Ujwala's Delicacies

Indian inspired all natural kitchen.

Patra

If you have never made Patra at home, you missed a most delicious, nutritious snack. More than store-bought frozen Patra, homemade Patra is soft, fresh, flavorful, and most importantly, nutritious. You will be so proud of yourself, making a recipe with so many benefits at home. Colocasia leaves are still so fresh after cooking Patra. Yet they retain a great texture to hit the spot every time. When you make at home, you can customize according to your taste buds, with organic, non-organic ingredients. That’s a bonus. Many of us know Patra as a Gujarati dish. Did you know, it is equally common in Karnataka? Though the base recipe is same, ingredients are different in Gujarati and Karnataka versions. Some of you probably expected Karnataka version has coconut. Yes, you are right. Every South Indian loves coconut. We look for ways to add coconut to every dish. Karnataka version is a bit spicy too. Karnataka version called as Pathrode or Patra vada.

Millets pulav with homemade spice powder

This gluten-free grain is a staple in Asia and India. As gluten-free food demand is on the rise, millet is now hero in western countries. Step back on processed foods marketed as gluten-free. They either lack key nutrients or loaded with chemicals. A variety of millets are available. They can be cooked like rice, pasta or to a creamy texture like grits. Whichever fits your preference and diet. From any of your favorite rice or pasta dish, safely substitute rice/pasta with millets. I made this dish with Proso millets. Proso millets in other languages is called Varigelu in telugu, Baragu in kannada, pain varagu in tamil, Cheena in bangali, Vari in marathi, cheno in gujarati, bachari bagmu in oriya… Though in Asia countries as India, China, Nepal etc millet is a common staple, for western countries, it is a bird food.

Lotus root fry

I absolutely enjoy cooking delicacies with new veggies every day. I shop at the farmers market and local markets for rarely found veggies. Lotus root fry is a versatile dish, that can be an appetizer or a side of the main course. I was in main course mood when I took this picture. You dont need to make separate dishes for appetizer and maincourse. Let your family or guests choose depending on their mood. What a bumper offer. In Indian cuisine, spiced vegetables cooked with out gravy is commonly consumed with rice. Those dry roasted veggies are also consumed with chutney on the side. Adopt ancient Indian clean recipes. Lotus root called as tamara veru in telugu, kamal kakdi in hindi, Thaamari thandu in tamil.

This is an absolute Vegans and vegetarians rejoice! Vegan lifestyle getting more attention. More and more people started believing in vegan in predominantly meat-eating countries for health reasons or to reduce cruelty. With so much popularity, now is a good time to be vegan. Lotus root fry is a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo delicacy to start with. More n more meatless options. Nothing to worry about if you are thinking to be a vegan.

Jowar chaat Salad

I am so excited to present Jowar (sorghum) chaat salad. One of the vibrant, tasty and most importantly healthy salad. This is the most colorful, delicious and healthy dish I ever ate. To satisfy that longterm urge to have a clean, homemade meal, this vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free dish is here. Not just for Indian food lovers, this chaat salad is must eat dish for everyone who wants to try unique, healthy, clean recipes.

Jowar, which is known to the western world as Sorghum, is widely used in India and Africa. Jowar is a versatile grain, that can be boiled, made chaats, soups, khichdi, replacement to rice, vegan stews. Jowar flour is used to make gluten-free roti or tortillas. Flour is also used in baking. Jowar is a gluten-free, high-protein, cholesterol-free grain with impressive nutrients as dietary fiber, iron, phosphorus, and thiamine. Ditch multivitamins. When you can make such a clean, homemade recipe, you do not need artificially fortified food.

Kale, Tomato in Channa Dal

In Indian cuisine, dal is eaten with rice or roti. Yet, dal is no different from lentil soup. Depending on your appetite and mood you choose whether to eat as soup or as the main course. Toor lentils are nutrition powerhouse. They carry a great combination of protein, calcium, fiber and carbohydrates, which are recommended daily.

