Tag: Vegetarian Recipes

OneWholesomeMeal brings to you a range of vegetarian recipes from India and around the world. These recipes are very easy to make and good for health. Try for yourself today.

Dahi baingan by OneWholesomeMeal
Dahi Baingan or Eggplant in Yogurt Gravy
Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Mid-Day Snack | 10 am Meal

Til Mawa Ke Ladoo | Sesame Energy Balls

Til Mawa Ke Ladoo by OneWholesomeMeal
A dessert with health benefits

This sweet is best enjoyed in winter. I know I am a little late, but this til mawa ke ladoo recipe had to be shared. It’s spring now and still a good time to try these little bites of heaven. I kid you not. Once you taste these, you would know what I am talking about.

If you are daunted by getting mawa for these ladoos, don’t be as most Indian provision stores will have it. For some reason, if you are unable to buy it from the store, I promise it is extremely easy to make at home using this method. However, for best results, although it would require some elbow grease, please do make it from scratch using this method. Trust me, it will be worth all the effort. Plus you can always make a little extra and freeze it to save you effort in the future.

Here is an easy to follow video, or scroll down for the recipe.

Quick Tips Before You Get Cooking

The most important ingredient is til or sesame itself. I cannot begin to stress the benefits of sesame, especially for women. These days most of the store-bought sesame is relatively clean but its always better to wash them once and air dry overnight on a flat surface before using them in this recipe. Another little hack to elevate the taste of these ladoos is blending the fennel seeds with the sugar. Powdered sugar mixes quick and easy with the ladoo mixture while the fennel gets homogeneously incorporated bringing out a beautiful flavour in the finished product.

Finally, it is the turn of my beloved coconut. I have to say, I look for excuses to include coconut in my desserts. This isn’t due to the current fads. I genuinely love how it adds a lovely dimension to a recipe without actually overpowering the taste completely. And who can resist its subtle crunch? Roasting the coconut for a minute or two on a low flame brings out the nutty flavour of the coconut but you could also use it as is.

So, without further ado, here is the Til Mawa Ke Ladoo recipe for you to try. You can also try my coconut ladoo recipe here and let me know which one you liked more.

Til Mawa Ke Ladoo by OneWholesomeMeal

 

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Til-Mawa Laddoos

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 12-14 medium sized balls

Calories per serving: 134

Ingredients

  • White sesame-3/4 cup
  • Khoya/Mawa (reduced and thickened milk)-3/4 cup
  • Freshly desiccated coconut- 1/4 cup
  • Sugar-1/2 cup
  • Fennel seeds-1/2 teaspoon
  • Green Cardamom-3-4 pods
  • Chopped nuts-1.5 tbsp (optional)
  • Ghee-1 tsp

Instructions

  1. Blend the sugar with fennel seeds to get a powder like texture and keep aside
  2. In a thick bottomed skillet roast the sesame seeds on a medium-low flame with continuous stirring till the seeds just about start to turn light brown. Keep aside and let cool to room temperature
  3. Once the seeds have cooled off, blitz in a blender for a few seconds to get a coarse powder. Please be careful to not blend it too long and get smooth texture.
  4. Powder the cardamom seeds and keep aside
  5. In the same skillet add ghee followed by khoya (mawa) and on a low flame mix them well gently breaking the khoya lumps as you go. Make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the skillet. Continue this process for a minute or so. If the khoya you are using is too moist, then cook it on a low flame for approximately two minutes or until it reaches a semisolid consistency and starts to clump together.If the khoya is fairly dry you would need to "cook" it for a shorter duration and might need to add another teaspoon of ghee
  6. Turn off heat and add the reaming ingredients to the khoya and working quickly, mix well
  7. When the mixture cools down slightly, grease your palms with some ghee and form into tennis ball sized laddoos
  8. The laddoos need to be made when the mixture is fairly warm, a completely cold mixture would not come together well
  9. You could also wet your palms with some water and form the laddoos
https://onewholesomemeal.com/til-mawa-ke-ladoo-sesame-energy-balls/

 

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Guest Blogs

Baked Cauliflower in White Sauce

This is why I love Guest Blogs! The variety and creativity are just unlimited. Each guest blogger brings with herself a unique taste and flavour and recipe which is tried and tested in their homes and with their loved ones and then I get to share it with you guys via this platform.

