Kandu Unde Vegan MoFo day 11

Two weeks down, two more to go. Yeah baby! Vegan MoFo seems to be going too fast and too slow, all at the same time. I know that sounds nutty, but as everyone knows, MoFo is all about turning people into kooks (cook/kook get it?). hehehe There's no other event which can be SO MUCH fun for me and at the same time drive me up the wall!!

With or without yooouuuuu,
With or wiiiTHOUt you oh oh,
I can't liiiivee,
With ooor withouuuut youuuu,
Oh Vegan MohhhFohhh

While you curse me and say, "now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day!", let me pacify you with today's yummy appetizer recipe. :D

Kandu Undes (translation: Pigeon Pea Balls) are South Indian, lentil based, steamed dumplings made mainly in Karnataka during Ganesha Chaturthi. Traditionally they don't contain veggies but I like adding some in mine. When these are made on the day of the festival, onions are not added since onions are considered non-spiritual and cannot be used in foods which are prepared as offerings to Ganesha (or any other Hindu Gods/Goddesses). So I like making them on other days because they taste much yummier with onions in them. :)

Kandu Unde aka Kandunde

1 C Toor Dal (split pigeon peas)
1 C Channa Dal (split chickpeas)
1/2 C Moong Dal (split mung beans)
1/4 C Urad Dal (split black gram)

10-12 Spicy Green Chillies
1 inch Fresh Ginger
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
Salt

3 Onions - finely chopped
1 Carrot - finely chopped
5-7 Green Beans - finely chopped
2 T Cilantro - finely chopped
1 T Curry Leaves - finely chopped

In a small bowl soak Urad Dal for 5-6 hours.
In a larger bowl soak Toor Dal, Channa Dal and Moong Dal together for 5-6 hours.
Drain all the dals well.
Grind the urad dal along with the green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and salt into a thick, smooth paste.
Add the other dals and grind to a coarse mixture without adding any water (it shouldn't become smooth).
Mix the chopped veggies and herbs and form a sticky yet shape-able dough.

Heat water in a steamer.
Grease the steamer tray(s) lightly with oil.
Form 1 inch balls of the dough and place them in the tray(s), about 1/2 inch apart.
Steam for 5 minutes.
Let them sit in the steamer for 2-3 more minutes.

Place the steamed balls in a bowl and drizzle with peanut yogurt.
Serve hot.

Or, they can also be soaked in any vegan yogurt that has been spiced with chilli powder, salt and asafoetida for a few hours, chilled and served.

Enjoy! :)

Mid-MoFo Flashback and Roundup Vegan MoFo day 10

Previously on Veganosaurus at Vegan MoFo...

Avo-Orange Chocolate Mousse started out Desserts Week with all the joy and hope of Vegan MoFo in her eyes. Bursting with smug chocolatey goodness, she knew in her heart this would be the year when all blog posts would fall into place beautifully.

Her siblings, who were also raw/mostly raw like her, followed suit...

Fig and Cinnamon Ice cream was well loved by all, causing a fair share of drool with her cinnamon-y curves.

Hazelnut Mocha Cheezecake was the king of the party with his wow factor and his sexy mocha-ness.

The Cashew Barfi Truffles came next. Quintuplets of three cocoa boys and two saffron girls with their gooey cardamom-y sweetness. The highly intense saffron burst of the girls elicited a lot of gasps.

The smooth and elegant Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème was a soothing end to Week One with her gentle, healthy touch.

Desserts aren't an easy act to follow but the Soup and Salad family of Week Two were confident they could live up to the bar that had been set. Or so they thought...

It started well enough when Carrot Hesarubele Kosumbari kicked the week off with her vivacious, happy colours and South Indian personality.

And Nalli Kai Salad piqued everyone's curiosity with her exotic aura and tangy undertones.

Spinach Coconut Mylk Soup attracted interest with his muted, down to earth iron richness and easy going nature.

Masala Mandakki aka Churmuri made all the girls giggle and blush with his spicy, street side drawl. "Hey baby. Yeeeahhhh, that's what I'm talking about." *whistles*

But alas *dun dun dun* Friday's Soup failed to make an appearance owing to the recipe creator slacking off and hoping that no one would notice.

In her defence, Ms Veganosaurus was very tired and stuck in bed. She had to depend on sweet Mr Veganosaurus to cook for her. He made a delicious Peas Pulao but since that wasn't a part of the theme, the Soup and Salad family graciously thanked and refused Peas Pulao's offer to appear on Friday's blog post.

The audience of course was very forgiving, since it was after all not a Dessert post that had been denied them.

Meanwhile, in MoFo-land...

Psychedelic chutneys at Vegan on the Prowl.

Innovative Pizzas at Vegan Richa.

Traditional and Contemporary Indian recipes from Tongue Ticklers.


Peanut Mylky delicacies from An Unrefined Vegan.


Meeting cool vegans and a whole variety of delicious themes at Veganville.

Some more cool vegans and yummy goodness at Fellowship of the Vegetable (awesomest blog name eva!).

