Khandeshi concoction Shev Bhaji

Bright Red Spicy curry!

I think it was about 10 years ago I had this first time at a friend's place. And to be frank enough I did not enjoy it much. It was extremely spicy, I could only taste chili powder and nothing else. Soggy shev/gathiya was something that I did not have appetite for. Fast forward 6 years and my husband decided to make it for me. He is from Khandesh and its a favorite dish from that region like Misal is from Kolhapur. The red color again scared me but I decided to give it a try just because I had seen him making it and the time he spend cooking. This time I could taste different kinds of spices blend together and even though the gathiya were soggy it was not too bad. This is one dish I only help out to measure the ingredients, make chapatis and then set the table. The reason is his friends! They call him with a farmaish at least once in six months. He loves making it and also enjoy eating it. I have learned to make it with him but haven't had chance to make it yet :)

My mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law and my co-sister all have their way of making Shev bhaji. All of them use almost same ingredients but the proportions change and sometimes the roasting technique is different. Here is how my husband makes it -

2 tsp Poppy Seeds
2 tbsp Dale (Roasted Chana Daal)
2 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
2 Star Anise
1/2 Cup Dry Coconut
2 tsp Black Peppers
4 Cloves
3 Bay leaves
2" Cinnamon Stick
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
9 Flat Red Chilies (Less Hot Variety)
2 Large Onions (Approximately 2 cups sliced onion)
4 Cloves Garlic (Approximately 2 tbsp)
1/2" Ginger
1/3 cup Oil (or more)
Salt as needed
Water as needed
1/4 cup Cilantro

2 cup Spicy Bhavnagari Gathiya

Preperation - 
Dry roast all the spices separately. Let them cool down and grind together to make fine powder.
Thinly slice onions.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add sliced onions.
Roast it on medium to low heat until fully done and browned but not burnt.
Cool the roasted onion.
Grind together onion, garlic, ginger, ground masala. Use as little water as possible to grind it make a thick paste.
Now heat oil in a thick vessel. Add mustard seeds and hing. Add masala paste when mustard seeds start sputtering.
Roast masala on medium heat until the oil separates and masala is fully roasted. It takes up to 15-20 minutes.
Now add about 4-5 cups of water, mix it well. Lower the heat and let it cook without covering. The masala should cook well and oil should start floating in top of curry.
Remove the rassa from heat and add chopped cilantro.
Mix in about 1.5 cups of gathiya.
Serve hot in a bowl, squeeze lemon juice and enjoy with chapati.

Tips - 

• My brother-in-law uses 2 large tomatoes to the masala paste to make it little less spicy. 
• Traditionally it is eaten with chapatis but I also like it with sourdough bread.