This week’s sweet recipe is by sweet and extremely talented friend Suhana Devnani. Suhana is a kindergarten teacher, teaches Spanish and an extremely talented recipe developer, an ardent baker, cook, and mum to beautiful 5 yo little A.

This baked cauliflower recipe was a huge hit at our dinner table especially with the toddler who after polishing off his plate, started to pick bits from his brother’s. No kidding!

So, with no further ado, here is the recipe for you:

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Baked Cauliflower in White Sauce

Ingredients

  • Cauliflower- 1 medium sized, cut into medium sized florets
  • Butter-1/2 cup
  • All purpose flour-3 tbsp
  • Breadcrumbs-1/3 cup
  • Cheddar Cheese-1/2 cup
  • Milk-2 cups
  • Chives-1 tbsp, chopped fine
  • Onion-1/2 cup, chopped fine
  • Minced garlic-1
  • Parsley- 3 tbsp, chopped fine
  • Butter-2 tbsp
  • Olive Oil- 3-4tbsp
  • Salt- 1.5 tsp or as per taste
  • Crushed Black Pepper-1/2 tsp

Instructions

  1. Wash the florets and in a bowl toss them with little oil and salt
  2. Spread the florets in a baking tray and roast for around 30 minutes till almost tender and lightly browned. Turn sides every 10 minutes
  3. Separately in a pan, melt butter and remove from heat. Then add breadcrumbs, chives and cheese and keep aside
  4. In another pan heat cooking oil, add onion and sauté till tender. Then add garlic and sauté for a few seconds then add flour, cook for about 1 minute and add milk gradually stirring continuously. Use a wire whisk for best results
  5. Cook this sauce until you get a pouring and creamy consistency
  6. Remove from heat, add salt, parsley and black pepper
  7. Pour this sauce over the baked cauliflower and toss
  8. Top with cheese mixture and bake until you get a golden brown colour
https://onewholesomemeal.com/baked-cauliflower-in-white-sauce/

 

 

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Mid-Day Snack | 10 am Meal

Enduri Pitha | Traditional Odia Recipe

Enduri Pitha | Traditional Odia Recipe by OneWholesomeMeal
Enduri Pitha

This traditional Odia recipe is similar to the idli from south India. I discovered the Eduri Pitha late, but am I glad I did!

I love idlis for their versatility. By adding one or more grated veggies of your choice to the idli, it becomes a complete meal with a side of chutney or sambhar. Also, as it is so easy to whip up, it features regularly on the menu at home.

Soon after I got married into an Odia family I came across the sweet version of this family favourite. Called Enduri (pronounced “en-do-ree”) Pitha, it had all my favourite things and more. Enduri Pitha is primarily prepared during Prathamastami, a festival that celebrates the eldest born in the family. It is served as an offering to the deity. Freshly desiccated coconut enlaces palm jaggery and is steamed between layers of the fermented rice-lentil batter. The bliss of devouring piping hot pithas dunked in sambhar or coconut chutney is something that can not be expressed in words. Needless to say, when the kids first tried it, it was a massive hit! And since it is refined sugar-free, I did not mind if they (and us) indulged in it a tad more. Thus Parthmashtmi or not, this pitha is enjoyed irrespective.

It tastes best if one uses freshly desiccated coconut and palm jaggery. However, I have made it with dried desiccated coconut and regular jaggery and cannot complain about the taste.

Step By Step Enduri Pitha, A Traditional Odia Recipe

1. Prepare a regular idli batter as you would for normal idlis. Once done, crush or finely chop approximately one cup of jaggery, one cup desiccated coconut, and some raisins/sultanas (optional) and keep aside.

 

2. Next prepare the idli moulds by greasing them with ghee or coconut oil. Then scoop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the stand. Layer it with 1 teaspoon jaggery and 1 teaspoon coconut. Then cover it with another scoop of batter.

