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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Indian Style Asparagus with Lemon and Cumin

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My dad can make an Indian “sabji” out of just about any vegetable.

A “sabji” is basically an Indian vegetable stir fry with aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, mustard seeds, etc.

Traditionally, vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, peas, spinach, squashes, cabbage, etc. are used in Indian cooking.

Since those spices make the traditional Indian “sabji” vegetables taste amazing, why not asparagus?

I mean seriously, why not.

Asparagus is a gorgeous vegetable, especially when it’s in season, which it is right now.

And the flavors of cumin, lemon, ginger in this dish just elevate it to a whole new level.

I know when I told my husband that my dad made Asparagus “sabji” he made a face. I think he was weirded out by it. But if you call it an “Indian Style Asparagus with Cumin and Lemon” – it doesn’t sound that strange at all 🙂

Which is basically what this is. You can serve it as a side dish, as an appetizer, or you can even use it as a “sabji” if you prefer. You can even save the leftovers and eat it the next day as a snack (which is what I did).

It’s super simple to make, and it’ll be ready in less than 20 minutes. I promise you won’t be disappointed! It’s a healthy vegetarian Indian recipe!

The Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice + a pinch of sugar (or 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
The Directions
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Step 1: Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil, and add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the ginger. Fry for a few seconds, then add the asparagus.
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Step 2: Add salt, cook uncovered for ~5-10 min, stirring.
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Step 3: When the asparagus begins to caramelize and brown, add the lemon / orange juice to deglaze the pan. As the juice begins to evaporate, turn the heat off. Allow the juice to soak up for a few minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper, stir, and serve.
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Don’t you love that this recipe has 3 steps? And the best part: this ENTIRE recipe has ~200 calories, and 10g fiber. And this recipe makes a LOT of asparagus, definitely enough to serve a couple people. Which means, you can enjoy this virtually guilt-free.
Print Recipe
4.67 from 12 votes

Indian Style Asparagus with Lemon and Cumin

Traditionally, vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, peas, spinach, squashes, cabbage, etc. are used in Indian cooking. Since those spices make the traditional Indian “sabji” vegetables taste amazing, why not asparagus?
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 56kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil, and add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the ginger. Fry for a few seconds, then add the asparagus.
  • Add salt, cook uncovered for ~5-10 min, stirring.
  • When the asparagus begins to caramelize and brown, add the lemon / orange juice to deglaze the pan. As the juice begins to evaporate, turn the heat off. Allow the juice to soak up for a few minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper, stir, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.1g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 3.6g | Sodium: 583.6mg | Fiber: 2.4g

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52 responses to “Indian Style Asparagus with Lemon and Cumin”

  1. This recipe was so easy to make. I went with the orange juice option instead of sugar. I did not have cumin seeds so I used ground. Extremely flavorful. I loved it!5 stars

  2. Today i made asparagus sabzi with this recipe. It’s super easy to make and tastes refreshing. Thanks Anjali. 🙂5 stars

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