Today's recipe is for saijan bhaji. Saijan is the Hindi word for the moringa plant. We eat the leaves (bhaji) and fruit of this plant as well. Recently, the moringa plant has come into the limelight as a superfood and trendy folks have been consuming various variations of this plant. I have been finding this a bit funny. We have been eating saijan for generations and have known about the health benefits of doing so. It is not only tasty but great for the digestive system. However, literally no one enjoys cleaning the leaves. It takes forever in my opinion. We purchase saijan from our local Indian store where they are sold in bundles. Then we painstakingly pick each leaf off the stems, wash and drain them. Different people have different techniques on cleaning but I only know the straightforward way. If there is an easier way, please let me know!
I hope I have not scared you off by now. This recipe is quite tasty and once the leaves are ready, everything gets cooked in no time. First, lightly toast unsweetened, shredded coconut and keep it aside. Then cook down the saijan leaves with some oil, onions, garlic and salt. Then add the toasted, shredded coconut and cook it for a couple more minutes with the cooked bhaji. After this the saijan bhaji with coconut is done! Eat with freshly made rotis!
You can make this recipe without the coconut too. That is the regular way to make it but adding the coconut makes the dish super tasty. Plus coconut is also good for you! Let me know how this recipe goes for you!
Finally, just like coconut and saijan support and make each other better in this recipe, find people who can also support you and make you better. Find the coconut to your saijan.
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RECIPES: Serves 8 Prep time 30 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Ingredients: 6 oz shredded unsweetened coconut 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cups diced onions 1 tbsp crushed garlic 2 bundles of saijan or moringa leaves cleaned Salt to taste Method:
Lightly toast unsweetened, shredded coconut on medium heat and keep it aside.
Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions. Once edges turn brown, add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add saijan bhaji and salt. Cook for five minutes.
Once saijan bhaji has cooked down, add toasted coconut.
Cook for another five minutes.
Turn off heat and enjoy with freshly made rotis!