Gajbaje | Mixed Vegetable Curry

Gajbaje is a popular Konkani dish prepared using mixed vegetables and a coconut paste. This vegetable curry is specially made during festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh chaturthi, and Navratri. Also, during auspicious occasions, people prefer gajbaje as it is a no-onion, no-garlic recipe.

Also, check out Ganesh chaturthi recipes, Janmashtami recipes, and Navratri recipes.

What is the meaning of gajbaje?

Gajbaje means concoction (mixture of various ingredients). It is a flavorful curry made from seasonal vegetables, specially made during Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi.

Konkani Gajbaje

This gajbaje is also known as ashtami gajbaje or chavthi gajbaje because of the number of ingredients that goes in. I have made gajbaje several times in the United States but with vegetables available in the fresh market. So let me tell you what vegetables fit in for a traditional gajbaje, so it tastes like my favorite Karkala temple samaradhane one.

• Beans
• Cow pea beans/long beans (alsando)
• Pumpkin (dudde)
• Sweet potato (kananga)
• Indian yam (surnu)
• Potato (batato)
• Sweet corn (jolu)
• Ivy gourd (tendle)
• Ridge gourd (gosale)
• Yellow cucumber (magge)
• Raw banana (randai kele)
• Cantola/teasel gourd (phagila)
• Bread fruit (jeev kadgi)
• Bajje dentu
• Hog plum (ambado)
• Surna venti
• Carrot

I would suggest you add more variety of vegetables so that the flavor of all vegetables combines and enhances the taste. Serve it along with khotto, idli or steamed rice.

Ingredients

For the coconut paste, freshly grated coconut, dry red chilies, and cashews are used.

For tempering, use coconut oil, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.

For the curry: Mixed vegetables from the list available in season.

Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

• Chop and wash the vegetables. Keep this aside. Use those vegetables that are easily available.
• In a pot, add water along with vegetables that require more time to cook, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, sweet corn, and Mangalore cucumber.
• When these vegetables are halfway cooked, add the remaining vegetables, curry leaves, and green chilies and cook all the vegetables together.
• Meanwhile, add coconut, red chilies, and cashews with a little water to a mixer jar or blender and blend to form a smooth paste.
• Now add the ground paste and salt to the vegetables and adjust the water to the desired consistency. This should be a medium-thick curry. Bring it to a nice boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• 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.
• Serve this hot with rice, or Mangalorean kotto, and soft and fluffy idli, and enjoy.

Tips

• You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. They taste great, as the flavors of the vegetables combine well.
• Every time I make this dish, I add the available vegetables. You don't have to add all the vegetables, but the more variety, the better.
• Adding cashews is my mom's way, so it also makes the dish thick, rich, and creamy.
• You can increase the curry leaves you add to the dish while boiling vegetables.
• Adjust the chilies based on how spicy you like the dish to be.

More konkani recipes

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Recipe card

Gajbaje | Mixed Vegetable Curry

Kushi

Gajbaje is a popular Konkani dish prepared using mixed vegetables and a coconut paste. This vegetable curry is specially made during festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh chaturthi, and Navratri. Also, during auspicious occasions, people prefer gajbaje as it is a no-onion, no-garlic recipe.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Konkani

Servings 8

Equipment

• ▢
  Pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the coconut paste (masolu)

• ▢ 1 ½ to 2 cups Grated coconut
• ▢ 4 to 6 Dry red chilli
• ▢ 10 to 12 Cashews optional

For the tempering

• ▢ 1 Sprig Curry leaves
• ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoon Oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

Mixed Vegetables (Use any vegetables available from the list below)

• ▢ 2 Potatoes batato, cubed
• ▢ 1 Sweet potato kananga, cubed
• ▢ 2 cups Acorn squash Small Pumpkin, dudde
• ▢ 1 Sweet corn cut into pieces, jolu
• ▢ 1 cup Mangalore cucumber cubed, magge
• ▢ 8 to 10 Ivy gourd slit, tendle
• ▢ 8 to 10 Long beans alsando, cut into strips
• ▢ 1 Capsicum cubed bell pepper, donne mirsanga, any color
• ▢ 10 Green Beans cut into strips
• ▢ ½ Ridge gourd cubed gosale
• ▢ 1 Leaflet Curry leaves
• ▢ 2 to 4 Green chilli slits (optional)
• ▢ Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Chop and wash the vegetables. Keep this aside. Use those vegetables that are easily available.
• In a pot, add water along with vegetables that require more time to cook, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, sweet corn, and Mangalore cucumber.
  2 Potatoes, 1 Sweet potato, 2 cups Acorn squash, 1 Sweet corn, 1 cup Mangalore cucumber
• When these vegetables are halfway cooked, add the remaining vegetables, curry leaves, and green chilies and cook all the vegetables together.
  8 to 10 Ivy gourd, 8 to 10 Long beans, 1 Capsicum, 10 Green Beans, ½ Ridge gourd, 1 Leaflet Curry leaves, 2 to 4 Green chilli
• Meanwhile, add coconut, red chilies, and cashews with a little water to a mixer jar or blender and blend to form a smooth paste.
  1 ½ to 2 cups Grated coconut, 4 to 6 Dry red chilli, 10 to 12 Cashews
• Now add the ground paste and salt to the vegetables and adjust the water to the desired consistency. This should be a medium-thick curry. Bring it to a nice boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
  Salt to taste
• 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.
  1 to 2 tablespoon Oil, 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds, 1 Sprig Curry leaves
• Serve this hot with rice, or Mangalorean kotto (idli) and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• List of traditional vegetables used to make konkani gajbaje Beans, Cow pea beans/long beans (alsando), Pumpkin (dudde), Sweet potato (kananga), Indian yam (surnu), Potato (batato), Sweet corn (jolu), Ivy gourd (tendle), Ridge gourd (gosale), Yellow cucumber (magge), Raw banana (randai kele), Cantola/teasel gourd (phagila), Bread fruit (jeev kadgi), Bajje dentu, Hog plum (ambado), Surna venti,Carrot.
• You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. They taste great, as the flavors of the vegetables combine well.
• Every time I make this dish, I add the available vegetables. You don't have to add all the vegetables, but the more variety, the better.
• Adding cashews is my mom's way, so it also makes the dish thick, rich, and creamy.
• You can increase the curry leaves you add to the dish while boiling vegetables.
• Adjust the chilies based on how spicy you like the dish to be.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Note: We originally posted this vegan mixed vegetables curry recipe in August 2015. It was modified in August 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.