Category Archives: vegetarian

vegetarian

Batata Wada

Snacks & Appetizers, vegetarian

Batata Wada is a nice mid-afternoon snack.  Batata  Wada means Potato Ball.  Mashed potato is delicately spiced,made into a round ball and dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep fried.

 Ingredients

  • 2               lb Potatoes
  • 1               lb sweet potatoes
  • 1/2            cup chopped cilantro
  • 2               tsp  salt
  • 1               tsp  citric acid
  • 3/4            tsp  crushed black pepper
  • 3/4            tsp  crushed cumin
  • 1/2            tsp  turmeric powder
  • 1               tsp  garam masala.
  • 2               jalapeño
  • 2               tbsp chopped mint
  • ½              tsp  turmeric powder
  • 4               tbsp oil
  • 1/2            tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2            tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 10             curry leaves
  • 1               cup mixed vegetables

 Batter

  • 3                 cups chana flour
  • 2                 cups water
  • ½                tsp  salt
  • ½                tsp  red chilly powder
  • 6                 cups oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Boil the potatoes & sweet potatoes, peel them and mash them.
  2. Add the chopped cilantro, salt,citric acid black pepper, cumin, Turmeric powder and garam masala.
  3. Blend the mint and  jalapeño and add this to the potato mix.
  4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and make Vagar with curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5 min on med heat.
  5. Add this to the potato mix and mix everything together.
  6. Roll this into 1” balls.
  7. Make a batter with chana flour, water, salt, chilly powder. The batter should be running consistency.
  8. Dip the balls in the batter. ( The ball should be covered with the batter) and deep fry in medium to hot oil. The batter will be firm and you will have a golden brown crust. (about 5 minutes.)
  9. If your balls stick to the bottom of the Deep frying pan, your oil is not hot enough.

A wok is good for frying.

Serve this will Ambli.

You can adjust the salt and chilly powder according to your taste.

Bartha

Entrees, vegetarian

Eggplant is the fruit of a plant which originated in India.  Eggplant is a berry eaten as a vegetable.  There are a few varieties of eggplants.  The purple skinned eggplant, which as an elongated form like a large pear, is the most well-known variety.  The Asian eggplant refers to   varieties that can be as small as an egg, long and thin.  The thin, smooth skin can be dark or light purple, cream, white, green or orange.  The yellow-white flesh is spongy and contains small brownish edible seeds.

Western Eggplant                                                                              Italaian Eggplant

Western Egg PlantItalian Egg Plant

 

 

 

 

Asian  long Eggplant

Asian Egg Plant

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 1               egg plant (western)
  • 4               tbsp oil
  • 1               medium onion chopped
  • 1               medium tomato chopped
  • 1               tsp green masala
  • 1/2            tsp dhana jeera (corriander and cumin powder
  • 1/4            tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
  • 1/2            tsp salt
  • 1               tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Rinse the eggplant and cut in half.  With a pastry brush(or your fingertips), brush  the eggplant with oil and bake  in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes(Cut side down).  The egg plant will be soft when done.
  2. In a small saucepan heat the oil and sauté  the onions till they are transparent.  Add the chopped tomatoes, green masala, dhana jeera, haldi, and salt and cook it for five minutes.
  3. With a fork loosen the flesh of the egg plant and add this to the saucepan.  Discard the skin.  Mix well, cook for a couple of minutes.
  4. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
  5. Serve with chapatti or rotlo.

Undhiyu

vegetarian


Undhiyu is a Gujarati mixed vegetable casserole that is a regional specialty of Gujarat, India.  The name of this dish comes from the Gujarati words “matlu” meaning earthen pot and “undhu” meaning upside down since they have been traditionally cooked upside down underground in earthen pots fired from above.

The dish is a seasonal one, comprising the vegetables that are available on the South Gujarat coastline during the winter season, including (amongst others) green beans, unripe banana, muthia  and purple yam. These are cooked in a spicy curry that sometimes includes coconut.

Undhiyu with puri and shrikhand is often eaten in Gujarati houses during winter season.

you will find a few different recipes for Undhiyu. 

Undhiyu has a lot of ingredients and takes longer to make.  It is prepared in stages.

