Tavsali Recipe | Goan Steamed Cucumber Cake Recipe | Eggless Cucumber Cake Recipe

Tavsali is an eggless steamed cucumber cake from Goa. Tavsali is made with a handful of ingredients in a steamer. It has the delicate taste of cucumbers and is mildly sweet from the jaggery. Tavsali is refined sugar free. Tavsali suits a Jain diet and can be adapted to a vegan or plant based diet by just replacing the ghee with oil.

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Tavsali always takes me back to my childhood. When I think of Tavsali, a scene is formed in my mind and I would give anything to go back to it. It is afternoon in my mom's kitchen, stormy dark grey clouds outside and my mom has just removed this fragrant cake from the steamer while the whole house is having their Sunday afternoon siesta.

My mom loved to cook for us when we were little. She'd learn new recipes from friends, colleagues, and neighbors and try it out on Sunday afternoon when we all slept after a good heavy lunch. And this Tavsali is one of those things that she made for us. I don't think it was a dish she grew up with, but learned it later in life and made it several times for us. It was also something she liked, it had all the flavors of her home, Mangalore, for her in it. cucumber, coconut, and jaggery. 

When it started raining this last month, I'd been craving for this. I don't know why but that scene I wrote before was evoked and I just had to have it. So although I got very lukewarm responses to "I'm going to finally make Tavsali", I went ahead and made a small batch. It didn't take much for the lukewarm to turn to favorable response though. One little half piece from the edge of the cake was all it took, frankly speaking. Even the people I thought would not enjoy it, like my brother in law, seemed to take on a liking for it.

All my recent recipes have been a video, but I was unable to shoot one for this. Reason? It was raining cats and dogs and cows and horses when I started cooking this and the stormy winds caused a blackout and I really had the poorest lighting possible. Luckily, I did take a few pics on my phone, so I added those in the step by step photos.

What is Tavsali?

Tavsali is an eggless steamed cake that is made with coarse rava or semolina/cream of wheat, grated cucumbers, fresh coconut, jaggery, cardamom, and some cashew nuts. It is a very delicate dessert. The mild flavors of cucumber actually shine. The cardamom just adds to the aroma without being overpowering. Tavsali is also not one of those desserts that is cloyingly sweet. It is just mildly sweet. But you can definitely increase the sweetness as required. It is also a very moist cake because of the cucumbers which soften when cooked.

More details...

To make Tavsali, we use the thicker rava not the chiroti rava. Rava used to make upma or uppit or Bansi rava can be used. You can also use Dalia or broken wheat partially. While one can use the yellow cucumber, I used the regular green cucumber to make this.

Firstly, the rava is roasted in a little bit of ghee until it is slightly browned or you get a toasty aroma from it. For a plant based alternative, replace the ghee with coconut oil or any flavorless oil. Allow it to cool, while you grate the cucumbers and coconut. Mix together the rava, grated coconut and the grated cucumber along with the water. Add in powdered or grated jaggery, crushed cardamom seeds, a pinch of salt and broken cashew nuts. Mix until the jaggery is dissolved.

Prepare your steamer, you can use an idli steamer or a pressure cooker without the whistle or just place a kadhai or large vessel with water in it and allow it to come to a boil. Place a stand in your steamer or any vessel just to give the cake tin some height. Grease your cake tin or any vessel in which you are going to make the cake with ghee or coconut oil and pour in the cake mix.

The cake mix is not very thin like regular cakes, it is on the thicker side. But if your cucumbers were on the drier side and you did not get enough juice from them, add a little milk or coconut milk to loosen the batter.

Steam for 30-40 minutes on medium heat. A wet knife inserted into the cake should come out clean.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before demoulding the cake. Wait at least 20-30 minutes before cutting it.

