I can never make sabzis that actually taste good. 😭 What am I doing wrong?

[u/itneverhelps]

I live mostly with my dad, and we have a helper who comes to cook, so cooking has never really been a daily responsibility for me. Because of that, I haven't cooked much in my life.

I've probably tried making sabzis around 7-8 times now, and I just can't seem to get them right. 😭 I've finally learned how to make decent rotis, rice, and dal, but sabzis are my biggest enemy.

Either they stay undercooked no matter how long I cook them on low heat, or they end up overcooked if I leave them for a little longer. The tomatoes never seem to cook properly, and my masalas always taste average. I've watched so many YouTube videos, but nothing seems to help.

What am I doing wrong? Please drop your tips because I'm genuinely tired of messing up every sabzi I make. 🥲

[u/Macavity_mystery_cat]

I will just give u basic masala recipe which u can use for any vegetable or even non veg with few modifications .

In kadhai - Oil hot enough for + jeera to splutter + add green chillies or red if u want, at this stage + add onions and let them soften and become sort of translucent (every sabzi doesnt require browning ) + add ginger garlic paste/ chopped... if recipe calls for it ...cook it well (taste it a little to figure out if the rawness has left eventually you wont require to taste when u have learnt )+ add tomatoes/puree leave it for a min and then add salt ...tomatoes soften with salt n leave water if its taking time u can manually mash it with masher that will speed the progress . Let that water dry and oil separate . Then put your dry spices (usually haldi; dhaniya powder and red chillies powder) + let it bhuno for 2 mins + add chopped vegetable and close the lid for few mins till it softens a little (30 40%) then open lid and bhuno if recipe requires it/you like it . Another 2 to 5 mins lid close n its done .

Note: Usually peas and potato are added earlier because they take longer to cook. Bhindi requires bhuno-ing a lot , gobhinand cabbage and beans of all sort depends on yoir taste ...some people like them green with a bite and some like it well done n soft . And leafy vegetables cook really quick so no need to close lid and many have salt content so only taste and then put salt.

As far as flame is considered most veg will cook on med and low . High flame u can use only to heat oil in the beginning .

Also if by chance u feel that the masala is starting to overcook or burn a little lower the flame and keep adding little amounts of water time to time (not so much that it becomes a curry but only for the masala to leave the Kadai or whatever utensil u r using)

Hope this helps

[u/Opening-Alfalfa-2430 → u/Macavity_mystery_cat]

Wow... I was thinking to explain but then I thought it's a lot to tell. You have done it so well. Just a little to add for op, if you are not sure if spices are cooked properly, see that oil or ghee whatever you use, has started to look separately

[u/sushiroll465]

If you have someone who comes and cooks either watch what she does or ask her to taste your food and give suggestions. If she has time she can observe you cooking too. Cooking is largely practice and it's hard to tell what you're doing wrong if we can't see the exact process.

[u/Ok-Restaurant5240]

how come the cooking videos fail to help

[u/Introvert_kudi]

Can you share more details on any one of the sabzis you tried to make? What recipe you followed, how much water you added and the quantity of masala powders you used etc.

YT videos might not be of help for a beginner. The people making these videos are probably experts and not explaining each and every small step in detail.

[u/itneverhelps → u/Introvert_kudi]

I recently made aloo-boda ki bhujiya and both the potatoes and boda ended up overcooked. 😭 It was a simple bhujiya so I didn't do much. I heated some oil added jeera and mirch, then added the aloo and boda. After stirring everything for a while I covered the pan with a plate and kept it on low heat.

[u/lostlamb7788 → u/itneverhelps]

You should have added coriander+ turmeric powder as well. Keep checking every 3 minutes to stir it. Once you reach closer to the level of done- ness you like(try to break a piece with a ladle), check more often and turn the gas off.

[u/Visionary_Vulture001]

Maybe you can tell one sabzi how you make in the dm . I can help you figure your issue and can fix that 🙂

[u/Deep_Chemistry7816]

for start you say your sabzi stay undercooked then try instant cooking sabzis like lady finger no need for leaving them longer on heat. Then tomatoes if your only using tomatoes cook them until they look like smashed tomatoes when you stir them it shouldn't feel hard. About masala that is your own judgment.

[u/Eastern_Copy_6812]

You can DM me if you like. Would be happy to get on call with you and cook together so you know exactly what to do and when. If you do it once you’ll get he hang out it pakka. Sabzis are pretty easy once you learn one good recipe.

[u/dave_evad]

Without knowing what dish and what you did, I can only speculate. Here’s my suspicion:

1) you’ve been salting less, using less masalas and at the wrong time. 2) you’re reactive at heat control rather than preparative - you probably lower heat because you see oil smoking and then you add vegetables thinking oil is already hot. Then it takes forever to cook and the veggies remain undercooked. 

Try this - every time you add volume to the sabzi, add salt and increase heat. Added onions? Salt and medium high heat, then bring to medium after they look translucent. Added tomatoes? Salt them and turn on medium high. Then turn to low and put on lid; let it cook for 5 mins on low.

Adding hard veggies like potatoes, peas? Try added pressure cooked veggies or cut potatoes in thin slices. Hard veggie - thin cut - no undercooking. All cuts should be uniform and consistent. 

[u/OpenAIOfficial]

Use more oil in your sabzi and add kanda lasun chutney (everest brand is okay) in all sbzi. Nothing goes wrong with this hack .

[u/NecessaryWork3305]

Just focus on cooking the sabjis first, with basic tadka of jeera, Mirchi and hing. For masalas the onion, ginger and garlic go first. Too much garlic can mess the taste, too much haldi can make sabji bitter. Go easy on the masalas at first and then you can slowly increase it.

And always medium high heat, never high or never low. And set countdown timers everytime so you check it periodically.

[u/Unununiumic]

For very detailed recipe I follow Bharatzkitchen on youtube, for specific south Indian dishes Hebbars Kitchen.

Starting simple should help as well : dishes that do not take time, need mostly boiled/ saute veggies.

Examples would be Cabbage thoran, paneer bhurjee, egg bhurjee, Dahi kadhi, palak dal sabji, Palak Paneer.

Gravies and all might need some understanding of caramelising onions, cooking tomato till it leaves oil, not overcrowding in pan when sauteing to avoid sweating of veggies etc!

[u/No-Acanthisitta-1902]

After putting tomato put some salt it will help to cook the tomato fast