Guar ji Bhaji is a side dish, prepared in Sindhi style with garlic, onions and tomatoes. The side dish is served along with some lentils.
Guar, are cluster beans and they are also called Gawar / Gavar . This vegetable has a unique flavour which needs to be adapted. For this reason, the Guar in Sindhi families is boiled, gently squeezed and then cooked. There are a few other Sindhi styles of cooking this legume, some without onions, while some with raw mango. I shall surely post those too.
Once the vegetable is pressure-cooked, the water is discarded and after it cools down, gently squeezed and then cooked.
We use a lot of garlic to cook guar, along with garlic we use onions and tomatoes. During summers, tomatoes are substituted by raw mango. Tridali Dal, Guar ji Bhaji and Doh-Doh is one of the set combinations in Sindhi families. I served this veggie along with Ras wara Rahaa and Methi Patata for a Sindhi Lunch Thali, where I made Sindhi Fulko.
The Everyday Sindhi Thali featuring Guar ji Bhaji is my first recipe for the Thali and Platter Festival for September 2020.
Guar ji Bhaji
Ingredients
250 gms guar
10 -12 cloves garlic
A small piece of ginger
1 big onion
1 large tomato
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 green chillies, chopped finely
Salt to taste
Method
Chop the head and tails of guar, then cut into 2-3″ pieces.
Add them to a pressure cooker along with about a cup of water, and salt.
Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or till tender.
Drain in a colander. Let cool.
Gently squeeze to discard some of the water from beans. Keep aside.
Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp oil.
Add crushed garlic, sauté for a minute.
Add chopped onions, cook till slightly pink.
Add green chillies, ginger paste and the squeezed guar.
Sauté very well adding turmeric powder.
Add chopped tomatoes, coriander powder and simmer the flame.
Cook covered till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Increase the flame and sauté again till there is no moisture in it.
Serve with Doh Doh or Fulko .
Some more Sindhi side dishes –
Bhindi Masala / Masale wari Bhindiyu
Guar ji Bhaji
Ingredients
- 250 gms guar
- 10 -12 cloves garlic
- piece A smallginger
- 1 big onion
- 1 large tomato
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 green chillies chopped finely
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the head and tails of guar , then cut into 2-3″ pieces .
- Add them to a pressure cooker along with about a cup of water , and salt .
- Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or till tender .
- Drain in a colander . Let cool .
- Gently squeeze to discard some of the water from beans . Keep aside .
- Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp oil .
- Add crushed garlic , sauté for a minute .
- Add chopped onions , cook till slightly pink .
- Add green chillies , ginger paste and the squeezed guar .
- Sauté very well adding turmeric powder.
- Add chopped tomatoes , coriander powder and simmer the flame .
- Cook covered till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- Increase the flame and sauté again till there is no moisture in it .
- Serve with Doh Doh or Fulko.
This one is totally new to me since I don’t add any onion, garlic or tomatoes to my dry variety curries. It is an interesting variation. I must try this with your fulkos.
Simple flavors of onion and garlic sounds good here. It is interesting how you mentioned that the boiled guar are lightly squeezed and used in the subji to avoid the weird / bitter taste.
We make it exactly the same without the ginger Vaishali. Most times we add the roasted ground peanuts when served as dry side dish. Other times, we add tomatoes for chapatis..excellent one altogether. It is interesting to note that guava also added along side in the plate.
With lot of garlic, guar bhaji looks so flavorful and delicious. Next time I am going to try this version when making cluster beans poriyal.
I usually make only a dish called usili with this vegetable. I am going to try this version soon.
This bhaji is something that I never liked. However, your version with onion, garlic, and tomatoes sounds interesting and tempting.
Actually guar is one of my favorite vegetables. We make something called pitlai (more like sambar) with gaur and any beans and also we sundry it and make fryums. Love this version of yours with tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Sounds so yum. Indian cooking is known for its classic combinations, right? I need to check all the Sindhi delicacies now. 🙂
We make this like a regular south Indian style dry curry. Adding garlic sounds interesting as I never add garlic but add onion sometimes instead of coconut. This one I have to try soon.