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    Home » Indian Festival Foods

    Instant Pot Bhogichi Bhaji | Mixed Vegetable Curry

    Published: Jan 8, 2018 · Modified: May 22, 2021 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 9 Comments

    212 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    "Bhogichi Bhaji"  is a traditional Maharashtrian mixed vegetable curry with a spicy sesame sauce that celebrates the seasonal bounty of winter vegetables cooked in an earthy, aromatic sauce with coconut, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

    Bhogichi Bhaji  in a white bowl

    Significance

    In India, Makar Sankrant symbolizes the end of the winter solstice and the monsoon, and the beginning of the harvest season. In Maharashtra, where I come from, this festival is celebrated for three days. On the first day which is ‘Bhogi’,  we make this special dish that celebrates the seasonal bounty of winter vegetables along with coconut, peanuts, and sesame seeds. It provides much-needed warmth and nourishment to the body during winters.

    During my last Indian grocery store visit, a couple of weeks ago I found the traditional winter veggies for this recipe already available. So I decided to give them a try in the Instant Pot and bought the baby eggplants, fresh green chickpeas in pods, the Indian green beans (Vaal).  The only vegetable I was worried about overcooking was the baby eggplant. So I cut them a little bigger to adjust the cooking time for the remaining ingredients and I was happy to see the veggies cooked so perfectly in the Instant Pot.

    mixed vegetable curry with sesame sauce in a black skillet garnished with sesame seeds and cilantro with a spoon in it.

    Vegetables

    The traditional recipe uses 5 vegetables (pictured below):

    1. Eggplant
    2. Green Beans
    3. Carrots
    4. Tomatoes
    5. Green Chickpeas

    Although you can substitute them with any hardy vegetables of your choice. The sauce is very unique with distinct warm flavored spices and makes the curry delicious.

    Baby eggplant, green chickpeas in pods, tomatoes, green beans and sesame seeds

    Prep

    How to Prep the veggies for Bhogichi Bhaji:

    1. Split the green beans into 2 vertically, discarding the top and bottom ends. Then break them into 2-inch pieces using your fingers or cut them with a knife
    2. Remove the green chickpeas from the pods by peeling them open and discard the outer skin

    Instructions

    Step by Step recipe for Instant Pot Mix vegetable curry with sesame sauce {Bhogichi Bhaji}:

    Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add the spice paste and cook for a minute stirring frequently. Add ¼ cup of water and mix well.

    Step 2: Add turmeric, red chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, tomatoes, and mix well.

    Step 3: Add remaining vegetables and salt. Add 1 cup water and mix well deglazing the pot making sure that the curry paste is not stuck to the bottom of the pot.

    Step 4: Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual/Pressure Cook(Low) for 2 minutes followed by Quick release. Garnish with cilantro.

    Check out more details on the three day festival of Sankrant celebrated in India and my original stovetop recipe for this mixed vegetable curry.

    Here are some of the traditional sweets made in Western India using sesame seeds:

    • Chikki - Sesame crisps
    • Tilachi Poli - Stuffed paratha with sweet sesame seed and jaggery filling

    Serving

    Serve this curry with hot roti's or parathas. You can also make the South Indian Ven Pongal or Khichdi and serve this curry as a gluten-free meal. To make it a delicious vegetarian Thali I would recommend my crunchy cucumber salad or the spicy cabbage salad.

    vegetable curry with sesame sauce

    Here is a quick video on how I made it. Very important to deglaze the pot a few times:

    ★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.

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    mixed vegetable curry with sesame sauce
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    5 from 6 votes

    Mixed Vegetable Curry with Sesame Sauce - Instant Pot

    Knows as Bhogichi Bhaji in Maharashtra this authentic curry is made to celebrate the seasonal bounty of winter vegetables
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 136kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    Part 1 Spice Paste:

    • 1 tablespoon dry unsweetened coconut roasted
    • 1 tablespoon peanuts roasted
    • 1 tablespoon brown sesame seeds roasted
    • ½ tablespoon ginger grated
    • 6 garlic cloves minced
    • ¼ cup water

    Part 2:

    • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
    • ¼ cup water
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ½ tablespoon ground cumin
    • ½ tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
    • ½ cup fresh green chickpeas removed from the pods
    • 1 cup flat green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 6 baby eggplant cut into quarters
    • 1 tomato diced
    • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
    • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Make a fine paste of all the ingredients from Part 1 with water.
    • Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add the spice paste and cook for a minute stirring frequently. Add water and mix well.
    • Add turmeric, red chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, tomatoes and sauté. 
    • Add remaining vegetables and salt. Add 1 cup water and mix well deglazing the pot making sure the curry paste is not stuck to the bottom of the pot. 
    • Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual/Pressure Cook(Low) for 2 minutes followed by Quick release.
    • Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy with warm Roti topped with sesame seeds. 

    Video

    Notes

    Note:
    • Serve this curry with hot roti's or parathas. You can also make the South Indian Ven Pongal or Khichdi and serve this curry as a gluten-free meal. To make it a delicious vegetarian Thali I would recommend my crunchy cucumber salad or the spicy cabbage salad.  
    • This recipe uses a lot of vegetables that are only sold in Indian grocery stores. You can always substitute them with any hardy vegetables of your choice or even a bag of frozen mixed vegetables 
    • Stovetop Recipe - Bhogichi Bhaji

    Nutrition

    Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4165IU | Vitamin C: 17.3mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1.7mg
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    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. annika says

      January 28, 2018 at 9:24 am

      Wonderful recipe dear, my kind of food. Fresh chickpeas are hard to come by here... I may have to grow my own!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 28, 2018 at 10:13 pm

        Hi Annika! Thank you. Growing chickpeas sounds like an awesome idea.

        Reply
    2. Jennifer Schuster says

      March 03, 2018 at 8:38 am

      What would be the appropriate subsitute for green chickpeas?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 03, 2018 at 11:31 pm

        Hi Jennifer, You can skip them or add green peas.

        Reply
    3. Steven Martin says

      May 19, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      Hi I am in the UK what is roasted dry coconut? There are lots of coconut products including coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut milk powder, desiccated coconut, not sure which one you mean?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 19, 2018 at 2:08 pm

        Hi Steven, unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut works. You can roast in for 1-2 minutes in a medium hot pan.

        Reply
        • Steven Martin says

          May 20, 2018 at 9:15 am

          Thank you, I can get both shredded coconut (Frozen) and desiccated from the bakery section of the supermarket.

          Reply
    4. Kika says

      January 10, 2021 at 9:28 pm

      HI what is grated clove and grated ginger? Is it fresh ginger or ginger powder and for the clove, is it a clove powder? After all who would grate a clove???

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 10, 2021 at 10:58 pm

        So sorry! My mistake while I was trying to make the recipe more clear, I inadvertently updated it. It should be garlic cloves and fresh ginger. I have now fixed it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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