3. Steam it as you would a regular idli. Serve hot with a side of sambhar and/or chutney.

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Coconut-Jaggery Idlis (Enduri Pitha)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • Idli batter-2 cups
  • Desiccated Coconut-1 cup
  • Finely chopped or crushed jaggery-3/4 cup
  • Raisins or Sultanas- 2 tbsp (optional)
  • Oil- 1tbsp (for greasing the idli moulds)

Instructions

  1. Prepare all ingredients as shown in the step by step above
  2. Spoon in 1 tbsp of batter on greased moulds, then add 1 tsp each of coconut,jaggery and raisins. Feel free to adjust the amount of jaggery and coconut as per taste but do keep in mind that adding too much jaggery would make the idlis "bleed out" too much
  3. Then spoon in another tbsp batter making a sandwich
  4. Steam as you would regular idlis (for approximately 15-20 minutes) based on the kind of steamer you use
  5. Serve hot with saambhar and/or coconut chutney
https://onewholesomemeal.com/enduri-pitha-traditional-odia-recipe/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Cheesy Rice With Vegetables

Cheese Rice with vegetables
Cheesy Rice with Vegetables

This cheesy rice with vegetables is a simple, easy to prepare, perfect lunch box recipe with leftover rice.

The refrigerator – one of the best life-saving inventions of mankind. It is hard to imagine how people survived during pre-refrigerator days. And refrigerated leftover rice is always a life saviour. There are so many ways one can use it from fried rice, pancakes, to cutlets.

Fried rice has to be one of the most versatile of recipes. While I make the basic no-spice variations to mildly spiced, Thai and Indonesian kinds, this fuss-free cheesy rice with vegetables has to be one of my favourites. Flavoured only with onions and curry leaves, the hero is a Mexican Four Cheese Mix which gives this dish a gooey almost risotto-like taste and flavour. It is a mixture of shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero Natural cheeses and it features regularly in a lot of my recipes. My absolute favourite – in a mildly spiced curry, on a toast or even fried eggs.

This cheesy fried rice tastes great hot or even cold making it a perfect lunchbox recipe. Works wonderfully well with a side of protein or even as is. The possibilities are limitless with what veggies or proteins go into it. I usually add carrots, corn, spinach, and green peas. One could also add pre-cooked shredded meat, tofu, or paneer to make this a more wholesome meal.

Cheesy Rice with Vegetables by OneWholesomeMeal

YOUTUBE LINK for the video recipe

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Cheesy Veggie Rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Calories per serving: 200 per serving

Ingredients

  • Pre-cooked refrigerated rice- 2 cups
  • Chopped Spinach-1 cup
  • Garlic, finely chopped-1 tsp
  • Parboiled Cauliflower- 1 cup
  • Grated Carrot- 1 cup
  • Green Peas-3/4 cup
  • Boiled Sweet-Corn- 3/4 cup
  • Mexican Four Cheese Mix- 1 cup
  • Finely chopped Onion- 1/2 cup
  • Curry Leaves- 2 tbsp
  • Black Mustard-1 teaspoon
  • Oil or Butter- 1 tbsp
  • Salt- 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp or as per taste

Instructions

  1. Boil water, turn off heat and add cauliflower florets with 1 tsp salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes, drain and keep aside
  2. Heat oil in a pan then add black mustard seeds, chopped garlic and curry leaves; add chopped onions once the seeds start to crackle
  3. Add par-boiled cauliflower and cook covered on a medium flame with intermittent stirring ; add 1/2 tsp salt while the cauliflower is cooking
  4. When cauliflower is 80% done then add spinach and carrot and sauté for two minutes then add peas and corn followed by rice
  5. Sauté for another minute then add cheese and mix
  6. Once the cheese starts to melt, taste for salt, give it one final stir and serve
https://onewholesomemeal.com/cheesy-rice-with-vegetables/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Achaari Paalak Gobhi | Perfect Winter Curry

Achaari Paalak Gobhi by OneWholesomeMeal
Achaari Paalak Gobhi

Peak winters demand a heart-warming curry with loads of warming spices, slight kick and heat from the chilies. This Achaari Paalak Gobhi ticks all those boxes and  is packed with tons of nutritional goodness.