Tavsali can serve as a dessert or as a mildly sweet breakfast too. It lasts well for at least one week in the fridge.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

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Tavsali Recipe | Goan steamed Cucumber Cake Recipe | Eggless Cucumber Cake

Tavsali is a traditional Goan steamed cucumber cake made with rava or semolina, grated cucumber, coconut and jaggery. It is a mildly sweet dessert with an option to make it vegan.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Goan
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4-5

Author:                Anupama

Ingredients:

1 cup Coarse Rava (Semolina)
2 Cucumbers
0.5 cup grated Coconut
1 cup powdered Jaggery
0.25 cup broken Cashewnuts
1 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tsp Ghee or Coconut Oil
1-2 Tbsp Milk (Optional)

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp of ghee or coconut oil in a pan and add the rava. Roast on low-medium heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Peel and grate the cucumbers and add to the rava, once cooled.
3. Add the grated coconut, cashewnuts and cardamom powder.
4. Add jaggery powder to taste. I used the full 1 cup, you can add more or less as per your taste.
5. You can either shape the cookie dough as a log before chilling or as a ball of dough.
6. Keep water in a steamer to heat or in a pressure cooker. If using a cooker, don't close the lid.
7. Grease a tin with ghee or coconut oil and add the cake batter to it.
8. Place the tin in the cooker or steamer and close the lid. If using a cooker, do not put the whistle.
9. Steam on medium heat for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes clean.
10. Allow to cool slightly and then demould. Cool completely before cutting.
11. Store in the fridge if not eating the same day.

Step by step photo instructions:

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Patoli

Puran Poli

Mango Saasav

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Kaju Katli Recipe | How to make Kaju Katli | Vegan Cashew Fudge Recipe [Video]

Kaju katli or kaju barfi is a diamond shaped soft fudge made from cashew nuts. It is a popular Indian sweet. Perfect to gift family and friends.

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Deepavali is here!!

Deepavali or Diwali always brings with it the air of festivity. Deepas or lamps everywhere, akash kandils in the balconies, colorful rangolis near the threshold, brand new clothes and delicious sweets and savories. With such fervor in the air, it is hard not to celebrate.

The best part of Diwali for me has always been the sweets and savories. People painstakingly spend hours making an array of snacks to fill up boxes and on the day of diwali these are distributed between friends and family. While I always saw my mom do this when we were kids, I had never done so, until last year.

Last year for deepavali, I went to my childhood home and did just that. I made crispy Chakli and this delicious Kaju Katli. Kaju Katli is a sweet that everyone loves. It is generally mildly sweet and has a delicate flavor of cashew nuts. Kaju Katli is gluten free and can be vegan too. The version I make is always vegan, but some recipes I know call for the addition of milk or milk powder.

While the recipe looks simple, it really isn't. So don't fret if it doesn't work out for you the very first time you try. The first time I made it, the sugar syrup was not the right consistency and we ended up eating kaju halwa for a few days. That was delicious too.

What is Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is cashew nut fudge, in simple words. It is a very popular Indian sweet that is sold worldwide and it can made from just three ingredients - Cashew nuts, Sugar and water. Some recipes call for milk, milk powder or condensed milk, but if you want a vegan recipe, you are in the right place.

Kaju Katli is a sweet that is commonly distributed for all celebrations from birthdays to promotions to festivals. Also, since it is a dry sweet that has a greater shelf life than most milk based sweets, it also makes for a good gifting option.

Kaju Barfi is a sweet similar to Kaju Katli but is made slightly differently and uses milk and milk solids. The names are used synonymously several times, so don't get confused. Kaju katli is usually thin - somewhere about 3-5mm in thickness while a kaju barfi is thicker.

