
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…

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!
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- recipe
- Makar Sankranti
- Chef Sharata Kumar Das