GAJBAJE

Gajbaje is a very popular Konkani dish prepared using variety of vegetables and grated coconut during festivals like janmastami, ganesh chaturti and auspicious occasion as it is no onion no garlic recipe.

I would like to mention what vegetables goes into this traditional gajbaje as I have added only those vegetables available in United States. Here is the list : Beans, ivy gourd (tendle), ridge gourd (gosale), yellow cucumber (magge), cow pea beans/long beans (alsando), pumpkin (dudde),  sweet potato (kananga), Indian yam (surnu), potato (batato), raw banana (randai kele), sweet corn (jolu), cantola/teasel gourd (phagila)

I would suggest you to add more variety of vegetables so that flavor of all vegetables combine and enhances the taste. Serve immediately and if the curry remains 🙂 don't miss to try it out the next day. You will love it even more. I still remember those days how we were waiting to eat it along with kotto(idli).

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients for Gajbaje

Grated coconut - 1 ½ cup
Dry red chilli - 6
Broken cashews - 2 ½ to 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 leaflets
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Green chilli - 2 slits (optional)
Potatoes - 3
Sweet potato - 1
Baby carrot - 10
Acorn Squash / Small pumpkin -1
Red Capsicum - ½
Green Capsicum - ½
Sweet corn - 2 cobs
Beans - 10 to 15

Steps to prepare Gajbaje

• Chop the vegetables into cubes and wash them. Use any vegetables of your choice from the ingredient list or from the traditional list mentioned.
• Grind the grated coconut, red chilli and cashews to form smooth thick paste.
• Add water in pot and the vegetables that require longer time to cook like potato, sweet potato and pumpkin.
• When these vegetables are half way cooked add the remaining vegetables and cook all the vegetables together.
• Now add the ground paste, crush and add few curry leaves and the green chilli, salt and adjust the water for desired consistency. This should be medium thick curry. Bring it to nice boil.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add this tempering to the curry.
• Gajbaje is now ready. Serve this hot with rice / kotto (idli) and enjoy.

Tip:

• Vary amount of dry red chilli as per your taste.