Tips for making the best Kaju Katlis:

Some important notes and learnings from my mistakes, just to help you a little:

1. Use everything at room temperature. Refrigerated cashew nuts will mess up the recipe, so keep them out overnight if you store cashew nuts in the fridge. 
2. Pulse the grinder to powder the cashew nuts. Grinding them for too long will lead to cashew nuts leaving their oil and making them unusable.
3. Sieve if you want to, or just skip it. Small bits of cashews just give the kaju katli a rustic feel and they are really not very noticeable in the end product.
4. If you have some large chunks of cashew nuts that just won't grind fine enough, add as little water as possible and blend them to a puree.
5. You need the sugar syrup at the right consistency. Use the water bowl trick mentioned in the video and the recipe to check for the right consistency.
6. If the sugar syrup has gone beyond the required consistency and the dough looks brittle and forms hard lumps after removing from heat, allow it to cool a little, and then pulse it in the mixer until all lumps are broken and you get a fine powder. Knead this powder along with milk or water to get a smooth dough.
7. You have to knead the dough while it is still hot. Use gloves if required.
8. Do not knead the dough too much, it will release its oil and while it is still edible, the kaju katli will not have the same mouthfeel as the store bought ones.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Kaju Barfi Recipe | How to make Kaju Katli

Kaju katli or kaju barfi is a diamond shaped soft fudge made from cashew nuts. It is a popular Indian sweet. It can be made vegan.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     55 minutes
Yield:                12-15

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashew nuts
0.5 cup Sugar
0.25 cup Water
Oil or Ghee for greasing

Method:

1. Powder the cashew nuts until fine. Use cashew nuts at room temperature, cashew nuts used directly from the fridge will not give you a fine powder.
2. If the cashews are not finely powdered, you can use a sieve and remove the big unground pieces. Use a medium sized sieve. Sieve and keep aside.
3. To make the sugar syrup, in a pan (preferably nonstick), add the sugar and water and cook on medium heat. The sugar syrup needs to reach one string consistency.
4. To check if the consistency of the sugar syrup, add a small drop of the syrup into a bowl of water. If the syrup dissolves in the water, then the syrup needs more cooking. If the syrup doesn't dissolve but forms a flexible string, then it is ready.
5. Add in the ground cashew nuts and mix until combined.
6. Continue to cook on low heat until the cashew dough becomes one mass.
7. Remove from heat and move the dough to a large plate. Allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes.
8. While the cashew dough is still hot, gently knead it for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth. Do not over-knead, else the cashew will leave its oil.
9. Grease the back of a plate and place the dough on it. Roll it out until the dough is around 5mm thick.
10. Cut the kaju katli into diamond shaped pieces. Allow to cool completely.
11. Using a butter knife, gently remove the kaju katli from the plate and store it in a cool place.
12. Serve Kaju Katli at room temperature.

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Shankarpole

Coconut Laddoo

Holige | Puran Poli

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Punjabi Dum Aloo [Video]

Punjabi Dum Aloo is rich, creamy yet vegan curry in which baby potatoes are simmered in a delicately spiced tomato-based gravy.


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Once in a while I indulge… in cooking and eating. Everyone deserves a reward for working hard all week. And a long weekend is the perfect time to indulge. Don’t you agree?

I never buy potatoes with any specific plan of using them. I just add them to any mix vegetable thing I’m cooking or when there are fussy eaters around. Coz which fussy eater does not like potatoes, right?

But when I saw these cute little baby potatoes in the supermarket, I wanted to buy them and make them shine. What better dish to cook with baby potatoes than Punjabi Dum Aloo.

There are different types of Dum Aloo all over India, there is a Kashmiri Dum Aloo, a UP Dum Aloo and a Bengali Dum Aloo as well apart from the Punjabi Dum Aloo. Each one has a different kind of gravy the baby potatoes are simmered in. 

I'm trying to find traditional recipes for the remaining Dum Aloo since I've never tried them. If you have one, contact ME! I would love to try out the other varieties and compare them.

I've tried to keep this indulgent Punjabi Dum Aloo as healthy as possible without losing out on the taste. Some of it's highlights:

• It is VEGAN - Yesss! Vegan yet creamy is obtained by the addition of a silky smooth Cashew nut paste. Being a Goan, I love my Cashews in anything and everything, so why not in a Punjabi Dum Aloo. Bring it ON! A more traditional Punjabi Dum Aloo has added yogurt or thick cream. I skipped both and only increased the number of cashew nuts used. This gave me all the creamy texture without any dairy in it. Hurray!!

