Category: Recipe

Date and Coconut Barfi Balls

Recipe by Sushila Chandra Shah

date coconut burfi balls full

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 175g dates
  • 125g oats
  • 75g chopped almonds
  • 25g cacao Powder
  • Desiccated coconut, for dusting

Instructions:

  1. Roast the oats and almonds
  2. Soak the chopped dates in 2 tablespoons warm water. Melt the dates if needed on very low heat, until soft.
  3. Add oats, mix and stir for two minutes on low heat.
  4. Add cacao powder, mix and stir for two minutes on low heat.
  5. Add almonds, mix and stir for one minute on low heat.
  6. Immediately start to roll the mixture into balls and coat with desiccated coconut while warm.
  7. Leave to rest in a cool place or in the fridge.

 

Chilli Tofu

Recipe by Nishma Shah

chilli-tofu2

Ingredients:

  • 340g extra firm tofu
  • 3 tablespoons tamari/soy sauce
  • 3 pineapple rings
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 whole pitted dates (or more depending on desired sweetness)
  • ½ red pepper
  • ½ yellow pepper
  • 2 chillies, medium hot
  • Sesame oil (optional for greasing the pan)

Preparation:

  1. Blend the rice vinegar, tamari, dates and one pineapple ring to a fine paste.
  2. Cut the remaining pineapple and bell peppers into 1-inch cube-shape pieces.
  3. Drain the water from the tofu, and cut the tofu into 1-inch cube-shape pieces.
  4. Slice the chillies in rings.

Method:

  1. Warm up a non-stick pan and keep on low heat.
  2. When the pan is warm, add the tofu pieces.
  3. As the tofu pieces cook they will release water – simply allow the water to steam off.
  4. Toss the tofu pieces so that they do not stick to the pan.
  5. Let the pieces brown slightly, or cook until they are hot to touch.
  6. Increase the heat if the tofu pieces are not browning.
  7. Add the chillies and stir.
  8. Add the remaining ingredients.
  9. Let all the flavours blend. If using canned pineapple add the pineapple juice if the tofu is absorbing all the liquid.
  10. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until all the tofu pieces have been coated well.

Can be served with rice or noodles.

 

Butternut squash burritos

Components:

  • Butternut squash burrito filling
  • Guacamole
  • Tomato and red pepper salsa
  • Grated vegan cheese (optional)
  • Ready made tortillas

To serve:

  1. Warm up the tortillas
  2. Add butternut squash filling, guacamole, salsa and vegan cheese.
  3. Wrap and enjoy.

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Butternut squash burrito filling:

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, cubed
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 bell pepper, cubed
  • 1 400g can black beans or kidney beans
  • A large handful of kale, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Place chopped butternut squash in an oven dish, toss with some oil and roast at 200°C for approximately 30 minutes, until tender.
  2. In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil and saute the spices for a minute.
  3. Add the pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the beans and roasted butternut squash and mix.
  5. Add the kale, season with salt and mix until the kale has wilted.

Guacamole:

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 tomatoes
  • Handful of coriander
  • ½ lime
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Mash avocado in a bowl.
  2. Finely chop the tomato, and add to the avocado
  3. Finely chop coriander and add to the bowl.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice into the bowl.
  5. Season with salt, and mix.

Tomato and roasted pepper salsa:

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 roasted peppers, either readymade from a jar or made by coating with oil and roasting until tender.
  • Small handful coriander
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Fine chop tomatoes, peppers and coriander and add to a bowl.
  2. Season and mix.

Cashew Cheese

Cashew Cheese

(Enough to make pizza for 4-6 people)

Recipe from Diane’s Vegan Kitchen: http://www.diannesvegankitchen.com/2013/09/20/green-and-white-pizza/

Ingredients:

  • 125g raw cashews, soaked in water for an hour or more
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons water

Method:

  1. Rinse the cashews
  2. Put all ingredients into a blender / food processor and process until a smooth sauce is formed.
  3. This sauce can be poured over pizza as a simple vegan alternative to cheese. It will harden and brown in the oven.

