Vegetable Saagu – Karnataka Mixed Veg Sagu Recipe

Vegetable Saagu is a coconut based gravy from Karnataka… more like our Vegetable kurma but with much more color and flavor, a great side dish for idli dosa poori or chapathi. This scrumptious recipe is adapted from Smithakalluraya ‘s blog was on my list for a long time and had a chance to try this last week for our lunch box. It came out excellent and will be a regular from now on 🙂

Our Page has a lot of variety KURMA recipes posted… check it out!

Ingredients to grind

• Sambar onions – 5
• Green chilli -4
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Mint leaves – 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
• Cinnamon – 1 inch
• Cloves – 3
• Cardamom – 1
• Marathi moggu – 1 small
• Star anise – 1 petal
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
• Poppy seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Roasted gram – 2 teaspoons
• Fresh Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Ingredients for the gravy

• Onion – 1 cup (chopped)
• Tomatoes – 1/2 cup
• Mixed vegetables – 2 cups (carrot, beans, peas, chow chow, potato)
• Curry leaves  – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Split black gram – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Ghee – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – 1 & 1/2 teaspoon
• Water- 1/2 cup (as needed)

Lets see how to make this vegetable saagu…

These are the ingredients (oooops 😆 coconut is missing in pic) need to make a fine paste. Keep them ready.

Powder all the dry items… first.

Now add in the rest… onion, chilli, coconut, ginger, garlic, mint and coriander leaves

Add in water and grind to a fine paste. Keep this aside.

These are the rest of the ingredients needed to make the gravy…

Get all the veggies diced evenly and keep them ready. I’ve used carrot, beans, peas, potato & chow chow.

Heat the pressure pan with oil and ghee. Splutter mustard seeds split black gram, cumin seeds and curry leaves.

Now add in the onions and fry till translucent.

Followed by tomatoes and cook them till soft.

Add in turmeric powder and salt. Saute for few minutes.

Add in the diced veggies.

Add in the paste.

Saute well for few minutes.

Add enough water to pressure cook. Give it about 2 to 3 whistles and switch off.

There you go… oil floating Saagu ready! Garnish with coriander leaves.

Our lunch box all sorted!

Notes

• Serves 4
• The gravy conistency can be adjusted with extra water. We liked ours little thick for the chapathi to scoop the dish… you may make it light too for Idli dosa.
• Choosing veggies for this dish also plays a part… try using one country veggie along with regular english veggies.. I ‘ve used chow chow in mine you can use pumpkin or bottlegourd or any squash as they add tons of flavor.
• Dicing them all even will have a nice look to the dish… your preference 😆
• The color of the sagu can vary with the quantity of mint and coriander used. More greens add more green tinge to the gravy.
• They really taste yum with Appam Idiyappam too…

Some Kurma recipes to try….

1. Tomato Kurma
2. Egg Kurma
3. Scrambled Egg Kurma
4. Hotel Kurma
5. Mutton Kurma