Around The World On Your Plate

Ingredients: Vegetables: 4-6 baby potatoes peeled and halved 1 cup cauliflower florets 1 medium bell pepper cubed 1/2 cup carrot cubed Makhani (curry base): 1 cup onions chopped 1-1/2 cup tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 2 green chillies, slit 2 red chillies 1-inch cinnamon stick 4-5 cloves 10 peppercorns 1 cardamom 2 bay leaf 10 cashew nuts 2-3 tablespoon oil/butter or as needed Others: Salt and sugar to taste 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) Cilantro to garnish Method: To prepare the curry base, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and saute onions and ginger garlic paste. Next, add all the whole spices along with green chillies and cashew nuts and saute. Add the tomatoes last and cook until tender.  Add salt and sugar as needed. Once the tomatoes are tender, turn off heat and let it cool in a separate bowl.  Puree once it has cooled. In the same pan, heat remaining oil and saute the mix vegetables ...

Ingredients : 1.5 teaspoon of panch phoran or 5 spice ( cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds) 1 tablespoon mustard oil or ghee 2 red chillies slit 1 medium onion chopped 1 teaspoon garlic minced 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder Salt to taste 1/4 cup toor dal (pigeon pea) 1/4 cup masoor dal (split red lentils) Water as needed Cilantro to garnish Method : Pressure cook toor dal and masoor dal with sufficient amount of water. In a high sided pan heat oil or ghee and add the panch phoran and let them splutter.  Next, add chillies along with onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add cooked dal along with turmeric powder and red chilli powder and salt and mix well. Add water to adjust to your desired consistency and bring it to a boil. Turn off heat, garnish with cilantro.  Serve hot with steamed rice.

Ingredients: 1 cup dry green peas soaked for 4-5 hours 2 potatoes cubed 1 onion chopped 2 tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste 1 cup coconut milk Seasoning: 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves Spices: 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed powder 1 teaspoon pepper powder Method: Soak dry green peas in water for 4-5 hours and pressure cook it. Heat oil on medium and add mustard seeds and let them splutter.  Next add curry leaves, followed by onion and ginger garlic paste.  Saute the onions until translucent. Add the tomatoes and spices and mix and cook until tender.  Next, add in the cooked peas and potatoes and coconut milk.  Adjust salt to taste and cook until potatoes are done. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or chapati. Note: If using fresh coconut, grind it alon...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup kidney Beans soaked overnight 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 medium onions finely chopped 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 1/2 cup tomato puree or grated tomatoes Salt as needed Sugar as needed Cilantro to garnish Spices: 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste 1 teaspoon garam masala Method Wash and soak kidney beans overnight.  Drain and add fresh water and cook until tender.  Drain or reserve the cooking water. Heat oil and sauté onions till translucent.  Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add tomato puree and mix.  Next add in all the spices and mix well and cook until oil separates from the mixture. Add kidney beans and reserved cooking water along with salt and sugar and mix and cook until the desired thickness is reached. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Pigeon Pea (toor) dal cooked 1 tablepoon oil or ghee 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig of curry leaves 2 red chillies slit 1 teaspoon turmeric powder Salt to taste Lemon juice as needed Cilantro to garnish Method: Heat oil/ghee on medium heat, add mustard seeds and let them splutter, next add red chillies, curry leaves and garlic and saute for a minute. Add the cooked dal and turmeric powder and salt and bring it to a boil. Turn off and garnish with cilantro. Add lemon juice to taste and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup whole black grams soaked overnight 2 tablespoons red kidney beans soaked overnight 2 onions chopped 2 tomatoes chopped 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic minced 1 tablespoon ghee or oil 1/4 cup cream or almond milk Salt to taste Cilantro to garnish Water as needed Spices: 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 dry red chillies slit 1-2 bay leaf 1-1/2 teaspoon garam masala Method: Add soaked and drained black grams and kidney beans to cooker with salt and water as needed and pressure cook until done. Heat oil and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and dry red chillies.  Next add onion and minced ginger garlic and saute until translucent. Add in the tomatoes next with the cooked grams and beans and mix.  Add all the spices with reserved water from cooking the daal as needed. Adjust salt to taste.  Add fresh cream or almond milk and mix and cook for a minute and turn off. Garnish and serve hot. Note: The use of oil or ghee and al...