Note: The Jain-friendly pizzas in the photo below were made using ready made pitta bread, passata with herbs, vegetables (courgettes, peppers, olives) and cashew cheese.

cashew cheese

Halwa

Halwa

Recipe provided by Nishma Kothari and adapted by Rena Shah

 

Halwa1

Ingredients:

  • 100g cornflour
  • 1 litre water
  • 600g sugar
  • 1/8 tsp vegan food colour (e.g Wilton brand)
  • 1 handful blanched and flaked almonds
  • 1 handful whole pistachios
  • 4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 3 tbsp dairy free spread (e.g. Vitalite) plus a small knob to grease your dish
  • 2 tsp ground cardamom (or more/less, dependent upon taste)
  • 2 tbsp dessicated coconut for decoration (optional)

Method:

  1. Grease the bottom and sides of a dish (e.g. large pyrex baking dish/ steel sani) with a knob of dairy free spread.
  2. In a large non-stick pan, on high heat, mix the cornflour with the water. Once combined, add the sugar and bring to boil. Stir continuously.
  3. Once boiling, lower the temperature to medium heat and continue stirring.  You may notice some ‘lumps’ of sugar.  Don’t worry, continue stirring until mixture is thicker and fully combined.
  4. Add food colour. Stir until all of the food colour is evenly distributed.
  5. Add the almonds and pistachios. Continue stirring ensuring mixture is not sticking to the bottom or the sides of the pan, for about 5 minutes.
  6. Lower the heat to a low setting.  Add one tbsp of oil and stir for 1-2 minutes until combined.  Then add one tbsp of dairy free spread and stir for 1-2 minutes until combined.  Continue keep alternating one tbsp. of oil and dairy free spread in the same way.
  7. You should have a thick consistency that falls off the spoon (but is not runny like syrup).
  8. Stir the cardamom through the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
  9. Turn off the heat and transfer to your greased dish.  Once all the mixture is in the dish, give it a gentle shake to remove any air bubbles and ensure an even distribution.
  10. (Optional) Sprinkle with the dessicated coconut.
  11. Let the halwa set at room temperature and then transfer to fridge.  Once set firmly, cut into pieces.

Dhokdi

IMG_1912

Recipe kindly provided by Jaya Ramniklal Shah with minor modifications by Heena Modi

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 125g gram flour
  • 1-2 green chillies + 3cm stem of ginger. (Grind these or chop very finely)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1/3 teaspoon citric acid
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 400ml water
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Additional ingredients:

  • ‘Eno’
  • sunflower oil
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • a small handful of curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut

 

Method:

  1. Mix all the batter ingredients except the water together.
  2. Add the water a little at a time to avoid lumps of flour forming
  3. Coat a 3 inch deep steaming tray with sunflower oil and set aside
  4. Add 1 heaped teaspoon of ‘Eno’ to the batter and stir vigorously – it will now begin to react and froth slightly
  5. Pour the batter into the steaming tray ensuring there’s at least 1/2 inch gap from the top
  6. Place the steaming tray within a larger vessel (either a large wok or pan) a 1/4 filled with boiled water
  7. Place a lid on top and steam for approx. 20-25 minutes
  8. After steaming allow the dhokri to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 4cm cubes
  9. In another pan heat 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves + asafoetida, until seeds pop
  10. Pour this oil mixture over the diced dhokri, then add desiccated coconut + chopped coriander leaves

Khichdi Kadhi

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Khadhi

Recipe kindly provided by Pratibha Mehta

Ingredients:

  • 1 400g tin coconut milk (or soya milk, for a healthier version)
  • 1 tin water
  • 1 tablespoon gram flour (channa no lot / chickpea flour)
  • 1 teaspoon corn flour
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Turmeric
  • Coriander leaves
  • Green chillis, finely chopped
  • Ginger, finely chopped (optional, leave out if Jain)
  • For vaghar:
    • 1 tbsp vegetable oil,
    • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
    • Quarter tsp mustard seeds (rai)
    • 1-2 cloves
    • 1 piece of cinnamon
    • Curry leaves (optional)

Method:

  1. Mix together coconut milk, gram flour and corn flour.
  2. Do the vaghar by heating oil in a saucepan and adding other vaghar ingredients.
  3. Add the coconut milk/flour mixture to the pan and all the other ingredients.
  4. Keep stirring and bring to the boil.

Note:  The soya milk version may require a little more gram flour.

 

Khichdi

Recipe kindly provided by Ranjanben Chandaria

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 cup moong dal
  • 5 cups water
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Half tsp turmeric

Method:

  1. Cook all the ingredients in a pressure cooker.
  2. Serve with kadhi

 

Photo courtesy of http://thespiceycoffee.wordpress.com/