I know what you are thinking right now, “How can a vegan dish have meat?” ‘Well, it can”. Jack fruit or ‘kathal’ is one of those unique fruits that is used as a meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. When young and green, the fruit has a mild flavor and meaty texture. When ripe, it has a strong fruity flavor that can be eaten raw as a fruit or used in desserts. In India people don’t wait for the fruit to ripen and consume it while it is still very tender. I grew up eating it in curries, pickles, semi dry dishes, and rice preparations like biryani. The fruit is rich in energy, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and free from saturated fats or cholesterol making it more nutritious than many starchy staples. When cooked well, using heavier spices like black cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf in the preparation, it is indeed a satisfying meat alternative.
Vegetarian
Daal Saag / Lentil Stew with Garbanzo Leaves
Gosh! It seems too early to be really posting a winter dish but my garbanzo/ chickpea plants are getting dry and woody and I wanted to use the tender leaves before I uproot them. Every spring I make a small kitchen garden with selective plants. Since most of them do not survive after the frost its a new effort every year. There is not a lot of space for my kitchen garden but I choose vegetables that taste better when fresh and quick to grow. I plant tomatoes, few herbs, salad leaves, chillies, couple of veggies, and then I also make an effort to try one or two new plant every year. This year I experimented with chickpeas. I sowed few black chickpeas in early April and got beautiful plants. Unripe chickpeas or green garbanzo are often picked out of the pod and eaten raw as a snack or can be enjoyed in so many different ways. The tender leaves are used raw in salads, cooked in soup or a lentil stew that we call it, daal saag.
Punjabi Dum Aloo
My mother in law loves potatoes. Love, as in addiction. Pretty much everything she cooks or has cooked all these years had potatoes in it. Now that they are going back to spend winters in India, I thought I should cook a farewell potato dish – Dum Aloo, for their 7 months stay with us. Dum Aloo specifically belongs to Kashmiri cuisine. It’s delicious taste made it popular all over India, hence you will find several variations of it using slightly different ingredients. No matter what you use, how you cook every dum aloo recipe is finger licking good. The recipe I have for you is of punjabi dum aloo with yogurt gravy which is enriched with charmagaz (melon seeds) and freshly ground spices.
Adai (Ada dosa)
Dosas are absolutely the tastiest and attractive rice crepe around. There are so many varieties, that one can never get tired of eating them. Some varieties of dosas can be prepared instantly but some need a little time of soaking and fermenting such as masala dosa and utthapam, and then there are some that do not need fermenting. One such dosa is Adai dosa. It is basically a combination of rice with a range of colorful lentils all soaked together and ground to form a thick and coarse batter. Adai dosa is considered to be the nutritious among all dosas.
Methi Malai Choliya
Apparently, I am on a green garbanzo kick lately. First it was healthy chaat from these beans and now today’s recipe.
It is a unique combination of 3 ingredients: methi (fenugreek), malai (cream) and matar (peas). However the recipe below is made with frozen green garbanzo beans instead of peas. Sweet, succulent and packed with several vital nutrients both are easily interchangeable in many recipes. I love the complex flavors of this dish. The mild bitterness of fenugreek leaves is wonderfully balanced with sweet green garbanzo beans and smooth creamy gravy.
Daal Makhani in Slow Cooker
Slow cooked creamy daal makhani with whole urad and red kidney beans. Lentils are an everyday thing in Punjabi homes but by no means is this daal an ordinary affair. However it is extraordinarily simple to cook.
Caramelized Onion & Herbed Ricotta Tart w/ Rice Crust
I am a huge fan of leftovers- Rice in particular. Aside from using it in fried rice, casserole, salad or pudding, I enjoy making a rice crust for savory tarts. It is quite healthful, delicious and easy to make than butter pastry crust. Here I have for you a simple and flavorful multigrain rice crusted tart filled with caramelized onion and ricotta cheese.
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