• Potatoes are boiled, not fried - A lot of Punjabi Dum Aloo recipes call for deep frying of the potatoes. While everyone loves deep-fried potatoes, they are not so much in line with the whole eating healthy food movement. So I boiled them and then tossed them in a hot pan to get a slight char. Feel free to bake them as well. Give it your own twist. 

• Quick-cooking - Dum Pukht is a form of cooking in which meat or vegetables are cooked over very low heat in sealed containers. This helps develop flavor. While this makes a major difference to meat (at least that's what I've heard), it barely does much for the potatoes in this case. Hence. I pressure cooked the potatoes and later simmered them for a while in the gravy. I can assure you, no flavor was lost in this process.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Punjabi Dum Aloo | How to make Vegan Punjabi Dum Aloo Recipe

Punjabi Dum Aloo is a curry made by simmering baby potatoes a delicately spiced vegan creamy tomato-based gravy. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

250 gms baby Potatoes 
0.75 cup Onion Paste
1 cup Tomato Puree
2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Black Cardamom
1 inch Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
20 Cashew Nuts
4 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi
2 Tbsp Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

Water as required

Method:

1. Heat up 1 cup of water and soak the cashew nuts in it for half an hour. Drain and blend into a smooth paste.
2. Wash and scrub the baby potatoes and place them in a pressure cooker or a deep pan. If using large potatoes, then peel them and dice them into 1" sized pieces.
3. Add 1 tsp of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are cooked through but not mushy.
4. Peel the baby potatoes if you want, else leave them on. Slice the potatoes into half if required.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan and once it heats up, add the potatoes in it. Toss the potatoes until they are browned slightly and keep aside.
6. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the black cardamom, cinnamon and the bay leaf. Fry for approximately 1 minute.
7. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry on low heat until it is fragrant.
8. Add in the onion paste and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
9. Add in the tomato paste and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes or until oil separates.
10. Add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. Mix well.
11. Add the cashew puree and fry for another 4-5 minutes.
12. Add in water and cashew paste. Add water as per the desired consistency.
13. Add in the potatoes and salt to taste. Mix well.
14. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
15. Add in kasuri methi and mix well.
16. Remove from heat and add coriander leaves.
17. Serve hot with roti or rice.

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Babycorn Masala

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Garlic and Herb Roasted Potatoes

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Raw Banana Kofta Curry Recipe [Video]

Raw Banana Kofta Curry is a spicy, sweet and tangy coconut based curry with fried raw banana (plantain) dumplings. This curry is vegan and gluten free.

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We are mid way through January already!! I must say, time literally flies. It feels like just yesterday it was December and I was getting all excited for the New Year, and today we are already well into it. So did you start all that you planned to do in 2019? I'm still dragging my feet on my checklist. 

In other news, I've been at home an awful lot lately, mainly because of some trade union strikes last week that stopped public transport and we were all forced to work from home, and I had some personal commitments that made me still work from home for a few days here and there. While you would think being home and cutting out all that stress of travel, I'd be more productive in the kitchen. But the truth is, when I'm home I'm super lazy. Sometimes, I make instant noodles or just buy bread to mop up leftover curry. 

I finally decided it was time to stop being lazy and cook up this amazing Raw Banana Kofta Curry that I had in my mind for so long. I found this recipe in a magazine at the doctor's. I actually dread doctor visits. I can probably count the number of visits I've made in the last 2 years on the fingers of one hand. Raise you hand if you dread doctor visits like me! While I waited for my turn for my annual checkup, I leafed through a magazine on the coffee table and this recipe kind of jumped at me. I made Raj take a quick photo and stored it away. Finally I got around to making it, thankfully.

This Raw Banana Kofta Curry is spicy, sweet and tangy! Flavor explosion in your mouth.

