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.
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.
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”.
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.
Avocado, coconut chutney
Avocado needs no introduction. It is considered wonder food. It is so versatile that depending on your mood, you pick what you want to make. Snack, dessert, main course, salad etc. When you are craving for savory and spicy and you have avocado at home, what do you do?
Avocados are high on mono-saturated fat (the good fat) and protein, low in sodium and fructose but high in potassium, containing twice that of a banana, and essential vitamins and minerals such as fiber, vitamin K, B5, B6 and C and foliate.
Jackfruit curry
Huge and thorny on the outside, Jackfruit is the “porcupine” of the vegetable world. Once a jackfruit is cracked open, what you will find inside are pods or “bulb”. Regularly referred to as seeds, these bulbs are actually, kinds of fleshy covering over the true seeds or pits, which are round and dark like chesnuts. The fleshy part can be eaten, or cut up and cooked. When immature, it is amazingly similar in grain to chicken, making jackfruit is an excellent vegetarian substitute for meat. In fact, jackfruit is sometimes referred to as “vegetable meat”.
The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. Jackfruit is consumed as vegetable when young, as fruit when ripe. Jackfruit is rich in nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Jackfruit flesh and seeds are consumed. Seeds are boiled, spiced up, ate as snack or curry.
Whole Grain Dahi Vada with Homemade Yogurt
The soft vada soaked in creamy white dahi (curd) and topped with aromatic spices and chutney is a delight to the plate. I have given the recipe a healthy twist by using whole grain urad dal to make the vadas for added fiber. Furthermore, this is one of the most excellent low carb, no preservative recipes as I prefer to use unsweetened homemade yogurt. My favorite vegetarian, protein-packed, gluten-free snack. It is a snack in Indian cuisine, yet it fully qualifies as a light, healthy meal. Make a choice depending on your mood and how hungry you are for vadas. This is dahi vada is not only packed with protein, but it also has high calcium, fiber, vitamins, and active probiotics as well. Though vadas are fried, since they are dipped in water, some of the oil is separated. If you still want to make it an ultimate power nutrition meal, fry vadas in one of – coconut oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil. These oils have a high smoke point around 500f. Which means the oil doesn’t break down chemically and produce harmful radicals till it reaches that temperature.
I wonder many times that ancient Indian cooks have come up with such awesome homemade recipes without using any artificial flavors or stock. I feel responsible to preserve such recipes and pass on to next generations. If you agree with me, follow me, make as many recipes for our children and they will repeat.
Dahi Vada: Names & Nutrition
Dahi vada is known by various names across India such as- Dahi Vada (in Gujarati); Dahi Bhalla (in Punjabi); Doi Bora (in Bengali); Dahi bara (in Odiya); Dahi bada (in Rajasthan) and Thayir vadai (in South India).
Dahi vadas are packed with protein and calcium. They serve as a refreshingly savory energy booster during hot summer days. This is one of the low-fat Indian keto recipes which when had as an appetizer can save from over-eating. The recipe uses a lot of dahi, also called curd or yogurt. The curd is extremely beneficial for weight loss. Moreover, curd helps in digestion, enhances immunity, makes skin glow and aids in maintaining healthy bones & teeth. The vadas are made up of whole grains, and the dietary fiber present in whole grains help maintain good health.
Turai, coconut chutney
Turai aka Ridge guard is well known in Asian countries, especially in India, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan. All of these cuisines have such a unique way of transforming this plain tasting vegetable into something amazing. Today, I introduce you to South Indian state Telangana way of transforming turai (beerakaya) into an amazing chutney (beerakaya pachadi). Not a lot of non-Indians know about chutney. Not just Indians, but non-Indians can enjoy chutneys too. Chutneys are so versatile, they can be eaten with rice as South Indians do or use as condiments for sandwiches, burgers. It also can be used as pasta sauce. Vegans all over the world or those who are struggling to find delicious and tasty meatless recipes should know about chutneys. Also those looking for diabetic friendly recipes, low carb, low sugar recipes, chutneys are rejoiced. Chutneys are all-natural, clean, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo. No regrets.
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