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.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
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.