The curry or the gravy is what gives all the flavor. Tomato and Tamarind impart the sourness to the curry, the jaggery adds sweetness, the high count of red chillies gives the curry heat and color and the coconut milk just mellows down everything with it's rich creaminess. My mouth still waters when I reminisce about this curry, it was SO delicious. This curry really had the balance of sweetness, sourness and heat. Take the ingredients below as more of a direction than rigid quantities. Your palate may prefer the curry being less sweet and more tart. Adjust the ingredients to your liking. Start with less jaggery and tamarind and add more as you go along. The red chillies are deseeded so that the curry is not too hot but still has the vibrant color. You can leave the seeds in for a spicier curry.

The Raw Banana Koftas are really easy to make. They taste good just by themselves too. So you can make more and serve them as snacks at tea time. The original recipe called for raisins but I replaced them with cashew nuts. Add any nuts you like into the koftas. I also added in grated Tofu instead of the grated Paneer, because I had tofu in the fridge. The koftas can be either shallow fried or deep fried. You may even try to bake it. Add the koftas just before serving to retain the crispness of the koftas.

Raw Banana Kofta Curry is best served hot with naan or rotis.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Raw Banana Kofta Curry

Raw Banana Kofta Curry is a spicy, sweet and tangy coconut based curry with fried raw banana (plantain) dumplings. This curry is vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Total time:     50 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

For the curry:

10-12 Dry Red Chillies
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
0.5 tsp Peppercorns
2-3 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
1 large Tomato
1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1 cup thick Coconut Milk
2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
3 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the Koftas:

2 raw Bananas or Plantain
10-12 Cashew Nuts, chopped
1 cup grated Tofu or Paneer
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to fry koftas

Method:

1. Cut the edges of the raw bananas and dice them roughly. Boil them with a pinch of salt until soft.
2. Peel the bananas and keep aside.
3. Deseed the dry red chillies and add to a mixer/blender. You can keep the seeds in if you want the curry to be very spicy.
4. Add turmeric powder and black peppercorns to the mixer and grind until you get a coarse powder.
5. Add 2 tsp of jaggery or sugar along with the tamarind pulp and chopped tomato to the blender.
6. Add a little water and blend until you get a smooth paste.
7. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds.
8. Once they splutter, add the masala paste and cook for 7-8 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
9. Add 1 cup of water and a little salt and allow the curry to boil.
10. Once the water has evaporated, add in the thick coconut milk and allow it to come to a boil.
11. Adjust salt and sugar as required.
12. Once the curry has reached a rolling boil, add in the dried kasuri methi.
13. Allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
14. Remove from heat and add in chopped coriander leaves and keep aside.
15. Mash the boiled raw bananas and add in the chopped cashew nuts, grated tofu or paneer, chopped coriander leaves and salt.
16. Mix well until combined and shape into koftas.
17. Heat oil in a shallow pan for frying koftas.
18. Add the koftas to the pan and fry until all sides are browned. You can also deep fry the koftas.
19. Add the koftas to the curry and mix well.
20. Serve hot with rotis or naan.

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Lauki Kofta Curry

Raw Banana Fry

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Tendle Bibbe Upkari

Fresh tender Cashew Nuts!!! This Konkani new year dish lets you enjoy the creamy tender nuts in a mild fry with ivy gourds and potatoes.

Fresh Cashew Nuts!! I cannot believe I was oblivious to their existence. Being Goan, my love for cashew nuts is obvious. But until today, all I had was dried cashew nuts, sometimes salted, mostly plain, sometimes flavored and once or twice, I have mustered courage to eat the fruit that causes throats to itch. Somehow, I totally missed getting on the fresh tender cashew nuts wagon, until now, of course. My friend Vindhya of A Million Morsels, introduced me to this tender creamy crunchy delicacy. 

So when Raj went to Karkala for an extended vacation for Ugadi (Hindu New Year), he got me these tender cashew nuts or bibbo/ bibbe. They are sold in packets of 50 or 100 and are very seasonal. They are usually sold around Ugadi as this Tendle Bibbe Upkari is a specialty for Ugadi in a Konkani household. If you cannot find tender cashew nuts, you can replace them with dried cashew nuts that have been soaked in water overnight or for 4-5 hours until they are nice and soft.