Ingredients: 1/4 cup Soya granules soaked in water and drained 1 medium red onion, chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1-2 chillies thinly sliced 1 sprig cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup chickpea flour 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder 2 tablespoons rice flour (optional) Water as needed Oil for frying as needed Method: Soak Soya granules in water for a minute, drain and squeeze out excess.  Mix all the ingredients except oil and add water as needed to make a thick paste like batter. Heat oil in a pan and add spoonful and fry them until crispy and golden brown in color. Serve hot.

Ingredients: 2-4 Urad dal papad 1 small red onion chopped 1 small tomato chopped 1 sprig of cilantro  1/4 cup of grated carrot 1/4 cup of grated coconut Salt to taste Lemon juice to taste Red chilli powder to  taste Oil as needed Method: Dry roast or deep fry the papad.  Mix all the other ingredients except coconut. Before serving, spread the above mix on the papad and sprinkle grated coconut and serve immediately. 

Ingredients: 1 cup whole black gram, soaked overnight and cooked 1/4 cup kidney beans soaked overnight and cooked 1 small onion chopped 1 cup tomato puree 1-2 green chillies slit 2 cloves of garlic minced 1 teaspoon ginger grated 1 tablespoon of oil/vegan butter 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 teaspoon red chilli powder to taste 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 2 teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon of dry fenugreek leaves to garnish Salt to taste Cilantro garnish Water as needed Method: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin and caraway seeds. Next add onion, ginger and garlic and saute until translucent. Next add in the pureed tomatoes and mix well.  Add all the spices, mix and cook for a minute. Now add in the cooked lentils and kidney beans along with water as needed, and salt and simmer on low for a few minutes until desired consistency is reached. Turn off and add dry fenugreek leaves and cilantro and serve hot with some vegan ...

Serves:  2-3 Total Time: 20 minutes This recipe has been modified from the original version. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of chilli paste 1 teaspoon of soy sauce 1 teaspoon of vegan oyster sauce 4 eggplants diced 3 Thai red chilli sliced 4 cloves of garlic 1/2 cup soy granules soaked and drained Salt to taste Oil as needed 1/2 cup chopped basil Method: Soak soy granules for 15 minutes in water and once it has soaked well, squeeze out the water and set aside. Heat oil on medium high and add the eggplants and saute them until they are soft and have developed color. Once done, set aside. Next, in the same oil add crushed garlic and chillies and saute. Next add the chilli paste and mix well.  Add in the eggplant and mix.  Adjust salt to taste. Next add the soaked and drained soy granules and mix everything well. Garnish with chopped basil leaves and serve hot.

Serves:  4 Total Time: 15 minutes This recipe has been modified from the original version. Ingredients: 5-6 Thai chillies or to taste 8 cloves of garlic 1 onion sliced 1 bell pepper sliced  2 tablespoons of oil 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and vegan oyster sauce Salt to taste 2 cups of soy granules soaked and drained 2 tablespoons of water 1 cup roughly chopped Thai holy basil Sugar (optional) Peanuts to garnish (optional) Method: Soak soy granules for 15 minutes in water and once it has soaked well, squeeze out the water and set aside. Using a mortar and pestle or a grinder, make a paste of garlic and chillies. Heat oil in a pan and saute the garlic chilies paste.  Next add the vegetables and saute until just cooked.  Add the soy granules along with both the sauces, water and adjust salt to taste and mix well. Let this mixture cook on low heat for a few minutes.  Add in chopped basil and mix well. If desired, you c...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) 1 bunch of spinach chopped 1/2 cup onion chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/8th of a teaspoon asafetida 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or to taste 2-3 red chillies slit Water as needed Salt to taste Method: Begin by pressure cooking toor daal along with spinach and water as needed. Once the daal is cooked, set it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add asafetida and red chillies and saute for a minute.  Add onions and saute until translucent. Next add the cooked daal along with more water as needed to adjust the consistency of the daal.  Add turmeric powder and  tamarind paste and adjust salt to taste, cover with a lid and bring it to a boil and turn off heat. Serve it hot with some steamed rice. Note: You can completely skip adding onion.