 Undhiyu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Mutiya

  • 1 1/2                 cup chana flour(gram flour
  • 1/2                    tsp salt
  • 1/4                    tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1/4                    tsp chili powder
  • 1/4                    cup chopped spinach or
  •                          fenugreek leaves (methi bhaji)
  • 1/4                    cup shredded cabbage      
  • 2                       tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4                    cup water
  • 2                       cups oil for frying

Vegetables

  • 1                        yam 
  • 8                        small potatoes
  • 8                        small egg plant
  • 1                        cup green beans
  • 1                        cup Pigeon peas(cooked)
  • 1                        cup water 

Masala

  • 1                        cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2                     cup spring garlic
  • 1                        cup peas (crush it a little)
  • 1/2                     cup desiccated coconut
  • 1/2                     tsp salt
  • 1                        tbsp green masala
  • 2                        tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2                     tsp garam masala
  • 1/4                     cup sugar
  • 1/4                     cup lemon juice or
  • 1 tsp                  citric acid
  • 1/2                     tsp crushed  cumin
  • 1                        tsp coriander powder

Vagar

  • 1/4                     cup oil
  • 10                      curry leaves
  • 1                        tsp ajwan
  • 1/2                     tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2                     tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2                     tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4                     tsp hing(optional)
  •  
  • 2                        tbsp chopped cilantro for decoration

Instructions

Mutiya(dumplings)

  1. Mix all the ingredients for mutiya except the water.  Make a stiff dough using a little water. 
  2. Put a teaspoonful of the dough in your hands and squeeze firmly to make an oval dumpling about 1” x 1/2”.  Repeat until all the dough is used.
  3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and deep fry the dumplings.

Vegetables

  1. Peel and Cut the yam into 1 inch cubes.  Coat it with oil and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 or until cooked through.
  2. Rinse and slit the eggplant into fours.  Do not cut it through.
  3. Peel and slit the potatoes in the same way as eggplant.
  4. In a small bowl mix everything for the masala.
  5. Use some of this masala to fill the egg plant and potatoes.

Make the Vagar:

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the curry leaves, ajwan, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds cumin seeds and hing, 
  2. Add the leftover masala and 1 cup of water and mix well.  Layer all the vegetables, eggplants, potatoes, green beans and pigeon peas. (Do not mix this, let it cook layered).  Cook  covered on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.  Add the yams and the dumpling and let it cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve it hot on a platter sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

Chana Batata

Snacks & Appetizers, vegetarian

NewImageA friend of mine phoned to say she was coming for a cup of tea and a chat. Since it was almost lunch I decided to make Chana Batata.  Chana translates to chickpeas and Batata means potatoes.  This is a wonderful combination and a great one pot meal.  I rinsed the potatoes and put them in a pot to boil and started cooking the chickpeas.  By the time my friend arrived my dish was ready.  I asked her to pick up a bag of chips on her way as they are a great accompaniment to Chana Batata.

Chana Batata is also known as Aloo Batata .  Aloo also translates to potatoes.  In East Africa we used to have this as an after school snack or a snack  between shopping.  There were lots of small cafes that served chana batata, snacks and Chai (Indian Spice tea) or fresh Passion Fruit Juice.  You can also get Chana Batata as street food in Indian and Pakistan.  Chana Batata originated in India.

Ingredients

  • 14         oz Can Chickpeas
  • 4           med russet Potatoes
  • 2           tablespoon Vegetable oil
  • 5           Curry Leaves
  • 1/4        teaspoon Jeera  (Cumin seeds)
  • 1/4        teaspoon Rye (Mustard  seeds)
  • 1/4        teaspoon Methi (Fenugreek seeds)
  • 1           small Tomato
  • 1           Jalapeno
  • 2           tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • ¼          teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1           teaspoon Salt
  • ½          teaspoon Citric Acid or
  •  2          table spoon lemon Juice
  • 1           tablespoon Sugar
  • 4           cups Water

Instructions 

  1. Boil the potatoes with the skin on until soft(about 15 min) Peel the potatoes and cube it 3/4 inch.
  2. Chop the tomato, Jalapeno and half the cilantro in a food processor.
  3. Heat the oil, add the rye, methi, cumin and curry leaves.  When the rye starts to pop add the tomato mixture, turmeric powder, salt, citric acid, sugar. Cook for a couple of min.
  4. Add the Chana and mix well. Let it cook for 2 min. Add 4 cups of water and the potatoes, cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 min. The sauce will become thick.
  5. Sprinkle chopped cilantro before serving.

Serve with potato chips, mogo chips or chevro and Tamarind Chutney.