Indian cuisine offers many vegetarian, vegan meatless options. Kale, being protein-rich containing 4 gms of protein per 100 gms, has earned the epithet of “queen beef”. A 100 gms serving of kale meets 700% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin K and 200% of the recommended Vitamin A and C intake, making it a “nutrition powerhouse”.

Whole-grain, kale masala vada

Those moong lentils sitting in your cupboard have been trying to say something. Let me out… play with spices and cook me crunchy. Fried in oil, moong dal can transform into a crispy, nutty, savory snack. Reach for something crunchy when you need snack. If you haven’t heard of Masala vada, allow me to do the honors to introduce. Masala vada is South Indian crispy, savory fried snack. It is one of most crowd cheered festive snack. Which makes its appearance in every home on a festival day, entertaining smiley family and friends. If you haven’t tried this snack yet, also allow me to introduce to all-natural step-by-step recipe. This is dangerous knowledge.

Alu Gobi with chinese cauliflower

Alu Gobi with Chinese Cauliflower: A Healthy Fusion

Alu Gobi, a common vegetarian dish cooked in a majority of Indian households. The aromatic flavorsome alu gobi served with fluffy chappatis or steamed rice is a comfort food relished by kids, adults and the elderly generation after generation in India. Yet, potato & cauliflower stir-fry is also enjoyed by other nations. A little digging into the history takes us 8000 years back to South America where potatoes originated.

The potatoes journeyed from South America through Spain, Italy and reached England only in the 19th Century. Every country blended the potatoes with their very own veggies, herbs & seasoning. In between that, the 14th Century traces references of “alu gobi curry” in the cuisines of the affluent Mughal Empire. Mughals were believers of Islam with Turkish ancestry and their non-vegetarian recipes are popular till date. A wide assortment of rich spices and dry fruits came to India along with them. Drawing inspiration from the Central Asian Alu Gobi recipe, the royal Mughal’s chef impressed the royalty with meatless vegetarian curry made with potatoes, cauliflower, and exotic spices! The conjugal of alu gobi and spices made its mark in Indian vegetarian recipes. It has survived through years while the hands cooking them and mouths enjoying the lovely dish have changed.

Malanga stir fry

Malanga is hairy vegetable close to colocasia and Eddoe. It is less starchy than potato, less slimy than colocasia. Any dish you can think of with potato can be made with Malanga. For a change of taste and to get different nutrients, you should try Malanga. Just like potato, Malanga is versatile. Stir-fry’s, curry, mixed with other veggies, chips, salad, mashed malanga are a few ways to cook. Malanga is also known as cocoyam, yautia, tannia, taro, and tanier.

Telangana eggplant with coconut and spices

If you want to experience a truly authentic taste of Telangana/Andhra cuisine, you have to taste Andhra Vankaya Kobbari karam – translated as Andhra eggplant, coconut masala. It is an authentic delicacy in Telangana/Andhra Pradesh cuisine which are India’s states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are recently split states from the southern part of India. Both states share a very much same cuisine, with quite a few variations in a few regions. Telangana is the land of spicy food. Yet it is not painfully spicy, it is an awesome smooth spice which wakens your taste buds and makes you feel you this is the one you missed all your life long.

Mango rice

South India is the land of rice dishes. Every state in Southern India has different variations of rice dishes made of unique ingredients. Such diverse recipes. It takes a lifetime to learn about Indian states, culture, and food. South Indian states Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have an exclusive cooking style, you just have to explore each one of them yourself. Indian cuisine as most westerns know is not just naan, chicken butter masala. It is quite elaborate. Exploring Indian cuisine is quite fun. So many ingredients, so many variations, whats common is the great taste. South Indian rice dishes are clean. They are made of fresh, clean ingredients. Turmeric in mango rice gives you the best nutrition. Moreover, most of them are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free.