Super happy, adorable dishes and the yumminess that's served in them at Kittee Kake - Cake Maker to the Stars.


Awesome desserts and more from someone who claims that desserts are not her thing (teehee), From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours.

And finally cute bunnies and unexplored ingredients from A-Z at Flicking the Vs.

Next time on the drama series Veganosaurus at Vegan MoFo...

The Main Dishes are all lined up and ready for Week Four with Mashed Potato Sweet Potato Bake at the head.

But even though it's Sunday evening, the Snacks and Starters ideas for Week Three have not even begun to pop into Ms Veganosaurus' head yet. *gasp*

Will Vegan MoFo Week Three successfully take place on the blog that's loved by all? Or will you be met with disappointing tumbleweeds when you eagerly arrive here on Monday night? Will Mr Veganosaurus survive the crazed killer that Ms Veganosaurus is to become? How many fistfuls of hair will be lost by the end of the week?

Your narrator couldn't answer any of those questions now because she doesn't want to spoil the suspense (and also because she really has no clue).

To find out, come back here Weekdays (or Week-nights, depending on your timezone) and enjoy the drama of Veganosaurus at Vegan MoFo.

Until then, have a wonderful Sunday! :)

Masala Mandakki Vegan MoFo day 9

Isn't it awesome when you think you're indulging in a mid morning snack, except the snack just happens to be really healthy? Today's recipe is a salad that's under the guise of a snack. We have a huge variety of street cart foods in India and most of them are vegan. Masala Mandakki aka Churmuri happens to be one of them.

It's a salad made of some basic fresh veggies and Masalas (spices) tossed together with Mandakki (puffed rice). Since the puffed rice plays a key role in the dish, it's called Masala/Masalé Mandakki. It's very common to find it being sold on food carts outside schools, in public parks or even on streets with a lot of pedestrian traffic. The food cart guy tosses it together in a big steel mixing bowl right in front of you. It's usually served in a sheet of newspaper that's been rolled up into a cone and lined with a banana leaf to protect the food (at least most of it) from touching the paper directly. Masala Mandakki has to be eaten as soon as it's made because if left to sit around, the puffed rice gets soggy.

Masala Mandakki carts are more common in South India, especially in our state of Karnataka, than they are elsewhere. They are different from Chaat carts which sell things like Bhel Puri, Masala Puri, Paani Puri, Samosa Chaat etc...

Firstly there is no cooking or heating done on the Masala Mandakki carts. Secondly, each dish has a higher quantity of fresh vegetables (carrot, onion, tomato, cilantro..). Thirdly, the number of deep fried elements involved is lower.

I wanted to go out today and grab some pictures of my favourite Masala Mandakki cart but I wasn't able to get out because I've been feeling kind of zombie-fied all day. Maybe at some point in the future I'll do a special blog post about them and all the other goodies that they make, like Tikki Puri, Tomato Masala, Nippat Masala, Mango-Pineapple Masala etc...

For now, I thought I'd share the recipe for the version I make at home whenever I don't feel like going out. I hadn't planned on this being today's MoFo post but late this morning I had a craving for Masala Mandakki and the moment I made it, I realized it goes with this week's theme and since it's one of my favourite salads to begin with, it just made total sense to make it my recipe for today.

Masala Mandakki aka Masalé Mandakki aka Churmuri

Note: If you can't get your hands on puffed rice, then you can use any rice crispies style cereal, in which case, eliminate the sugar from the recipe.

1 C Puffed Rice
1 Tomato - chopped
1 Onion - chopped fine
1 Carrot - grated
1 T Fresh Cilantro - chopped
2 Green Chillies - crushed
1/8 tsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Sambar Powder or Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Tamarind Paste
Lime Juice
Salt

In a big bowl mix everything, except the puffed rice (use your hand and fingers to mix for best results).
Add the puffed rice and mix quickly.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy! :)

Spinach Coconut Mylk Soup Vegan MoFo day 8

I cut it really close today. I figured out what I was going to prepare for tonight's blog post at 4:55pm. Since the last of the photo-adequate daylight usually disappears at around 5:30pm, that left me about 20 minutes to make the soup so I'd have 10-15 minutes to click a decent number of good photos to choose from. Thankfully, soups are fairly quick to make and I managed to whip up this Spinach Coconut Mylk Soup and grab a bunch of nice pics.

This one below is my favourite. Depending on the way one views it, it could look like a painting.

In my hurry to make the soup, I didn't blanch the spinach long enough and didn't wait for it to cool before blending. Then to top it off, I added lime juice while everything was still hot. All this resulted in a light bitterness in the soup (which wasn't too bad but it would've been nicer without it). So when you make it, please make sure to show more patience than I did and you'll be much happier than I was with the end result.

