Rustic Okara Khara Veggie Bread

Okara is the soy bean pulp that's left behind after the soymilk has been extracted from it. Since I regularly make soymilk at home in my SoyaJoy, I always have some Okara sitting in my fridge. It has a very short shelf life so if it isn't used up quickly, its fate will be to end up in the compost pile.

Because it's got a lot of health benefits, I have been trying to include it in different foods that I make. The problem is that it's pretty tasteless , so I have to be careful about how much I add in each dish. A tad more and the whole dish becomes bland.

I used to mix it into Chapathi dough before but now I don't make much Chapathi to begin with and when I do, it's in Phulka form so the dough can have nothing but wheat flour, salt and water in it.

The one place where Okara benefits taste and texture is in yeast breads, when used in the right quantity.



If you don't make Okara, then just switch it with an additional half cup of vegan mylk and half cup of whole wheat flour and you're set.

Khara means spicy in Kannada (and a few other Indian languages). During my pre-vegan days, I used to really enjoy the Khara Breads sold at small, local bakeries. But now I make my own and even though I miss walking into a bakery and buying fresh buns, it's a great trade off because home made breads are so much more rich, moist and wholesome. And of course, they leave my kitchen smelling amazing! :D

Rustic Okara Khara Veggie Bread

1 C Warm Soymilk or other Vegan Mylk
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Mix the above together in a large mixing bowl and keep aside for about 15 minutes, to let the yeast froth and bubble.

Then add:

1 C Okara
2 tsp Salt
3 T Coconut Oil or Sesame Oil
2 T Flax Seed Powder
1 T Sesame Seeds
6 Crushed Spicy Green Chillies
1/4 tsp Asafoetida Powder

Beat with a whisk. Then stir in:

2 C Grated Veggies - I used 2 Beets and 3 Carrots in this bread
2 Finely Chopped Onions
1/4 C Chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Crushed Dried Curry Leaves

Whisk together and add (a little at a time):

3 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour

Knead into a very moist and sticky dough.

Cover the mixing bowl with a plastic bag and place in a warm spot to rise for 2 hours.

Divide the dough into two portions.

Place one portion in a loaf pan lined with wax paper. Cover and let it rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Roughly shape the other half of the dough into rolls on a cookie sheet lined with aluminium foil. Cover and let it rise for 1/2 an hour. They will expand sideways, rather than upwards. So they resemble something between flatbreads and buns.

For the buns, preheat the oven to 190 C. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to sit in the turned off oven for 5-10 mins. Remove tray from the oven and allow the buns to cool in it for 10 mins. Transfer buns to wire. They taste best when slightly warm.

For the loaf, preheat the oven to 200 C (it won't take long because the oven is already hot from baking the buns). Uncover the loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour. Allow to sit in the turned off oven for 20 mins. Remove pan from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 20 mins. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Peel off the wax paper.

Slice and enjoy! :)

This bread needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep outside for only about half a day because of the vegetables.

Dadar Gulung Newtons with Golden Mylk: Guest post by Bou Shin of Shin's Vegan Lovin

Today I'm happy to welcome Bou Shin of Shin's Vegan Lovin' to my blog for a delicious guest post. I clearly remember the first post I ever read on Bou's blog, it was for Oatmilk Yogurt. But I soon discovered her bentos and learnt that they are the prime attraction of her blog.

These adorable bentos are Shin's forte. One can clearly see the whole lot of love, care and creativity that goes into each one. And the themes she generally chooses totally appeal to the geek in me! Can you guess who these three guys are? :D




Once you're done guessing, click on each bento image to be taken to its original post on her blog where you can learn how to make it yourself.

Today's guest post by Shin is a delicious dessert recipe. Well two recipes actually - Dadar Gulung Newtons and Golden Mylk. She has used something called Pandan extract which comes from the leaves of a specific plant which is used in East Asian cooking. This was the first time I was hearing about this ingredient and I was pretty sure it wouldn't be all that easily available to most of my blog readers. So I asked Bou if it can be replaced by something that's more globally accessible to people. She replied that it can be substituted with Vanilla extract, but it should only be half of the amount of the Pandan.

