Bhuna originates in northwestern India; Bengal and parts of present-day Bangladesh. A medium-hot, spicy dish that uses green chillies, it's a familiar item on the menus of many Indian restaurants around the world, often with chicken. This version is entirely vegetarian.
Bhuna, much like the word "curry", is a term that today covers a multitude of dishes, not always sharing that much in common. Most pundits seem to agree that its name derives from the Urdu word for "fried". But, what exactly is being fried—is it the meat or the spices themselves?—remains a matter of contention.
In thousands of restaurants spawned by the Indian diaspora, it's most often a chicken dish. But, this is as likely to reflect local diner preferences in nations to which Indian emigrants moved as tradition. There are records of bhuna dishes made with various types of meat (given the influence the Mughal Empire on the region, it's no surprise to encounter lamb bhuna) as well as veggie versions adapted by Bengalis whose beliefs favoured vegetarianism.
So, my veggie—actually, vegan—iteration is as traditional or fake as you want it to be. Of course, you can make it with chicken or lamb (and the cooking process isn't very different) but I often return to this veggie version.
This recipe serves 2 diners. Scale up as needed.
Shopping list
1 large bell pepper (orange or red if you like sweeter; green if you prefer your dishes less so); de-seeded and cut into rough bite-size pieces
200g closed-cup mushrooms; whole if button mushrooms, otherwise halved
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
100g fresh curly kale (or spinach if you prefer); roughly chopped
3 or 4 medium carrots (or the equivalent); scrubbed or peeled and cut into uneven segments
2 thumbs-lengths of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, very finely diced or crushed
1 tspn turmeric
½ tspn ground dried fennel
2 tspn chilli powder
2 tspn ground cumin
2 tspn ground coriander
2 tspn garam masala
1 tin chopped tomatoes in their juice, ideally not Italian plum tomatoes
½ tspn lemon juice
1 tbspn of fresh coriander, chopped
Vegetable, sunflower or peanut oil about 3 to 4 tbspns; enough to coat the base of your cooking pan/pot. Alternatively, you can use ghee if you prefer
A pinch of salt
Basmati or pilau rice, as preferred
for the garnish
Approx. 1 cup paneer, crumbled (or cottage cheese)
A clutch of chives, chopped
¼ of a cucumber, peeled and cut into small cubes
A clutch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Top tip: I think curly kale is an excellent counterpoint to a number of fairly sweet flavours in this dish. So, while the spinach alternative is very tasty, I advise using curly kale. The problem is that curly kale is a great unwieldy beast of a veggie. Also, you can never tell when it's going to be cooked optimally. Thus, I advise that you follow the steps below in order.
Cooking Method
To a large pot with a lid, add enough salted water to cover most of your kale and bring to the boil. Add about ½ tspn of the garam masala, 1 clove of the garlic and a couple of the mushrooms, hand-broken. Allow to boil vigorously for about 4mins, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the kale is cooked. This will take about 15mins. But, the taste test is everything: if the kale breaks when you bite it, it's done. Drain, save for about 1 cup of your "kale water", which you will use later. You can even do this the day before and store in the fridge overnight
In a kadai, wok or pot, heat the oil on a high heat. When it's hot, add all of your spices, herbs and the chillies, stirring continuously. Allow them to fry for a minute or two. As soon as they begin to dry—or show signs of sticking—add a little of your "kale water". Continue to stir so that you create a thick, hot paste
Add the garlic, ginger and onions, stirring continuously, ensuring they are coated in the paste. Again, if they become dry or stick, add a little more "kale water", a little at a time so that the mixture remains moist, but is not too runny
When the onions turn golden, add the bell pepper, mixing it into the ingredients. Allow it to sweat and begin to soften for about 4 or 5mins before adding the mushrooms, repeating the process. Because mushrooms generate moisture, you're unlikely to need to add any additional liquid during this step, but add more "kale water" if the ingredients show signs of sticking or becoming too dry
Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Add the carrots on top of these. Mix all of the ingredients together using a spatula or wooden spoon. This will enable you to work out how much more of the "kale water" to add. It should be sufficient so that all of the ingredients can cook without sticking and with a bit of room, but not really cover them entirely
Bring to the boil and allow to boil vigorously for approx. 5min, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 20min on a low heat. Don't cover while it's simmering. Bhuna should be a fairly thick sauce, so allowing moisture to escape as steam as it simmers aids this process
After about 15mins of simmering, add your pre-cooked kale to the pot and mix in. Because of the water content in kale, it is likely to add liquid to your sauce. Again, allow this to simmer off in the uncovered pan. However, this really is one of those dishes where the taste test is everything. If you prefer you veggies a little softer or feel that the sauce is not yet thick enough, you can simmer this sauce on a low heat until it suits your personal preferences. It won't break
Timing your pilau or basmati to be ready, the final stage of the bhuna is to turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice for added "zing". Mix your garnish ingredients together. Plate, garnishing with the paneer garnish (if you don't mind taking vegan to veggie) or simply chopped fresh coriander and serve with rice
Top tip: if you find that the bhuna is too spicy for you (obviously you can proactively use only one green chilli instead of two), add a little coconut milk to help make it milder in the final stages of cooking. This is also a good "fix" if you find that your veggies are just how you like them but the sauce is not yet thick enough.
Alternatives
There are many variations you can use where your main vegetables are concerned. Other vegetables often used in traditional bhuna dishes include green beans, potatoes and cauliflower. The tomatoes, ginger, onions and garlic—the backbone of the sauce—are non-negotiable unless you're allergic or utterly hate them. In which case, it's not really a bhuna.
Veggies and vegans: Unless you opt for ghee—which some chefs prefer but I see no specific flavour merits in using it, having tried it out—this is a vegan dish. Sure, you can substitute or combine, plant-based ingredients such as Quorn or tofu for the mushrooms. Again, having tried them, I think mushrooms ultimately rock in this recipe.
Pescatarians: there are quite a lot of documented traditional recipes as well as versions on the tables of Indian restaurants around the world that use seafood such as king prawns or langoustines to produce delicious bhunas. Why not?
Pairings
I usually have this one simply with sparkling water and a slice of lemon. But, when I saw, Blue Moon's Mango Wheat Beer in a local supermarket, I thought I had to try it with Indian food. I wasn't wrong. But, it seems that this special edition by this craft brewery in Denver, Colorado isn't available everywhere, so you'll just have to cross your fingers if hoping to find it.
Comments