Celebrating Veganuary

The Asian Age With Agency Inputs  | Sayoni Sinha

Life, Food

These delicious meatless recipes will make the Veganuary challenge easy to implement.

. A growing body of evidence also suggests veganism could lower the risk of lifetsyle diseases.

Veganism, the plant-based diet that shuns meat and dairy has gained much popularity in the recent years. Veganism originated in the 1940s when Donald Watson coined the term ‘vegan’ to demarcate vegetarians who didn’t consume dairy from those that did. The following years saw it becoming the doctrine of holistic living, and the virtues of veganism resonated with the animal rights activists as well. But it didn’t quite garner the same acceptance in India, primarily because it was considered as a counter-cultural trend that would seem tedious to maintain. Fast-forward to 2020 and turning vegan is now seen as an effective way of achieving a healthier way of life. A growing body of evidence also suggests veganism could  lower the risk of lifetsyle diseases. It can improve blood pressure and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, thyroid, and PCOD.

 So, what was once seen as a fringe movement has now permeated into the mainstream. The rapid explosion of the annual Veganuary campaign, in which even the omnivores and vegetarians sign up to attempt veganism for a month, is a testament to the movement’s success. Veganuary was launched in 2014 when 3,300 people signed up for a change in their lifestyle. Today, it has grown to a staggering 2,50,000. So, what are you waiting for? Take up the challenge and try going vegan.

Badapu Wambatu Maaluwa

-Recipe by Chef  Lakshit Shetty, Hoppumm

Ingredients:

Brinjal: 50gm

Onion: 20gm

Green chili: 5gm

Garlic: 5gm

Cinnamon: 1 stick

Curry powder: 10gm

Turmeric: 2gm.

Chili powder: 5gm

Ginger: 5gm

Curry leaves: 3gm

Pandan leaf: 3gm

Mustard: 5gm

Coconut vinegar: 5ml

Coconut milk: 50ml

Coconut oil: 50ml

Salt to taste.

Method:

  • Heat oil in a pan. Wash brinjal and cut into strips, deep fry until golden brown.
  • Crush onion, ginger, garlic and green chili.  Heat the pan and add 1tbs coconut oil, and fry onion, ginger, garlic, green chili for about a minute.
  • Once they are sauteed well, add curry powder, turmeric, chili powder, curry leaves, pandan leaf and cinnamon  and mix well.
  • Next, add coconut milk, mustard, and coconut vinegar and cook for one more minute. Finally, add fried brinjal and salt to taste.

Paella Valenciana

-Recipe by Chef   Harish Jadhav, Poco Loco Tapas & Bar

Ingredients:

Cebolla rice: 100 gm

Onion: 30 gm

Chopped garlic: 50 gm

Tomato sauce : 100 gm 

Cayenne pepper, whole: 5 gm

Paella seasoning:  20 gm

Salt: as per taste

Smoked paprika: 10 gm

Red bell pepper: 15 gms

Green bell pepper: 15 gm

Yellow bell pepper: 15 gm

Mushroom: 20 gm        

Baby corn: 20 gm

Broccoli: 20 gm

Saffron water: 20 ml

Parsley:  3 gm

Microgreens:  5 gm

Method:

  • Saute onion, garlic in olive oil and add some Paella seasoning. Add tomato sauce and cayenne pepper and stir.
  • Par boil the cebolla rice on the side for about 15 minutes. Add the rice to the tomato mixture. Add salt and smoked paprika and stir together.
  • When the rice is almost cooked, add the saffron water made by soaking saffron in water. Add all the vegetables and let it cook in the paella pan for about 10 more minutes.
  • Garnish with parsley and micro greens

Jowar Pita Pockets

-Recipe by Parvinder Singh, Garde Manger Cafe

Ingredients:

Pita pockets :

1/4 cup jowar flour

Salt to taste

For falafel: 

