Three years ago, when Rupinder Kaur was recovering from a jaundice attack, she was in great discomfort. Despite being cured of the disease, she still suffered from bloated stomach, gastric issues and weak knees. “I had recovered, but still I needed the support of walls to walk. I have lead a completely healthy lifestyle, grew upon buffalo milk and didn’t smoke or drink. Why was this happening to me?”
She had two versions to believe. The one of the allopathic doctors, who concluded that they had done everything they could possibly do about her liver. And, that of the homeopathic ones, who warned her that her liver was still very weak.
So, she turned to fresh fruits and vegetables for help. “That summer vacation, I went to my father’s home in Punjab, and kept hogging mangoes and litchis for three days. By the end of it, my stomach pain had vanished, and so did my gastric trouble.” The experience was a revelation for her, and Rupinder turned into a raw vegan, overnight. “I never looked back. I had turned hundred per cent raw vegan,” she says.
Her firm conviction in its magical results inspired her to start a website on vegan recipes called Raw Rasoi. Here, you find recipes of smoothies, date bars, creamy avocado bites, coconut ladoos and water melon popsicles that are a big hit even among children. The website also features interactive quizzes
Her intention is to make raw vegan food appealing to the popular taste. “We are all social beings at the end of the day. We have to interact with other people and cannot afford to stand off from the crowd.” The idea is to replicate the look and taste of the popular dishes in the raw vegan style. For instance, her vegan brownies, made out of blending dates, walnuts and chocolate powder in a mixer, are a big hit. “Food is basically science. If you are creative, you can have fun with it, and balance taste with nutrition. How you make it is more important. You have to cook with love.”
Pizzas, burgers, cakes…name it. She will instantly recreate the vegan versions of these dishes. Her vegan pastas are made out of zucchini ribbons and sauces out of avocados, in the place of mayonnaise. Her recipes have even won over her son’s teachers. “We celebrated his birthday with a raw cake made of avocado cream.”
For beginners, who are still hesitant to switch to a raw vegan diet, she says: “Start gorging on fruits. Eat as much as you like, until you are full. While you are off to work, put an apple into your bag. You can make delicious dishes using fresh fruits and vegetables. Raw food can be simple--from a mono meal of chopped fruits to a salad that has a combination of fruits and vegetables. All it takes is ten minutes to prepare these items. These are simple recipes, ideal for professionals, who are in a hurry. ”
Rupinder wants to Indianise the raw vegan recipes, using home-grown ingredients such as parijat flowers, coconuts, figs and cardamom. “Local, fresh, organic and seasonal produce is always the best. Once I started playing around with raw vegan recipes, I came to know of so many new indigenous fruits and vegetables. We are rich in nutritious food.
Our Indian diet is healthy and nutritious. We should be promoting our food to the West. Instead of running behind the packaged fruit juices, why don’t we just cut a lemon, squeeze it into water and have the drink fresh and nutritious?”
Recipe for raw vegan fig and dates energy bar
Ingredients
20 dry figs, chopped
5 medjool dates, seeds removed and chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds, roughly grounded
1/2 cup coconut powder
1 tablespoon flax seeds, finely grounded
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, roughly grounded
1/4 cup raisins, for garnishing
coconut flakes, for garnishing
Method
Put the figs in the food processor and process it to get a rough texture. Add the dates and pulse and blend them gently. Add coconut powder, sesame seeds and flax seeds and process again till they mix well. Add fennel seeds and process again. On a butter paper, sprinkle raisins and coconut flakes. Pour the mixture over this spread and start pressing it gently with a spatula into a square shape with about 1/2 inch thickness from all sides. Sprinkle raisins and coconut flakes again. Place another butter paper over this spread and roll gently with a rolling pin to give an even finish. Take off the top sheet. Take a sharp knife and cut this square into eight rectangular bars. Wrap them in a butter paper and tie up with a thick thread to make it presentable.
