Red Amaranth leaves are turned into a delicious easy to prepare Asian side dish.
This recipe is Goan, Indian side dish sered with curry rice and other vegetable sides in a thali.
Red Amaranth leaves, which are known in Goa as Tambdi Bhaji, are a common sight in the Indian coastline state and the dish prepared with the red leaves is frequently served with Goan fish curry rice.
However, don’t ask for red amaranth leaves in the market (for example Mapusa market) because nobody will know what you are looking for.
Red Amaranth is better known as red spinach and locals will always understand, with a big smile, when you ask for tambdi bhaji.
Tambdi is difficult to pronounce konkani word (Goan language) for red.
Bhaji is actually the local word for a vegetable but it is also used to describe spiced veg side dishes, an Indian vegetable sabzi.
Just as a side note, the word Bhaji may have other meanings in different parts of India. Hope that is not confusing you…
My husband is raving about the Goan red amaranth sabzi, that I had to post it sooner or later.
He enjoys eating red spinach not only because of its taste but also for its great health benefits.
I am more fascinated by the red amaranths leave color and natural beauty and I don’t remember seeing red amaranth leaves in Europe while growing up.
Yet, I am comfortable eating this tambdi bhaji as a side with goan rice, fish and curry and maybe some pickle. Indian food is mostly always about smaller portions of different veg and nonveg dishes.
Especially in Goa, the rice is covered with homemade spicy coconut curry, accompanied by 1-2 different bhajis and some fish, seashells or prawns are added at the side.
Sometimes instead of curry lentil daals are served with rice and instead of fresh fish you will find a delicious goan specialty, dried marinated spicy Para fish.
However, vegetable stir fries are always omnipresent no matter if served with curry or daals.
More Goan Bhaji Recipes:
Red Amaranth Leave Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Red Lentils
- 7 ounces Red Amaranth Leaves fresh
- 1 Onion
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
- ¾ cup Broth
- pinch Salt
- pinch Black Pepper
- shredded Coconut to garnish
Instructions
- Keepthe red lentils to soak for about 30 minutes.
- Rinse your red amaranth leaves and discard spoiled leafs if there are any. You can roughly chop the bunch of red amaranth with a knife or cut it with a kitchen scissor. I like to use the scissor.
- Peel and slice your onion. Rinse your tomato and cut into smaller dices. Keep aside.
- Heat up a pot with 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil and fry the onion first soft, then add the tomato and stir fry until soft. Now add in the chopped red amaranth leaves and cook for a minute or 2. Once the red amaranth has come down and lost some juice add the previously soaked lentils.
- Stir fry for a minute and then add in the broth, salt and pepper. Let the spinach cook on medium stove heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked and soft.
- Top with shredded coconut. Serve with other Asian meals as a side dish. Works great with Indian meals.
Nutrition
Have you ever eaten cooked red amaranth leaves?
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Oh, I love the way this spinach looks! A wonderful dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa =)
I’ve never seen red spinach. It’s gorgeous! I have to see if I can find some (maybe seeds so I can grow it). Terrific recipe! Looks wonderful, and I’ll bet it tastes even better. 😉
I ll look out for seeds. I remember seeing some here in the market John. But can’t guarantee if it will grow in cooler climates.
I think my comment just disappeared into the ether! Anyway, this spinach is gorgeous. I’ve never seen it – need to see if I can find some seeds and grow it. Terrific looking dish, and I’ll bet it tastes wonderful.
ah no it just somehow got moved into the spam folder. Fixed the problem and I hope it won’t happen again. Sorry for the trouble John.
I love SPINACH and prefer it stir-fried with garlic.
Yours looks so comforting and delicious.
I thought so that this would be your kind of dish Angie. 😉
I have yet to see red spinach here in the States. I’ll have to ask some of the farmers at the farmers market. I could see it becoming very trendy, like kale and and rainbow chard.
Oh yes I think so too that red spinach is worth a new food trend. =) I don’t remember seeing it in Europe too so I think it’s still very much limited to Asia. Hopefully this will change soon.
Oh my – red spinach is GORGEOUS! I had no clue of its existance – thank you, cos of you I learned something new today!
This stir fry sounds so good – the lentils are such a nice touch-thoughts of eating this with some naan are making me drool!
Thanks so much for sharing
Yeah since you mentioned it, I would like to try the red spinach bhaji with freshly baked nans too. =D Happy to know that I was able to share some of my knowledge.
Love red spinach especially the ones we get in India, lucky you. The sabzi looks really yummy, and you put coconut in it, tasty.
Thank you Ash <3
Am a spinach fan, and we do not get red spinach here, I would love love to eat this
This stir fry looks delicious, red spinach is new to me but I definitely want to try it after looking at your dish 😀
Cheers
CCU
Oh yes you haven’t seen red spinach yet? Uru you really need to come to india soon. 😉
This looks wonderful with the spinach and coconut, great work!
Helene ~ your today’s format is somewhat new but very welcome to me, as I had ‘delivery difficulties’ forever with the bigger blog. This looks lovely 🙂 ! Absolutely love spinach, both cooked and in salads. Alas, have not seen any red one ~ must ask around. think this appetizing recipe must taste almost as good with the green variety also – so have bookmarked it for soon 🙂 !
lol yes please excuse my long delay in fixing the speed issues here. So glad too that it opens faster after all. =) I thought of you while writing this post. I remember you asking for more goan recipes again. hope you ll enjoy it! 😉
I love spinach but I’ve never heard of red spinach before! I love that dish! Will you be selling dishes like that?
selling dishes online? lol I wish that was possible. I think so we ll have to wait for google to come up with a beaming online feature. ^.^
I would love to get my hands on some red spinach.
In India it goes by the name lal bhaji in Northern states and I love this for the beautiful red color it imparts to rice when you mixed it. With coconut it looks aweosme !
I love spinach whether, green or red. This one that you have made is another dish made at our home with different lentils but without coconut, I believe this is Goan style. Just to mention, I use the flour made from its seeds for baking and other things.
That’s Amaranth seeds no? Interesting =)
Amazing recipe… I have never seen red spinach. I would love to try this dish. 🙂
I cook tambdi baji by first frying some diced onions and garlic then add some fresh cleaned shrimp + some pieces of diced sweet potatoes + tambdi bhaji (red spinach) and dash of salt and cook under slow fire.
Carlos I like the addition of shrimp in your recipe with diced sweet potato. I am looking forward to try your variation, thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
What a beautiful vegetable that I have never heard of! Red spinach/amaranth. That’s new to me. Oh I would love to find some to give this dish a try. Thanks for introducing something new Helene. Love it!
Thanks for this red spinach recipe. I bought the red spinach (tabdi bhaji) in Chatisgar just because I saw it in market and my memoirs of Goa came instantly . I am a goan but I did not known how to cook it but I found you simple but beautiful recipes. I don’t know how to thank you.
Hello,
That’s a lovely surprise that you found tambdi bhaji in Chatisgar. I am glad to know that the recipe finds good use in your house. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Here is my take on tambdi bhaji (red amarnath) vegetable
http://www.kirtishomerecipes.com/2018/01/tambdi-bhaji.html
You are welcome. I would like to try it with mustard seeds next time.