The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi

[auntierozzi]

This is not an all vegan cookery book but has loads great info. especially on different kinds of dal. I picked it up for next to nothing in a 2nd hand bookshop when I was in England the other week. There are recipes for chutneys, leafy greens, soups etc..I really like it. Maybe some of you have it too.
Îf anybody knows how to make vegan paneer then I would love that recipe.

[Kiran]

Îf anybody knows how to make vegan paneer then I would love that recipe.

The vegan equivalent of panner (Indian soft cheese) is Tofu. Cubes of tofu look like panner and when used in Indian cooking they will readily absorb spices and flavouring. Tofu is an easy substitute. I make "palak-panner" (spinach base) and "muttar-panner" (peas and panner) using tofu.

[auntierozzi]

Thanks Kiran,
I will have a go using tofu.

[Wildflower]

Bryanna Clark Gorgan posted a recipe on her Blog - Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen- on how to make vegan Panir...it does use tofu, but requires some other steps of blending and re-gelling it. http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2006/08/vegan-panir-paneer-indian-fresh-cheese.html

I do own this cookbook. I found it at the library about 10 years ago, and tried to order it, but found it was out of print. It has since been re-released and I purchased a copy a few years ago. That being said, I have never used it once. :confused: I *do* enjoy reading it quite often, but all of the recipes require lots and lots and lots of ingredients, some which I haven't been able to find in my local indian grocery and to be honest, it has put me off a bit.

I always plan to make a dal recipe, and then I noticed I am missing 10 things and put it off making it.

So, I am interested, which recipes have you made and enjoyed? Do you notice there are no onions/garlic? For me, most indian food I have eaten here in the US has that taste, so I am curious as to whether I will notice a difference. :rolleyes: For example, I LOVED saag panir when veggie, but I definately taste the onions and garlic in that, and a recipe for this wasn't in this cookbook probably because of this.

Kiran - can you shared your saag panir recipe? :)

[auntierozzi]

Hi Wildflower,
I reallly liked this :
GAJAR PULAU (rice w/shredded carrots and coconut)
5 mins.to prepare
25-35 mins cooking
serves 3 or 4

1 cup (95g) basmati or other long grain rice
2 tbsp (30ml) veg oil
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
6 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 piece of cinammon stick
3 tablespoons dried shredded coconut (I just used coconut milk)
1/2 cups water (400ml - 500ml)
360ml 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (230g)
1 1/4 tbsp salt
2 tablespoons raisins or currants

If using basmati rice, clean, wash and soak in warm water for 10 mins.
Heat oil in heavy non-stick pan over mod. heat but not smoking. Add sesame seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and coconut. Stir fry until coconut goes light brown. Stir the rice into mixture and fry for a few mins. until the rice is translucent.
Add the water and the remaining ingredients, raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to low, coer with a tight fitting lid and gently simmer without stirring for 20-25 mins or until the rice is fluffy and the veg. are tender-crisp and all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Turn the heat off and let the rice sit, covered for 5 mons to allow the grains to firm up. Just before serving remove the cover and fluff the piping hot rice with fork.

I have also done some dals and other stuff but like you don't have all the ingredients so just improvise :-) I must remember to make a list from this book next time I make it somewhere more cosmopolitan than around here! Didn't notice about the onion and garlic thing but I am guilty of absent mindedly adding more of both of these to practically anything!!

[Jamie]

Kiran, you MUST post those recipes!! :D

pretty please???

[Kiran]

Kiran - can you shared your saag panir recipe? :)


Kiran, you MUST post those recipes!! :D

pretty please???

I will post the recipe shortly. Hopefully, by this evening. :)

[Jamie]

thanks love! :)

[Wildflower]

Thanks AuntieRozzi. The dals were looking good to me too, but I couldn't find the hing powder anywhere, that is actually in almost all the recipes too...:rolleyes: I guess I could ask at the indian grocery store if they could order it...:)

[Kiran]

Kiran, you MUST post those recipes!! :D

pretty please???

Here goes..:)

You need....

3 bunches of spinach (fresh and cleaned) - I usually buy the canned ones!
150 gms Tofu
1 onion
Olive oil
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder
¾ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon green chili paste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder

Preparation :

- Mix the ginger-garlic paste and green chili paste with spinach.
- Blend the mixture in a blender to make an even thick spinach paste.
- Cut the tofu into small cubes.
- Heat oil in a pan and then deep fry the cubes till it is light brown. (Caution : Tofu has the tendency to wildly explode whilst deep frying. Be very careful. I'v a permanent mark on my forehad caused due to one of my tofu frying exploits ). You can even shallow fry if you are not keen about a nice firm texture.
- In a cooking pan heat 2 tea-spoons oil and fry the bay leaves and cumin seeds.
- Add the chopped onion.
- Add salt, black pepper powder, garam masala.
- Add the fried tofu cubes and cooked spinach.
- Serve hot with rice or Naan!

[Wildflower]

Thanks Kiran!

That's an unfortunate tofu injury...I'll watch out for that!

[grillie]

Wildflower,
(I apologise if someone has already told you that), hing powder is also known as asafoetida powder. It is used mainly as a substitute for onions and garlic in some Indian recipes, although, as my partner has just pointed out, some Indian recipes use both hing and garlic as ingredients.
Cheers,
Grillie

[Wildflower]

Thanks grillie! I did know it was also called that, but I couldn't remember how to spell it to post it. :o

That makes sense it would be in everything in this cookbook, because none of the recipes call for garlic/onion as it is vedic cooking.

[Tigerlily]

Question:
Can I use onion or garlic for these recipes? I can't get hing/asafoetida here.

[teaboy]

The reason Yamuna Devi's book does not mention onions and garlic (or mushrooms), is that it is essentially a Krishna cookbook; and these items are abstained from because they stimulate the central nervous system and disturb meditation.