't taste the same. If you do not have fresh tomatoes, simply skip them and use fresh lemon juice just before serving.
Whole spices - I like the addition of cumin seeds, and asafetida.
Dry spices - Basic Indian spices, such as, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder
Lemon juice - For some fresh flavor and tanginess, freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.
Ghee - I prefer ghee for tadka (tempering). For vegan use plant based oil.
How To Make Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe
Traditionally, Sai bhaji (Spinach dal) is prepared with leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek leaves, some dill leaves, and chana dal( split chickpeas lentils), some onion, garlic, and tomatoes.
Some recipes also use vegetables such as eggplant and potatoes. Traditionally, this dish is cooked as a one pot, cooking lentils and leafy vegetables together. Once the lentils and greens are cooked, it is slightly mashed to give it a nice creamy texture. Finally, tempering is added to it.
Step 1: Prep
- Rinse and soak chana dal for 3-4 hours, or until the dal doubles in size. Once doubled in size, drain and rinse soaked chana dal. Keep it aside.
- Alternatively you can soak the dal in hot water, covered for 30-45 minutes.
- Wash, and chop spinach. Chop onions, tomatoes, green chili, and ginger. Mince garlic.
Pic Shown: Sindhi Sai Bhaji
Step 2: Instant Pot Sai Bhaji
- Turn ON Instant Pot to SAUTE(more). When it displays "HOT", add oil, cumin seeds, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Now add water, and deglaze the inner pot. Turn OFF SAUTE.
- Next, add chana dal, spinach, tomatoes, ginger, and green chili.
- Add dry spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt to taste.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, and the vent is sealed. Turn ON the Pressure cook (high) for 25 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
- Open the Instant Pot lid, and using a Hand blender slightly mash the dal. Add lemon juice. Adjust seasoning as per taste.
- (Optional) Heat Ghee or oil in a frying pan. Add asafetida, cumin seeds, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns light brown. Switch OFF the heat. Add red chili powder. Pour this tempering over cooked dal. Serve hot with Rice. Enjoy!!
For Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Follow the recipe as discussed. Close the pressure cooker lid, and place the whistle (weights). After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn OFF the heat. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
Pic Shown: Sindhi Sai Bhaji
Variations
Leafy vegetables such as methi leaves (fenugreek leaves), mustard greens, kale, turnip greens may also be used in combination with spinach. Depending upon the greens used in the recipe, the taste, texture and color of the dish will vary. Garlic greens also add a nice flavor to this dish.
Traditionally, chana dal (split chickpeas lentils) is used in this recipe. However, other lentils such as toor dal (split pigeon peas), moong dal (yellow split petite lentils), masoor dal (red lentils) or even a combination of lentils add a nice taste, texture and nutrient value to this dish.
Tempering of garlic, red chili powder add a nice aroma to this dish. Garlic and greens go well together. You may also use cumin seeds and asafoetida in addition, adds a whole lot of flavor to this dish.
This recipe uses minimum of spices because the flavors mainly come from the fresh leafy vegetables and the lentils. You can add some garam masala - blend of whole spices, dry roasted and ground to powder, for an additional flavor.
Lemon juice is added for the tangy flavor. You can also use some dried mango powder (amchur).
Pic Shown: Sindhi Sai Bhaji
Frequently Asked Questions
Sai Bhaji is made with a combination of lentils, spinach, and various seasonal vegetables. It is cooked with spices and tempered with ghee and garlic for added flavor.
Saijan Bhaji is known as Drumstick Vegetable in English. It is made using the drumstick plant's leaves and pods, commonly used in Indian cuisine.
Pic Shown: Sindhi Sai Bhaji
More Sindhi Recipes
- Sindhi Methi Aloo (Fenugreek Potato Stir Fry)
- Sindhi Tomato Kadhi (Vegan Vegetable Kadhi)
- Aloo Suva (Indian Fried Dill Potatoes)
- Seyal Bhee Patata (Sindhi Lotus stem and potato curry)
Sindhi Sai Bhaji Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh or frozen spinach, chopped
- ½ cup chana dal
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, chopped
- 2-3 green chili, chopped, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch asafetida (hing)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
- freshly squeezed lemon juice, adjust to taste
For Tempering
- 1 tablespoon ghee or canola oil (For vegan use plant based oil)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, adjust to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Prep For Sai Bhaji (Spinach Dal)
- Rinse and soak chana dal for 3-4 hours, or until the dal doubles in size. Once doubled in size, drain and rinse soaked chana dal. Keep it aside.
- Alternatively you can soak the dal in hot water, covered for 30-45 minutes.
- Wash, and chop spinach. Chop onions, tomatoes, green chili, and ginger. Mince garlic.
Step 2: Instant Pot Sai Bhaji (Spinach Dal)
- Turn ON Instant Pot to SAUTE(more). When it displays "HOT", add oil, cumin seeds, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Now add water, and deglaze the inner pot. Turn OFF SAUTE.
- Next, add chana dal, spinach, tomatoes, ginger, and green chili.
- Add dry spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt to taste.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, and the vent is sealed. Turn ON the Pressure cook (high) for 25 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
- For Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Follow the recipe as discussed. Close the pressure cooker lid, and place the whistle (weights). After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn OFF the heat. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
- Open the Instant Pot lid, and using a Hand blender slightly mash the dal. Add lemon juice. Adjust seasoning as per taste.
- (Optional) Heat Ghee or oil in a frying pan. Add asafetida, cumin seeds, and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns light brown. Switch OFF the heat. Add red chili powder. Pour this tempering over cooked dal. Serve hot with Rice. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Tips For Delicious Sindhi Sai Bhaji
- Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Usha says
Made Instant Pot Sai Bhaji. Great results! Thanks a lot!
Jyoti Behrani says
Awesome! I am so glad you liked my recipe ? Thanks for sharing your feedback!