Now on to Shin's post.

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When I was a little girl my favorite cookie to eat was always a Fig Newton (actually, the whole pack...) but as I slowly became more health conscious I lost touch with these soft pillows of tasty goodness. I don't believe that either Newtons can be considered "healthy", but when I decided to take a spin on two of my favorite treats (Fig Newtons and Dadar Gulung, a pandan crepe stuffed with coconut) I was instantly happy. There are two ways to make these treats and to gobble them down with, I've provided some delicious and silky, smooth golden milk.

Dadar Gulung Newton Filling:

4 large Dates, minced (or Date Paste)

1/4 cup of Unsweetened, Toasted Coconut

1 tsp of Raw Sugar

A mix of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom and Allspice

1/2 tsp of Virgin Coconut Oil

Toast all of your dry ingredients together, let them cool partially and then add in your coconut oil. Set aside and make the dough.

Dadar Gulung Pastry Recipe:

1 cup of Oat Flour

1/2 cup of White Whole Wheat

4 tbl of All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp of Raw Sugar

1/4 tsp of Baking Powder (omit if you want them crunchy)

2 tbl of Virgin Coconut Oil (semi-solid)

About 3 tsp of Pandan Extract

Enough Coconut Cream to Mix

Mix your dry ingredients together first, then fork in your coconut oil. Dribble in your pandan extract and coconut cream, then knead your dough until it becomes a smooth ball. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and reminisce about your childhood in the meantime. Roll out to your preferred thinness, taking mind that this will puff up only slightly, and then put your coconut filling in the middle. Pinch your sides up and moisten lightly with the leftover coconut cream, then roll onto the newly formed seam and cut even pieces from your dough log (which should be a rectangle by now). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cooked to your liking and serve with golden milk



They look like mini-burritos, don't they? If you have any extra dough you can roll it in some chocolate chips and bake for the same amount of time, or you can make a fantastic and pretty healthy pie crust. Even better, you can use them as breakfast cereals and (un-filled) cereal straws as they don't get soggy quickly. It's all up to your imagination!

Golden Milk Recipe:

1 cup of Non-Dairy Milk

1/2 tsp of Turmeric

1 tbl of Raw Sugar or Agave Nectar

Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Allspice and Cloves (to taste)

Warm all of your ingredients together and strain, let cool and strain if necessary.



Thanks for visiting my post and many thanks to Susmitha for hosting me! I hope that you all have enjoyed this short experience as much as I have!

Mango Mint Kokam Juice Cooler

This is one of those totally experimental recipes which I concocted on a whim. Even though the flavours seem like an unlikely combination, I'm very pleased to say it turned out pretty darned slurpable! :)

Kokam juice is a locally available health drink made of Kokam berries. It is most commonly available in a concentrated syrup/squash form which can be mixed with water to make a kind of sherbet. It has a very cooling and hydrating effect on the body and is a perfect drink for hot hot summers, like the one we're experiencing right now.

In this recipe, I've used the Kokam syrup as the sweetener. If you decide to use the Kokam juice that is available in tetra packs (instead of the syrup), just eliminate the water. I don't recommend any additional sweetening though.



2 Ripe Raspuri Mangos - peeled and diced
1 Small Yelakki Banana - peeled and chunked
Handful Mint Leaves
2T Kokam Syrup
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Pinch of Black Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
1 C Cool Water

Blend everything together with ice.
Enjoy! :)

Raw Mango Vegan Sour Cream Salad Dressing Dip

It's mango season right now and I'm a huge fan of sour, raw mangos. I relish them even more than the ripe, sweet fruits. So it was came as no surprise that when I decided to make vegan sour cream, the idea to add a green mango into the mix suddenly popped into my head.

Commonly, vegan sour creams are made of a cashew or tofu base and a tangy component like vinegar or lemon juice. They are extremely adaptable and taste rich and delicious whether they are flavoured with just plain salt or with a complex set of ingredients.