When one thinks of winter veggies, a myriad of colours pops into our minds. For instance, Carrots, peas, methi, spinach are some of my personal favourites. Another family favourite though not as colourful is the cauliflower. It usually makes it to our meals a few times a week in the winters. Being a versatile vegetable, the cauliflower or gobhi can be served in the form of curries, stir-fries, and grilled. When one is eating a vegetable so often, repeating the same old recipes sometimes gets a tad too boring, don’t you think so?

How the Dish Came to Be?

To be honest, I started to prep for the usual curry. The plan was to mix some carrots with spinach instead of the staple potato or peas. That is when my eyes fell on the bottle of shredded (mashed) mango pickle. I had carried it from India a couple of months ago. Not everyone in the family is a big pickle fan like me. Hence the bottle was still sitting half unfinished. As I stood chopping the spinach, I made a mental note to eat the pickle more often. In the next moment, it occurred to me – why not use the pickle in the cauliflower curry? After all tangy “Achaari” versions of a lot of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries are extremely popular. And just like that, this curry happened.

I highly recommend not going easy on the green chilies as the heat complements the sourness from the pickle perfectly and makes the taste much better.

Step By Step Achaari Paalak Gobhi Recipe

1. Prepare all ingredients – blanched spinach, coarsely chopped tomatoes, green chilies squared onions and pickle.

2. Blend all prepared ingredients except onions; then heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, bay leaf, star anise, green chilies. When seeds start to crackle, add onions and cook till translucent, then add powdered spices-turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and red chili powder and roast for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add potatoes and steamed cauliflower and cover and cook till 70% done. Then add carrots and peas and cover again on a medium flame for another 5 minutes or so. By this time all the veggies would be cooked through. This is a good time to add the prepared spinach-tomato-pickle mixture and salt and let the entire mixture simmer for another 5 minutes drizzle some cream if desired.

4. Serve hot with steamed rice or hot phulkas.

Achaari Paalak Gobhi Served by OneWholesomeMeal

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Achaari Paalak Gobhi

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Calories per serving: 230

Achaari Paalak Gobhi

Ingredients

  • Cauliflower (florets separated and cut to desired size)- 2 cups
  • Medium-sized Potato (cubed)-1
  • Carrots (chopped into small cubes)- 1/2 cup
  • Green Peas- 1/2 cup
  • Blanched Spinach(cooled to room temperature)-1.5 cups
  • Green chilies-2 (optional)
  • Tomatoes (coarsely chopped)-1 cup
  • Onion (medium sized, cut into squares)-1 cup
  • Mango Pickle pulp- 1tbsp
  • Bay leaf-1
  • Star anise-1
  • Cumin seeds-1 tsp
  • Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
  • Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
  • Garam Masala- 1tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
  • Red Chilli powder-1/2 tsp (optional)
  • Salt-1/2 tsp+1tsp pr as per taste
  • Whipping cream-1tbsp (optional)
  • Mustard oil or any other cooking oil of choice-1.5 tbsp

Instructions

  1. Heat water in a deep bowl and add cut cauliflower florets with 1/2 tsp salt and let it sit for 15 minutes the. drain and keep aside
  2. In a blender make a coarse paste of blanched spinach, tomatoes , mango pickle pulp and one green chilli and keep aside
  3. In a thick bottomed deep wok, heat oil and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and star anise, green chili,lower the flame to medium once the seeds start to crackle and spices start to release their aroma
  4. Add onions and sauté till translucent, the add all the powdered masalas(turmeric powder, coriander, powder, cumin powder and garam masala) and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes with constant stirring till the spices are roasted and fragrant
  5. Then add potatoes and steamed cauliflower florets and cover and cook on a medium flame with intermittent stirring till 70% done
  6. Add carrot and peas and give the mixture a nice stir and cover and cook further for another 5 minutes. If you feel the wok is getting dry and the veggies are sticking to the base, you could add a few tablespoons of water and cover.Keep the flame to medium low at all times
  7. After 5 minutes or so the veggies should be almost done, then add the pureed spinach-tomato-pickle mixture and mix all the ingredients well
  8. Add salt,cover and simmer for another 5 minutes, drizzle some cream if desired and serve hot with steamed rice or roti
https://onewholesomemeal.com/achaari-paalak-gobhi/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Dinner | 8pm Meal

Curry Leaf Flavoured Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Curry Leaf Flavoured Roasted Pumpkin Soup recipe by OneWholesomeMeal
Curry Leaf Flavoured Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Confession time. I am not a soup person. Shocking, I know! However, I do make soups for my family who enjoy them. That is how I came to create this interesting take on regular roasted pumpkin soup.

