Sai Bhaaji (Pakistani Slow-Cooked Sindhi-Style Greens)
But mostly, this is just delicious, and this recipe makes a TON, so you’ll have leftovers for days. Serve it as a totally satisfying main dish with rice, serve it as a side, spread it on a pita and bake for a quick mini-pizza, toss it with pasta, puree it with chickpeas for a Pakistani-style hummus, and whatever else you can think of.
2bunchesof greens (I used one bunch of regular kale and one bunch of lacinato kale, but use whatever looks good to you), stemmed and finely chopped
1/2bunchof spinach, finely chopped
1/4cupof split peas
4Tablespoonsof canola oil
1teaspoonof cumin seeds
3dried chiles de arbol (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1onion, minced
1carrot, minced
1largelarge tomato, chopped
1teaspoonof ground coriander
1teaspoonof ground turmeric (or curry powder)
1zucchini, cut into 1/4' cubes
1mediumsweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2' cubes
1 1/2teaspoonsof kosher salt
Instructions
Put the garlic, serrano, ginger, and 3 tablespoons of water into a blender and puree until smooth. Put the greens, spinach, and dal into a large pot, and add 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, the reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Transfer to a bowl.
Wipe out the pot you boiled the greens in, then add oil and put over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and chiles de arbol, and cook until the seeds start to pop and the chiles get a shade darker. Add the garlic/serrano/ginger puree, and cook for a 2 minutes. (You might get some splattering when you add it, so be careful.)
Add the onion and carrot, and cook 8 minutes. Add the tomato and cook until beginning to caramelize, around 5 minutes. Add the reserved greens/spinach/dal mixture, the remaining ingredients, and 1 cup of water. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and cook 35 minutes. Uncover and gently mash with a potato masher - you don't want a smooth, undifferentiated paste, but the mashing helps meld the flavors a little. Season to taste with salt.
Notes
This recipe makes a TON, so you’ll have leftovers for days. Serve it as a totally satisfying main dish with rice, serve it as a side, spread it on a pita and bake for a quick mini-pizza, toss it with pasta, puree it with chickpeas for a Pakistani-style hummus, and whatever else you can think of.