Menu for vegetarians

Believe it or not, the menu for vegetarians is quite vast! From go-to potatoes to nutritious cauliflower and the flavour-rich bhindi, you will be spoilt for choice. If you cringe at the mere mention of dal-rice for dinner, just like me, here's listing 10 Indian veg recipes. They are simple and appetising, and you will definitely enjoy a light, palatable and hearty dinner with your loved ones. Try these out and you can thank us later.

 

Rawa Dhokla

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup fine Rava (sooji / semolina) 

1 cup Sour Curd 

1/3 cup Water 

1 tsp Eno

1 tsp + 1 tsp cooking oil 

Salt

For Tempering:

1 tbsp oil 

½ tsp mustard seeds 

½ tsp cumin seeds 

½ tsp sesame seeds (til) 

1 small green chilli, seeded and finely chopped 

4 to 5 curry leaves 

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

 

Method: 

 

1. Mix the rava, curd, water and salt in one bowl and beat until smooth. Make sure that there are no lumps. Let it set for 15-20 minutes.

2. Add approximately one large glass of water in a steamer and heat it over medium flame.

3. Grease the steamers trays (thalis). Mix the batter well until it starts to bubble on surface or for approximately one minute and make sure not to over mix it.

4. Pour it into a greased tray until its half capacity and place in steamer. Steam it for 3 minutes over high flame and then 12 minutes over medium flame.

5. After 15 minutes, insert knife or toothpick in it and check if it comes out clean. If it does, then it is ready. If not, then steam it 2-3 minutes more.

6. Take out trays from steamer and let it cool for three to four minutes. Cut prepared suji dhokla into small squares.

7. Heat one tbsp oil in a small pan for tempering. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds in it. When they begin to crackle, add sesame seeds, green chilli and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds and turn off the flame.

8. Pour prepared tempering over rava dhoklas and garnish them with chopped coriander leaves.

 

Recipe and image courtesy: Chef Sandeep Pande, Executive Chef, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel.

 

 

 

 

Palak Chaat

 

Ingredients:

 

16-20 fresh spinach leaves (palak)

1 ½ cup coarse gram flour (besan)

½ cup sev 

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ tsp red chilli powder 

½ tsp carom seeds (Ajwain) 

1 cup yogurt

1 potato

3 onions 

4 tbsp sweet date and tamarind chutney

4 tbsp green chutney 

2 tsp roasted cumin powder 

Black salt (kala namak) to taste

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

 

Method:

 

1. Take coarse gram flour (besan) in a big bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, carom seeds and sufficient water to make a thin batter. Rest the batter for a while.

2. Tie yogurt in a muslin cloth and remove the excess water. Once this is done, squeeze out the yogurt into a bowl and add powdered sugar. Whisk it well and set it aside for a while.

3. Take a Kadhai, heat sufficient oil in it. Take spinach leave that are of medium size, coat each spinach leaf with batter on both sides and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. Once this is done, drain on the absorbent paper.

4. To serve, cut two pakoras into two or three pieces and place on a serving plate, add some potatoes and onions over the pakoras and cover with two to three tablespoons of whisked yogurt. Drizzle some sweet date and tamarind chutney and green chutney over the yogurt. Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder, black salt and salt. Cover liberally with sev.

 

 

 

Lasooni Palak

 

Ingredients:

 

30 gms spinach

60 ml ghee

4 gms cumin seeds

20 gms garlic

20 gms ginger

10 gms green chillies 

Salt

6 gms yellow chilli powder

4 gms cumin powder 

2 gms garam masala powder

2 gms kasoori methi powder 

80 ml cream 

100 gms onion tomato masala

 

Method:

 

1. Clean and blanch spinach. Make a paste of spinach.

2. Heat ghee, add cumin seeds, chop garlic, ginger, green chillies, corn, onion tomato masala.

3. Add spinach puree, garam masala powder, kasoori methi powder.

4. Finish with cream, yellow chilli powder and salt.

 

Paneer Pinwheel

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup grated khoya

250 gms paneer / cottage cheese 

A bowl of Chutney (made from ginger, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves)

Mustard paste to taste

Tomato puree to taste

Almonds and pistachio for garnish

 

Method:

 

1. Grate the Khoya and keep aside.

2. Then make chutney with chopped ginger, green chillies, coriander mint. It should be thick and course. 

3. Add chopped raisins and coarsely ground badam to the Chutney to give the grainy texture.

4. Add this chutney to the grated Khoya. 

5. Put this filling on thinly sliced paneer. Apply a little mustard paste on it. 

6. Overlap the paneer slices like a ladder and repeat. 

7. Then tie them tightly with a cling foil and roll and refrigerate.

8. Cut like pinwheels and arrange in a dish. Put some thick tomato puree on top. 

9. Garnish with slivers of badam and pistachios.