Why don’t I like soup? Well, I like my food to have texture! Unless there are some chewy or crunchy bits in my soup I would still drink it but probably not enjoy it. Most soups make me feel as if I am ill and need to be nursed to health. Yet, come winters I almost start to feel guilty if the rest of the family who seem to like soups mostly, do not get to enjoy the wholesome-ness of a good soup. Cream of mushroom, peas, and pumpkin soups make a regular appearance in our menu.

The inspiration for this soup comes from the regular pumpkin stir fry we make which is heavily tempered with curry leaves. The curry leaf adds a beautiful flavour and dimension to this sweet vegetable and complements it perfectly. And you get that subtle hint of spice, without the soup actually tasting spicy. Does that make sense ;)?

Curry Leaf in Your Roasted Pumpkin Soup?

While in the stir fry, the curry leaves are used for tempering, for the soup, I dry roasted them on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame. Then I blended it with the oven-roasted pumpkins. For all soups in general roasting all dry ingredients (even the garlic) enhances the flavour so much more. The pumpkin was cubed, drizzled with olive oil and garlic salt, and roasted at 200 degrees for 20 minutes (the time would vary in different ovens) or until soft. And since I was aiming for a vegan version, I used cashews soaked in warm water to impart creaminess to the soup. One could use double cream too and it tastes as delicious.

While all the core ingredients are important, what differentiates a good soup from a great soup is the stock. You would come across recipes that might suggest subbing stock with water but effectively you are diluting all the flavours with water rather than enhancing and complementing them. Hence use stock or broth – chicken or veg, doesn’t matter which one as long as you aren’t using water. You can make and store it ahead of time.

Scroll down to read the detailed recipe for my curry leaf flavoured pumpkin soup for you to try. Remember to enjoy it piping hot with a side of cheese sticks or a buttery slice of sourdough!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup by OneWholesomeMeal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Curry Leaf Flavoured Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 3

Calories per serving: 90

Ingredients

  • Pumpkin, cubed- 2 cups
  • Curry leaves, dry roasted-1/2 cup or a little extra for a stronger flavour
  • Garlic-4 pods
  • Onions, chopped- 3/4 cup
  • Cashew nut-1/2 cup
  • Garlic salt-1.5 teaspoon or as per taste
  • Olive Oil-2 teaspoons
  • Butter- 1 teaspoon
  • Chicken or Vegetable Stock-3 cups or as per desired consistency
  • Pepper- 1 teaspoon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
  2. Soak the cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. If you would like to use heavy cream in the soup for creaminess, you could eliminate cashews or use a little of both
  3. Dry roast curry leaves on a stove top and keep aside. This can be done ahead of time and stored in an air tight container
  4. Rub garlic salt and butter evenly on the pumpkin cubes and place them on a tray and roast at 200 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until soft (not brown).Place the garlic pods on the same tray as well for roasting
  5. In the meantime, in a thick bottomed pan, heat butter and add chopped onions and cook till brown
  6. Bring all prepared ingredients (cashews,curry leaves,pumpkin,garlic and onions) to room temperature and blend in a high speed blender
  7. In the same pan used for frying onions, add back the pureed mix, add stock, mix well and bring to boil. Add stock slowly, stirring well to make sure you do not thin out the soup too much. If too thick, add more broth
  8. Taste for salt, reduce heat and simmer covered for another 5 minutes. If using heavy cream, this is when you add it, just before turning off the heat
  9. Add some freshly ground pepper and serve hot with cheese sticks or a slice of warm bread
https://onewholesomemeal.com/curry-leaf-flavoured-roasted-pumpkin-soup/

[kkstarratings]