Stir fry vegetable jalfrezi
Jalfrezi is a traditional East Indian dish, with wok-fried onions, ginger, tomatoes, nigella seeds and cumin. Kolkata has been home to a small Hakka Chinese community for over a century. This is a nod to both styles of cooking coming together.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp nigella seeds
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, julienned
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 large onion, cut into chunky wedges
- 1 pepper (any colour, or use a mix), cut into strips
- 400g/14oz stir fry vegetables (from a packet)
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), rubbed between palms or lightly ground in a pestle and mortar
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- ½ tsp salt
Method
Heat the oil in a wok placed over a high heat. In this order, add the cumin seeds, nigella seeds, garlic, ginger, tomato purée, chilli powder, turmeric, ground fennel and garam masala. Sauté for 20–30 seconds and then add 225ml/8fl oz freshly boiled water. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook the masala paste out, stirring all the time, about 8–10 minutes. It will thicken and you’ll see the oil begin to separate from the paste at the sides of the pan.
Increase the heat to high once more and then add the onions and peppers. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.
Add the stir fry vegetables and salt. Continue to stir-fry over a high heat for 2–3 minutes, until the veggies soften but still retain some crunch.
Finally, sprinkle in the dried fenugreek leaves and coriander and give the dish a final mix before serving. Serve with rice or naan bread.
Recipe Tips
This recipe is ideal for using up bags of stir fry mix. Serve with rice on the side, if you like.
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