Before we move on to the recipe, I wanted to share something awesome with you. To the lay person's eyes, this picture below would look like a common logo on a packet of Gingelly Oil (that's what we call Sesame Oil, here in South India). However, in the eyes of a Vegan, it is something very special. Can you figure out why that is? No peeking at the answer below the pic until you've tried guessing. :)

Gingelly Oil is known for its health benefits and positive spiritual energy. It is widely used in South India in cooking as well as in lamps at holy altars. It is also an excellent moisturiser and conditioner. Once a week, apply Gingelly Oil on your skin, scalp and hair about 20-30 minutes before your bath. Once you're done bathing, you'll be rewarded with soft, glowing skin and silky, shiny hair.

The most common way that Gingelly Oil is consumed traditionally is by stirring it into Sambar/Rasam Rice or mixing with various Chutney Pudis (like Rithika's Gun Powder) to create dips for Dosas, Idlis, Chapathis and Breads. If people don't mix Gingelly Oil into these, the alternative they fall back on is highly concentrated fat made of stolen bovine body fluid aka Ghee.

So now you see why the Pasumark Gingelly Oil logo is so special? Because *finally* it's an image of a smiling cow with an actual reason to smile. She's happy because you're using Gingelly Oil instead of stealing her baby's food. :)

Hubby and I normally like the taste and smell of Idhayam Gingelly Oil best, but as soon as we saw the logo we couldn't resist buying this packet of Pasumark. It turned out to be pretty tasty too but hey, what else can you expect from a brand with such an honest logo? Haha

Now on to today's recipe, which has nothing to do with Gingelly Oil or any oil for that matter. It's a pretty healthy soup.

Spinach Coconut Mylk Soup

1 big bunch Spinach Leaves (around 200 gms)
1/4 C Coconut Cream or 1/2 C Coconut Mylk
1 T Sesame Seeds
Salt
Pepper Powder
Pinch of Sugar
Lime Juice (optional)

Wash the spinach leaves well and blanch them in boiling water for half a minute.
Drain and keep aside until cool enough to blend (5-10 mins).
Put them into a blender jar along with the rest of the ingredients (except lime juice).
Blend into a creamy finish by adding 1 to 2 C of clean, filtered water.
Pour into bowls.
Taste and adjust the salt, stir in lime juice if you want to.
Sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top.
Enjoy! :)

Nalli Kai Salad Vegan MoFo day 7

And so the uphill climb of Vegan MoFo has finally begun for me. Last week went super smoothly because most of my Dessert posts had been in various stages of blog readiness before time. But this week I'm not as prepared as I was. That means I need to think up and make something each day from scratch and then share it here with you all and also on my Veganosaurus Page on Facebook.

It'll be a challenge and probably a good one at that. Besides, I signed up for Vegan MoFo being fully aware of what it would mean for my daily life. Thankfully, my crisper is full of fresh veggies and greens so I have no lack of inspiration. Now all we need to do is wait till Friday to see if my sanity is preserved until the end of the week. :oP

Until then, here for your pleasure is today's recipe in this week's ongoing theme on my blog - Soups and Salads.

In today's Salad, I've featured one of my favourite fruits in the world, the West Indian Gooseberry, known as Nalli Kai in my language, Kannada. These super tart local fruits (not to be confused with the regular Indian Gooseberry/Amla/Bettada Nalli Kai) are usually sold on street-side carts outside schools, tossed with salt and chilli powder. However, the tastiest ones are always found on old trees in people's backyards.

Last week, when we were at someone's place, my sister spied a Nalli Kai tree in their garden with big, ripe, irresistible fruits that made us drool uncontrollably. Our hosts were really nice and asked one of their staff to climb onto the roof and pluck some Nalli Kais for us. And this kind soul hand picked and filled a big bag with the fattest, juiciest fruits which we brought back home.

Most of the loot was handed over to my mom so she could make her delicious Nalli Kai Uppinkai (pickle) for all of us. But a portion was kept aside to be enjoyed straight, dipped in salt. Chew on each sour fruit and then spit out the seed, such a relaxing way to spend time. :)

I also concocted a Nalli Kai Salad as a MoFo special. I just tossed a bunch of random things together - spiced peanuts, veggies from my crisper, herbs from my kitchen garden... and there is was, this gorgeous salad!

This is a very flexible recipes, the variety and quantity of ingredients can be adjusted to suit your taste buds. Just remember that Nalli Kais are very rich in vitamin C, so iron heavy greens and herbs make a very good combination with them.

I've used Congress Kadlekai from Veena Stores in Malleshwaram. If you want to make some of your own, here's a nice recipe by Deesha of Vegetable Platter. But you could also just use peanuts which have been roasted plain or with salt. In that case, a pinch of turmeric and some spice, like red chilly powder or green chilly paste would make a good addition.

Nalli Kai Salad

Nalli Kai - seeds removed and roughly chopped
Congress Kadlekai
Spinach
Mint
Tulsi (Indian Holy Basil)
Capsicum Tomato
Sesame Seeds
Salt

Toss everything together in an airtight box.
Chill in the fridge for a few hours (can also be left to marinade overnight).
Serve over lettuce leaves.
Enjoy! :)

What kind of super sour berries do you get in your part of the world and do you like them?