Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

The first official festival of the year is here and we couldn’t be more excited. This colourful and joyous festival not only marks the first celebration of the year but also signifies the end of the winter solstice. Like any celebration in the country, the day is marked with delicious food and bright colours, along with people getting together to fly kites and eat the aforementioned delicious food.

Chef Sharata Kumar Das, from Mumbai-based Glocal Junction, says the joyous occasion should be filled with food that’s prepared with love. He says that it’s important to know the significance of the festival before setting out to cook for the day and keep things simple.

According to Chef Das, nothing exemplifies this more than one of his favourite dishes to make for the occasion, which is the Maharashtrian special Bhogichi Bhaji.

The dish incorporates fresh vegetables of the season and would be a delicious addition to your menu. “This festival is full of colours, so this dish incorporates all those vibrant hues. Also, we get the best vegetables in this season which makes the dish even better,” says the chef.

Without further ado, here’s how you can make Mahashtrian special Bhagichi Bhaji at home this Makar Sankranti…

©Glocal Junction

Ingredients

500 gms Potato

150 gms Carrots

200 gms Brinjal

150 gms Green Peas

150 gms Papdi

150 gms Green Chana (fresh)

10 gms White Sesame

250 gms Drumstick

150 gms Onion

100 gms Garlic

100 gms Ginger

250 gms Tomato

100 gms Coconut

10 gms Garam Masala 

10 gms Turmeric Powder

100 ml Oil

Method

1) Peel and chop all the vegetables into perfect cubes.

2) Add water to a saucepan, with a pinch of salt, and boil the vegetables properly. Once done, keep it aside to let it cool down.

3) While it cools down, add the finely chopped onions, garlic, ginger and tomato to another saucepan. Cook this for 10 minutes.

4) Once done, add the Indian spices and let them cook for another five minutes.

5) Now, add the boiled vegetables and let them cook for 15 minutes on medium heat and your steaming Bhogichi Bhaji is ready!