Upkari is a simple palya or a dry vegetable curry. It is also super healthy, low on oil, high on seasonal ingredients, barely any spices. It is a refreshing fresh dish fit for Summer.

Tendle or Tendli / Tondekayee or Ivy gourds is the fruit of a creeper. Tastes best when harvested when they are raw and tender and green. As they ripen, they become red and soft. Ripe tendle can be used to make Tondekayee Chutney. My luck shined when Raj got me home grown fresh tendle from Karkala. I am a big fan of anything home grown and organic. The tendle he got me were so tender and cooked so quickly. They were delicate and crisp, just the way I love them.

Potatoes, you can add them or you can leave them. Sometimes, if one cannot find tender cashews or not enough of them, the quantity of the upkari is increased by adding more potato. I put them in as everyone loves potatoes. 

Coconut, another homegrown ingredient in my cooking. I feel so lucky to get homegrown coconut. I don't grow them in Bangalore, but every time someone comes from Karkala, my mother in law makes it a point to send me coconuts grown at home. They are huge, sweet and juicy.. YUM!! The coconut here is much more than just a garnish, it is almost the heart of the dish that brings everything together. 

This Tendle Bibbe Upkari has very little in the way of spices, just mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies with a sprig of curry leaves. It uses very little oil, it is mostly cooked in water. As I said, it is very healthy. Tendle Bibbe Upkari is eaten as a side along with rice and dal or with chapati.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Tondekayee Chutney - Chutney made from ripe ivy gourds or tendle and coconut.
• Saasav  - Ripe mango curry from the Konkan coast.
• Banana Blossom and White Peas Curry - Dry curry made with banana flower and dried white peas.

Tendle Bibbe Upkari

Tendle Bibbe Upkari is a Konkani vegatable dish made with fresh tender cashew nuts, tendle or ivy gourd and potatoes. It is usually made during Ugadi.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:            Mangalore
Prep Time:     1 Hour
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

20-25 Tendle (Tondekayee or Ivy Gourd)
1 cup Bibbe or tender Cashew Nuts
1-2 Potatoes
3 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
3-4 dry Red Chillies
2 Tbsp grated fresh Coconut
8-10 Curry leaves
Water as required
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water. Remove from heat once it comes to a rolling boil.
Soak the cashew nuts (bibbe) in the hot water for 1 hour. This will help loosen the skin.
Peel the thin brown skin of the tender cashew nuts.
Wash the cashew nuts thoroughly and split them into halves.
Cut the tips of the tendle and slice it into thin slices.
Peel the potato and slice them to the same size as the tendle
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal, curry leaves and the dry red chillies.
Fry until the urad dal changes colour.
Add the sliced tendle and 0.5 cup of water.
Cover and cook until the tendle are half done.
Add the sliced potato and the tender cashew nuts.
Cover and cook until the potato and tendle are done.
Add salt and mix well.
Garnish with grated coconut.
Serve hot with chapati.

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Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna

I've had an Italian start to the weekend - Pizza for Friday night dinner and this awesome Homemade Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna for Saturday lunch.

I'll be honest, this is my first time trying to veganize a dish that has Cheese in it. I'm never vegan when it comes to Italian food either. I'm more than liberal with cheese, usually adding more than what the recipe calls for. I'm a big fat LOVER of cheese. I've been known to eating cheese cubes the way other's eat chocolate. Sometimes, I like it over chocolate...

So what converted me? While I'm not converted, I'm definitely trying to reduce dairy. I'm also very excited to try a new range of cheese that I can make at home. I've always wanted to make my own cheese - sounds super exciting. I've looked around endlessly for vegetarian Rennet, but I'm yet to find it in Bangalore. Bangaloreans out there, any tips? So I gave up the idea of making my own cheese except Cottage Cheese or Paneer. And now I can make my own cheese - no rennet or any bacteria needed.

When I stumbled upon a recipe for vegan Mozzarella, no one could stop me. I HAD to try it! 

