Tawa Sabzi
Tawa Sabzi is a popular dish made in the live counters of buffet where assorted fried veggies are tossed in a spicy and tangy masala. This dish is particularly common in North-Indian wedding buffets and typically made in a large flat Tawa hence known as Tawa Sabzi or Tawa Veg.
I have fond childhood memories of this dish when I used to attend numerous weddings along with my parents during the winters in Udaipur (the place where I spent most of my childhood). Live counters were a big part of these buffets in the wedding and the Tawa Sabzi live counter was always a very popular one. One would always find a long queue or rush in this particular live counter, so that speaks for the taste of this dish.
A wide range of fried veggies are arranged separately in the periphery of a large tawa. The most common veggies used are Arbi or Colocasia, Potatoes, Ladies Finger, Brinjal, Cauliflower, Capsicum, Bitter gourd or Karela. What is quite interesting about this dish is that one gets to make a choice of the veggies that he/she would like to have and the chef at the live counter would selectively mix only those veggies and prepare the dish for you. So no more complaints of serving some veggie which one does not like!
What I like about this dish is that the arrangement of the veggies on the Tawa itself looks beautiful and attractive and makes it inviting even before it is individually prepared and served. This dish can be easily replicated at home with the below recipe and could be a star dish of your family dinners.
Now let’s look at the process of making this dish. The first step is the preparation of the veggies. The root veggies like Potatoes, Arbi or Colocasia are first parboiled and then deep fried separately. Other veggies like brinjal, ladies finger, cauliflower and bitter gourd can be directly deep fried. Deep frying the veggies give them a good taste, however if you are concerned about health, you could shallow fry the veggies. You could use any veggies of your choice. My personal favourites are Arbi and Bhindi or Ladies finger.
The masala gravy for the dish is made separately. It is primarily an onion and tomato based masala however the unique thing about this masala is that it is loaded with a variety of spice powders. Some of the important spice powders are fennel powder (saunf powder), dry pomegranate powder (anar dana), kasuri methi and Kitchen king masala. Chaat masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder and kala namak or rock salt are sprinkled over the fried veggies which make them further scrumptious.
The masala gravy is placed in the centre of a large tawa, with all the prepared veggies around the periphery of the tawa. For assembling the dish, the veggies of choice is individually mixed with a small portion of the masala and cooked for a minute or two and garnished with fresh coriander.
Serving Suggestion
Tawa sabzi is a versatile accompaniment and pairs well with almost anything – roti, naan, parathas, puri and even rice. My personal favourites are however masala puri and methi puri for this dish and trust me this combination is a must try.
Tawa Sabzi
Ingredients
- 3 Potatoes
- 7-8 Arbi or Colocasia
- 6 Brinjal
- 12-15 Ladies Finger
- 5-6 Cauliflower Florets
- 2 Large sized Onions very finely chopped
- 3 Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2-3 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Dhaniya or Coriander Powder
- 2 tsp Kitchen King Masala
- 1 tsp Jeera Powder
- ½ tsp Fennel seeds or Saunf Powder
- ½ tsp Dry Pomegranate or Anardana Powder
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida or Hing
- 2 tsp Kasuri Methi
- ½ tsp Chaat Masala
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Curd (optional)
- 2 tbsp Oil + for deep frying
- 2 tbsp Butter
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Pressure Cook the potatoes and Arbi for one whistle and cool and peel them.
- Cut the potatoes and Arbi in wedges
- Make 4 slits up to halfway in the brinjal as shown in the picture. Do not cut through completely.
- Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the potatoes and arbi separately on medium to high flame till slightly golden brown. Keep aside the fried potatoes and arbi
- Next deep fry the brinjal on medium high flame till it changes colour.
- Next deep fry the cauliflower florets and ladies finger separately. Assemble all the fried veggies in a plate.
- Now sprinkle ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder, some salt, kala namak and chaat masala on the fried veggies.
- For making the gravy base, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a separate kadai or large tawa. Add finely chopped onions and sauté for a minute. Next add the ginger garlic paste and cook further on medium flame till the onions are golden in colour.
- Blend three tomatoes to a puree in mixer. Now add the tomato puree to the onions and bring to a gentle boil. Now add all the masala powders namely, turneric powder, hing, kashmiri red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, kitchen king masala, fennel seeds powder, dry pomegranate powder and mix well. Add salt to taste as well. Cook the mixture on medium flame till the raw smell from the masala is gone.
- Next add crushed kauri methi and some more water and cook for further one minute.
- Now add 2 tablespoons of curd and keep stirring on low flame.
- Now finally add some fresh chopped coriander. The base gravy is ready.
- For final assembly of the dish, heat a large tawa and slightly grease with butter and place all the fried veggies on the periphery of the tawa.
- In the centre of the tawa, add 1 tablespoon of butter and add the prepared masala. Add some more fresh coriander and sprinkle water as required. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Now take some portion of veggies of your choice and mix with a portion of the masala in the centre and cook for a minute or two. Repeat the process for the remaining veggies as per the choice of the individual.
Notes
- Make sure not to overcook the root vegetables before deep frying, as it could become mushy. It is enough to cook them only up to 1 whistle as it will be further cooked when deep fried.
- You could also use baby potatoes instead of the regular potatoes.
- The other veggies like brinjal, ladies finger, cauliflower etc. need not be cooked prior to deep frying them. Make sure to pat dry these veggies completely before deep frying them to avoid any sputtering that could occur from water in these veggies.
- If you do not wish to deep fry the veggies, you could also shallow fry them. However this dish tastes best when the veggies are deep fried 🙂
- You could also include other veggies of your choice, like bitter gourd, capsicum etc.