This is a very versatile sour cream. It can be used as a spread inside sandwiches and wraps, a dip for raw veggies and tortilla chips, as a creamy salad dressing... so many ways to enjoy it.



Yesterday, I made it as a thick sauce for my dish for the Vegan Bengaluru monthly potluck at Jaaga. I poured it over plain, raw veggies - broccoli florets, sliced baby corn, grated carrot, chopped capsicum and diced naati tomatoes. The broccoli florets did an especially good job of sopping up the cream. It was quite a hit. My friend Arun said that the dish didn't taste like what someone new to it would imagine raw food to be like.



1 Sour Raw Mango
1/4 C Cashew
1/4 C Almonds
1 T Sesame Seeds
2 Dry Dates
2 Dry Figs
1/4 C Fresh Mint
2 Thin Slices Fresh Ginger
6 Cloves of Garlic
3 Spicy Green Chillies
1 T White Wine Vinegar (even regular white vinegar is fine)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 T Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Black Salt (you could use common salt but I prefer this)

Grind together the nuts, seeds and dry fruits into a fine powder.
Add everything else, except Vinegar, and grind well.
Add a little water at a time and blend into a smooth, creamy paste, with breaks in between to ensure that the grinder jar doesn't get heated up.
Chill for 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
Add the vinegar and whip for a few minutes, until slightly fluffy and airy.
Transfer to an airtight glass jar and chill for half an hour.

Enjoy! :)



I've added this recipe to the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

Creamy Pumpkin Radish Soup

In the first two weeks of May we had a lot of thunderous rain. The powerful, cooling breeze gave us respite from the terrible heat the preceding days of blazing sun had wrought. It felt amazing!

But the thing about persistently cloudy, rainy days is that they make me want to be constantly burrowing under a cozy blankie, reading Tom Robbins or Wodehouse or cuddling on the couch with hubby, watching episodes of Misfits or Modern Family.

If only I had a genie who'd appear in my kitchen and make those rainy day comfort foods - Deep Fried Bajjis and Bondas, Multi Grain Herbed Loaves, Piping Hot Soups and Stews, Hot Chocolate Brownies, Spicy Masala Chai... Mmmmmmm

Apparently hubby was thinking on the same lines, except he seemed to be under the impression that I was the genie! It was the evening of a particularly rainy day. I had just managed to steam and toast a batch of GF Flatbreads for dinner. I was feeling too lazy to make anything to go with it so my idea was that we would be having it with garlic pickle and chutney pudi mixed with vegan curds. But hubby had other ideas. One look at the bread and he was like, "oooh that would be so nice with some hot, spicy soup".

Normally I might've replied, "yeah I bet it would, but here's the garlic pickle!" But the poor guy had been sniffling all day with a cold (minor dust allergy from the cleaning we'd done around the house on the previous day), so I said, "okay baby, soup coming up soon". Then I proceeded to concoct the easiest, quickest, yet one of the most delicious soups I'd ever made. It's *laziness* that's the true mother of all invention! :D



1 large slice Red Pumpkin
2-3 large White Radishes
1/2 C Almonds
1 tsp each of Cumin Seeds and Black Pepper Corns
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
2 Cloves
Salt
Nutritional Yeast

De-seed and clean the pumpkin. Keep the peel intact and cube.
Toss with salt and microwave in a medium sized glass dish for five to six minutes.
Meanwhile, scrub and wash the radish and slice into roundels.
Add the radish to the pumpkin and microwave for another one minute.
Keep aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the whole spices in a small glass dish and microwave for one to two minutes, until they emit a nice aroma.
Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Grind the almonds and the roasted spices together into a find powder.
Mix in the cooked veggies and blend into a smooth paste, using a little water at a time.
Add more water to reach desired consistency and blend well.

Pour the mixture back into the glass dish used to cook the veggies and microwave on medium heat for two to three minutes.

Ladle into large soup bowls, crush more pepper on top, sprinkle some nooch and serve hot with some toasted vegan, gluten free pearl millet flatbread.

Enjoy! :)