The Indian Vegan Kitchen (17 page)

Children and adults alike love this newfangled dish.
Savai
(noodles) used to be made by hand and were primarily used to make a pudding dessert on special occasions. With the arrival of commercially prepared noodles in India in the late 1980s, people became creative and started making all kinds of dishes with
savai
. Children loved it, and mothers could whip up some
savai
to feed a hungry crew any time. It’s become one of the standard breakfast or lunch items in our house.

1. Heat a medium nonstick fry pan on medium heat. Add the savai, and dry-roast until light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. In the same fry pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover with lid, and fry for a few seconds until the mustard seeds stop popping. Remove lid. Add the onion and fry until light brown. Stir in the green chiles, if using.

3. Add the peas and carrots and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover with lid, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are tender.

4. Add the salt and remaining water. Bring to a boil.

5. Add the noodles and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until noodles are cooked and the water is absorbed.

6. Let stand covered until ready to serve. Serve hot.

GF, LF

Cheele
are like pancakes or crepes, depending on how they are made. For this recipe, aim for a thickness somewhere between the two. The first time I had these stuffed
cheele
was at a wedding, in India. A chef was making hot
cheele
on a large griddle, and stuffing them to order. I liked them so much that I now make them for breakfast, especially when I have guests—they make an impressive display.

1. Wash mung dal in 3 to 4 changes of water. Soak for 2 hours or overnight. Rinse in 1 to 2 changes of water. Drain the water.

2. In a food processor, grind dal with ¾ cup water to a slightly coarse batter. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in salt.

3. Place all the chopped vegetables in individual bowls or on a large plate, keeping them separate. This allows you to individualize the filling as needed. (For example, children may not like the ginger or green chiles.)

4. Heat a nonstick fry pan or a grill pan on medium-high heat or preheat an electric grill pan to 400ºF.

5. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Wipe off excess oil. Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter on the heated pan, and immediately with the back of a large spoon spread the batter to about 4- to 5-inch-wide circles. Pour ½ teaspoon of oil around the edges and cook until the edges start lifting from the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until one side is light brown. Lift gently and flip it over. Cook for another minute.

6. Flip
cheele
back to the first side. Place a little bit of tomatoes, onions, ginger, green chiles, and cilantro on one half of the cheele. Fold over. Gently press the filling.

7. Serve hot with Cilantro Chutney (page 185).

VARIATION:
If desired, add grated firm tofu in the filling.

GF, LF

Indian cooks use buckwheat primarily when they want to avoid grains (such as during fasts); buckwheat dishes are typically wheat-free and gluten-free. These
cheele
are soft and taste best when eaten fresh. Serve them with a sweet chutney, like tamarind or mango chutney, or pour some maple syrup over them, if desired.

1. In a medium bowl, mix buckwheat, water, salt, ajwain, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Stir in mashed potatoes and grated zucchini. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Heat iron griddle on medium-high heat or use an electric griddle heated to 400ºF. Lightly oil the griddle and wipe off the oil. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the hot griddle and spread to a 3-inch circle. Add small amounts of oil on all sides and on top of the
cheele
. (You can cook several
cheele
at a time, based on the size of your griddle.)

3. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until edges appear brown and the
cheele
comes off easily. Turn them over and cook for 1 minute.

4. Serve hot with chutney of choice.

Sandwiches are an easy way to enjoy a meal without a plate. Although not traditional Indian food, sandwiches are enjoyed by everyone today. If you like veggie burgers made with beans, you’ll love these. This is my version of a bean burger that is easy to make and fun to eat.

1. Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. In a food processor, grind the beans until smooth.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground beans, scallions, carrots, ginger, cumin, salt, green chiles, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, cilantro, and bread crumbs. Mix well.

3. Oil your palms and make 4 patties. Set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add patties and grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side until golden brown. (If needed, add a little more oil to help brown the patties.)

5. In the meantime, lightly oil the buns and grill in a fry pan or a griddle until light brown.

6. Place a patty on the bottom half of bun, top with tomatoes, onions, cilantro chutney, and tomato ketchup, as desired.

NOTE:
You can make the patties up to 1 day ahead and grill them when ready to eat. For a grilling party, fully prepare the patties and reheat on grill on aluminum foil.

Pav
means “buns” and
bhaji
translates to “vegetables,” so
pav-bhaji
is “vegetables on a bun.” When I first saw sloppy joe sandwiches (ground loose meat on a bun), they reminded me of
pav-bhaji
. Although now available everywhere and a popular quick meal made at home,
pav-bhaji
is very much a Mumbai treasure. The Juhu beach in Mumbai is lined with street vendors selling their famous
pav-bhaji
. A large, shallow pan sits on a stove in the middle of the cart piled with prepared
bhaji
. Each order is individualized, but you have to speak up—quickly. Once you have ordered, the vendor scoops a heaping spoonful of
bhaji
on a hot griddle, adds a scoop of butter, and cooks until bubbling hot, grills the buns, piles on the
bhaji
, and spices it up with onions, chopped cilantro, and chutney. The traditional
pav-bhaji
is loaded with butter and will just melt in your mouth. I love the flavor of all the vegetables slow-cooked to perfection in this recipe, which is made with very little fat.

1. Peel boiled potatoes. Coarsely break up the potatoes with your fingers or chop them into about ½ -inch pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and fry 1 to 2 minutes until transparent. Add cauliflower, green peppers, peas, and carrots. Stir in 1 cup water, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 12 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and
pav-bhaji
masala and ½ cup water. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the vegetables, mashing and blending any large pieces.

4. Add the mashed potatoes and the remaining 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Adjust the salt and cayenne pepper, to taste.

5. While the vegetables are cooking, lightly oil the bun halves with the remaining oil. Grill the buns in a fry pan or a griddle, oil-side down, until light brown.

6. To assemble sandwiches, place about ½ cup vegetables on a bun, garnish with chopped onions, cilantro, and cilantro chutney, as desired, and cover with top of bun. Or, serve as an open-faced sandwich.