Gajbaje-Assorted Vegetable Curry.

Gajbaje ....... A famous Amchi Dish (Semi Dry Curry) prepared specially during monsoon season with assorted vegetables available ..........

Gajbaje ... This dish needs no introduction to any GSB / Saraswats. Everybody relishes this curry at least once during monsoon season. This is a dish prepared with assorted vegetables. You can use any vegetables you like. This is mostly prepared during the monsoon season when different types of vegetables are available in plenty.

Bamboo shoots, which are available during monsoon season, are also added while cooking. You can also add brined one is if fresh one is not available. Colocasia leaves are available abundantly during the season. Tender leaves used for curry purpose are different from the thick ones used for making of patrado / vadi. You can chop these tender leaves and add while cooking too. However, the traditional method is to de-vein them, fold them lengthwise, roll them tightly vertically and make them into knots. I have posted a picture to show you how the knots appear. These when added to the curry give the gajbaje a different lift in its taste. 

You can add corn on cob, pagila / kantola, raw bananas, south Indian cucumber etc. Try adding whichever vegetables you like or is suitable and you can adapt your own taste too. I have given in details the vegetables added here. 

You can try out the same method, as according to my family and friends this is the best combination. You can add ambado / hogplum instead of tamarind to the curry. 

For Masala : Heat a small pan with 2 tblsp of oil, when hot add 3 tblsp of urad dal in it and fry till light brown, then add 1 tblsp of coriander seeds and fry for a few minutes, add 8-10 dry red kashmiri chillies broken to pieces. 

Mix well and fry for another few seconds. Remove and add to 3 cups of freshly grated coconut and grind to a fine paste. If you are not going to add ambado / hogplums or if it is not available then you will have to add a small lemon sized tamarind to the masala while grinding. This is to add sourness to the curry. 

Grind all to a smooth paste with water as much as necessary only. Keep this ready aside.

Now comes the part of cooking vegetables for the curry. Many people just chop the vegetables and pressure cook together to one whistle or cook on heat in a vessel adding water. However, I do not like the procedure, as some of the vegetables get overcooked in this method. So I cook each vegetable separately and then mix them together. While doing this I see to it that I cook all the vegetables in the same water. I will explain it here. This is a bit tedious but then the vegetables remain intact the way you want them. You may follow any method suitable to you.

Wash about 20-25 prepared alva panna ganti / colocasia knots in plenty of water and put it in a small pressure pan and add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook to 4-5 whistles. This is to ensure that the knots get properly cooked. Some leaves impart a bit of itching sensations. This can be avoided by cooking the same properly and also adding tamraind or any other souring vegetable to the curry. Remove and keep aside. Mostly this is one vegetable which will have absorbed most of the water while cooking. So just remove it an keep it in a large flat bottomed vessel.

Peel off the skin as closely as possible of 2 small sized raw bananas and cut them into thick rings. Wash and put it in pressure cooker pan with 2 cups of water and cook to 1 whistle only. Leave the cooker to cool a bit say 5 minutes. Then slowly release the pressure by lifting the whistle gently with the help of a long tongs. This is to assure that the bananas do not get overcooked. Sometimes raw bananas do get overcooked and mashed. Now open the lid, remove the cooked raw bananas with a slotted spoon and add it to the vessel in which you have put in the other vegetable. Let the water remain in the cooker for further cooking of other vegetables.

Cut the magge / south Indian cucumber into large cubes after discarding the center seeds. Wash them in water, drain and add put it in the cooker. No need to add water, as the remaining water from cooking bananas are enough. However, if you find the water level low, you can add in some more to the same. Pressure cook to 2 whistles, let the pressure fall on its own. Then open the lid, remove the cooked vegetables with slotted spoon and add to the other vegetables.

Remove the outer skin of one corn on cob. Chop it to rings of 2 inches thickness. Wash and put it in the pressure cooker pan in which already the drained cooked vegetable water is left. Add more only if necessary. Pressure cook to 3 whistles. Let the pressure drop on its own. When done, open the lid and remove the corn pieces with slotted spoon and add to the cooked vegetables. 

Pagila / kantola or spike gourd is a small vegetable that cooks fast. Just chop off its edges and cut it vertically into two pieces. Wash and cook in the same cooked vegetable water in pressure cooker to just one whistle. When the pressure falls, remove lid, strain with slotted spoon and add to the other vegetables.

If using fresh bamboo, you will have to remove the outer skin and chop them into pieces of 3 inch length long thick strips. Put it in the water overnight and use it the next day. I have used brined ones (I always brine these for yearlong use). Put about 10 pieces in plenty of water and let soak for 30 minutes, drain and add water again and soak for another 30 minutes. This procedure is used to remove the excessive salt as the bamboo is brined. Wash in plenty of water and pressure cook again in the same remaining cooked vegetable water (add more if only necessary) for 4-5 whistles. Once the pressure drops on its own, open the lid and add the bamboo to the other vegetables after straining it through slotted spoon.

Wash 4-5 ambado / hogplums, cut off the stem side edge, and mash it with a heavy weight / stone and keep it ready aside. 

Now take a large thick bottomed kadai, add in the ground masala and 1 cup of water, the mashed ambado and mix well. Add salt a little bit. Be careful when you add water, as how much ever the brined bamboos are washed it still contains some salt in excess and it lets it off to the curry while cooking all together. So you can check salt by tasting at the end and add if necessary. Bring the masala to a full boil, lower the heat, and cook for some time till the ambados are cooked, then add in all the cooked vegetables that were kept in the vessel aside. 

Mix well, all the vegetables and the masala to get evenly coated. Add water only if necessary. This is a semi thick curry. However, the curry dries up on cooling as urad dal is added to the masala while grinding, so do check in the water consistency. Simmer till all are well cooked and mix well with each other. Check the salt in the curry, if needed add some and mix well.

For Seasoning : Heat a small pan with 2 tblsp of oil, when hot add 1 tblsp of sasam (rai / mustard seeds), when it splutters, add 8-10 curry leaves and fry for a minute. Pour the seasoning over the curry and cover the curry and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Serve the curry hot with Dal-Chawal as an accompaniment. Do try this curry with Khotto / muddo / Idly … it tastes awesome.

Note: You can also add Raw Jackfruit seeds too if available. My stock was over, so I could not add them. 

Just peel of the skin, mash it with a heavy weight, and pressure cook to 2-3 whistles, let the pressure drop on its, own. Open the lid and add to the bikkand / raw jackfruit seeds to the curry.