Pick your vegetables, put on your apron and get ready to cook up a storm. If fusion-continental is your thing then there is the vegan bake and if your style is desi then bring out the skillet and prepare a mean pav-bhaji.
Vegetable Bake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Potatoes (medium, parboiled with
skin) - 3
Tomatoes (small, skinned) - 2-3
Cauliflower florets (parboiled) - 1
cup
Onion (medium) - 2-3
Garlic - 4 cloves
Soy milk – One-and-half- a-cups
Vegan margarine - 1 tbsp
Dried oregano / thyme - 1 tbsp
Sea salt - As required
Freshly ground pepper - 1 tbsp, or
to taste
Chopped parsley - 2 tbsp
Method
Slice the potatoes, tomatoes, onions horizontally in medium thickness.
In a casserole dish, layer with each of the vegetables, including cauliflower.
Dot crushed garlic, vegan margarine, the dried herbs, sea salt and pepper. Place the layer of tomatoes on top. Pour the soy milk over the vegetables.
This can be substituted with coconut milk mix or veg stock (for this, add one-and-a-half tsp garam masala to one-and-a-half cups boiling water, or use the regular stock used to boil the vegetables in).
Cover the dish.
Bake in a moderate oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.
Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Serve hot with bread / chapathi.
Pav Bhaji
Serves 4
Ingredients
Potato (boiled and mashed) - 2
large
Carrot (peeled) - 2 big
Beans - A handful
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Green peas - 1 cup
Tomato - 2
Big onion (shredded) - 4
Ginger - A small piece (chopped)
*Green chillies - 2 , chopped
Butter - 1 tbsp + 25 gms
Refined oil - 2 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala powder - 3-4
tbsp
Coriander leaves - A handful,
minced, for garnish
Lemon juice - 3-4 tbsp
*Kesari (food colour) powder - A
pinch
Lemon wedges, shredded onion -
For garnish
Pav - As required, approx. 2 per
person
* Optional
Method
To prepare the Bhaji - Boil carrots, beans, cauliflower with a pinch of salt in two cups water until cooked.
Separately boil green peas, discard the stock.
Use a hand blender to make a coarse puree of all the vegetables.
Separately, crush the tomatoes to a liquid.
In a non-stick pan, heat the oil/ butter.
Sauté onions until pinkish. Tip in ginger, green chillies, salt.
Fry well. Sauté the tomatoes until done well.
Now, add the vegetable puree and mashed potato.
Add the red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala powder and Kesari powder.
Check for salt. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add lemon juice. Remove from heat.
Spoon into a dish. Sprinkle coriander leaves.
Add blobs of butter that will melt into the dish.
Squeeze lime juice on top. Serve hot with pav.
Preparing the Pav - Slice the buns and smear butter. Arrange and cook on a skillet until golden n crisp. Serve warm n' fresh!