1 ½ cups  chickpeas, soaked

1 bunch coriander

2-3 onions, finely chopped

½ cup crushed peanuts

6  8 cloves of garlic

1 ½ tsp chilli flakes

Lemon & salt to taste

For hummus:

2 cups cooked chickpeas

6 to 7 cloves of garlic

10 jalapeno

1/2 cup Tahina paste

2 cup lime juice

For Cashew dressing

½ cup cashew

2 teaspoon mustard seeds & roasted powder

1 tsp pepper

3-4 cloves garlic

2 table sp chopped onions

Lemon juice

Salt to taste

Pickled carrot and beetroot sticks

Method:

  • Sieve the jowar flour and salt together in a bowl. Add enough lukewarm water and knead into a soft dough. Divide the dough into equal portions and flatten each portion into a circle. Heat a non-stick tava and roast it on both sides till brown spots appear on both the sides.
  • Grind the chickpeas, coriander together. Add all the other ingredients and make a thick tight batter.
  • Shape them into tikkis or roll them into balls and roast them on the non stick pan. Add the cooked chickpeas and stock water in the mixer and add all the ingredients. Blend well along with lime juice and salt. Once everything is blended well, add the lime juice, salt and mix it well.
  • For cashew mayonnaise, soak cashews in water for 3- 4 hours. Drain and wash. Blend all the cashew in mixture grinder and add all the ingredients.

Zoodle Pad Thai

-Recipe by Chef  Subhash Shirke, The Pantry

Ingredients:

Peanut butter dressing:

60 gm

Zucchini zoodles: 200gm

Pink salt: 3gm

Fresh red paprika: 10 gm

Chilli flakes: 10gm

Salted peanuts: 10 gm

Mix of black & white sesame: 2gm

Lemon slice: Half

Microgreens: 6gm

For peanut dressing

salted peanut: 50gm

Tamarind paste: 10gm

Soya sauce: 3ml

Black jaggery: 5gm

Lemon juice: 2ml

Pink salt: 2 gm

Garlic peeled: 3 gm

Method:

  • Deseed tamarind and boil itin 2 cups of water over low flame for 8-10 mins. let it cool.
  • Mash the tamarind in water, strain through a metal colander and discard the fibers.
  • Add garlic peels, roasted peanuts, jaggery, tamarind paste, soya sauce, salt in a grinder and grind it untilit has a  medium coarse consistency. Now, add lemon juice and grind again until it forms a paste.
  • In a bowl, take peanut dressing, lime juice, chilli flakes, salt and bit water and whisk, until it becomes thinner in texture.
  • Mix the fresh zucchini  zoodles with the dressing  and toss it until all dressing is mixed properly.
  • Place the zoodles in a fresh bowl, add salted peanuts, red paprika, sesame seeds & micro greens as garnish. Serve cold.

Avocado and silken tofu

-Recipe by Chef Altamsh Patel, The Park 

Ingredients:

Avocado:1pc.

Silken tofu: 80gm

Orange and olive salsa

Fresh orange (pulp) chopped:1

Green olives, finely chopped: 30gm

Orange marmalade: 20gm

Sake:10ml

Mirin:10ml

Lemon juice:10ml

Salt: 5gm

Black pepper-5gm

Sake dressing recipe

Sake:30ml

Mirin:30ml

Sesame oil: 10ml

Olive oil: 40ml

Salt: 5gm

Black pepper: 5gm

Sugar: 8gm

Light soy: 10ml

Method:

  • For the orange and olive salsa, chop orange pulp, olives.  Add orange marmalade, sake, mirin, lemon juice, salt, black pepper powder. Mix all of the above ingredients.
  • For Sake dressing, in a bowl, add sake, mirin, sesame oil, olive oil, salt, black pepper powder, sugar and light soy.  Whisk all the ingredients well.
  • For avocado and silken tofu carpaccio, thinly slice avocado and silken tofu and arrange on a plate. Dress with sake dressing. 
  • Sprinkle peri peri dust on thinly slice avocado and tofu, arranged on plate.  Serve with orange and olive salsa.

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