While my cheese wasn't as stretchy as Mozzarella is meant to be, it tasted good and added the required creaminess to the Lasagna. I did not use Pasta sheets. I make Lasagna very rarely and I usually end up throwing out half the box of lasagna sheets as they are way past their shelf life. So I did what everyone is doing these days - used vegetables as pasta.  I see new recipes for Zoodles almost every other days. 

Zucchini works so well in Italian food. Lightly steamed zucchini tends to have the al-dente texture that pasta demands. I used thinly sliced baby zucchini to replace the pasta sheets for the lasagna. I also used Kale as I like the pepperyness it adds. If you cannot find Kale, use spinach. I used raw Kale cut into large pieces, you can steam it to soften them and then use it. I layered slices of Tofu too. That's just cause I had it and I love the texture of Tofu. I know, I'm weird, but I really do love Tofu.

All that I talked about already is the texture component of the lasagna, the taste is entirely due to this super easy chunky Tomato Sauce. You've gotta try this sauce, even if you are not making the lasagna. I can have bowls of it with anything - Bread, Roti, Rice, Noodles. And it is so simple to make too. Just fry onions, garlic, carrots and peppers in olive oil. Add tomato puree and all the herbs and spices. Cook until you have a nice thick chunky sauce all perfect to layer on that Lasagna. Job done!!

Bake it until the cheese brown a little and the zucchini and kale are cooked, about 15 minutes. You have to eat this immediately, just because it tastes amazing when hot.

And if you are not a fan of vegan cheese, just replace the cheese with regular Mozzarella, I bet it tastes just as great.

Tag me on Instagram @oneteaspoonoflife when you make this recipe. Happy Lasagna Weekend to you, Ciao!!

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Gobi Manchurian Pizza - Fusion pizza topped with fried Cauliflower and Indo-Chinese Manchurian Sauce.
• Curried Brown Rice Zucchini Fritters - Fritters or Tikkis made with mashed Brown Rice and grated Zucchini. Spiced with Garam Masala and pan fried.
• Eggplant Pizza - Pizza made with Eggplant as the base and topped with homemade tomato basil sauce and cheese. 

Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna

Zucchini Kale Lasagna is a vegan and gluten free pasta dish made using zucchini, kale, vegan mozzarella cheese and a chunky tomato sauce. 

Recipe Type:  Pasta
Cuisine:            Italian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

5-6 baby Zucchini
5-6 large Kale leaves
100 gms firm Tofu

For the Vegan Cheese:

1/2 cup Cashew nuts
1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Water

For the Tomato Sauce:

1.5 cups Tomato Puree
1 large Onion
1 small Carrot
1/2 green Capsicum
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp Thyme
1 Tbsp minced Garlic
1 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make Vegan Cheese:

Boil the cashew nuts in 1 cup of water for 8-10 minutes until soft.
Drain and keep aside to cool.
Blend together cashew nuts, tapioca flour, mustard, vinegar and salt along with 1/2 cup water.
Heat a non stick pan and add the blended paste to it.
Stir continuously until it thickens. Adjust salt and water.

To make Tomato Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a pan.
Add finely chopped onion, carrot, capsicum along with minced garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
Add tomato puree, celery salt, red chilli powder, basil, thyme and sugar.
Simmer for 7-8 minutes. Add water if required.
Add salt to taste and mix well.

To Assemble the Lasagna:

Take a deep baking dish and layer with chopped kale, sliced zucchini and sliced tofu.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
Spread the tomato sauce.
Spread the vegan cheese.
Similarly, make another layer of the vegetables, sauce and cheese.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cheese browns.

Notes:

• Replace the vegan cheese with regular Mozzarella for a non-vegan version. 
• In case you don't have Tapioca Flour, you can grind sabudana or sago pearls in a high power mixer to get a fine powder. 
• Kale can be replaced with spinach (palak). You can steam the kale or spinach before using it in the lasagna. 
• If you don't have celery salt, add chopped celery to the sauce along with the onions or just use regular salt.

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