Maharashtrian Varan/Dal: Vegan Indian dish

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A light and easy to prepare vegan Indian dish (varan) made of split pigeon peas/toovar dal from the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Maharsahtrian varan/Dal | The Novice Housewife #vegan #glutenfree #dairyfree

The days leading up to my dad’s retirement were full of farewell dinners hosted by many of my dad’s friends and colleagues. Each day my parents had a dinner engagement either at somebody’s house or the Mess and to a few of these dinners I, too, was invited. In that one month of dining out almost everyday, we tasted a variety of menus, ranging from a cheese and wine dinner to Kashmiri food to traditional Maharashtrian fare. I don’t think I have ever eaten so much, and of course the weighing scale made sure I never forgot it either. But then, I got to taste so many different things- some new, some old, some good, some very good. In the end it was all worth it.

Maharsahtrian varan/Dal | The Novice Housewife #vegan #glutenfree #dairyfree

As mentioned before, at one of the dinners we were served traditional Maharashtrian cuisine. It was all beautifully served, pre-plated in a Thali, a total of close to 15 dishes, each prepared by our very gracious hostess. My mom particularly loved the dal and the kadhi and asked for both the recipes, which the hostess was kind enough to share. While certain Indian dishes have been made more popular worldwide, there are a lot of Indian dishes that are unknown to most people and what you see being served in restaurants abroad are mostly North indian favorites. So, I hope you enjoy this recipe that I am sharing with you today, which comes from the western state of Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital, Mumbai and to the famous Bollywood industry. Read More →

Garam Masala Tuesdays: Vegetarian Kebabs

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Vegetarian Kebabs | The Novice Housewife

Vegetarian Kebabs | The Novice Housewife

When I was in Allahabad during my last trip to India, the cook at my parents place would make these vegetarian kebabs for us to snack on with drinks. Good times, I tell ya! Since I could not get the cook back with me to the US of A, I asked my parents’ cook to give me the recipe.

Now most of us don’t measure when we cook, so the cook gave me an approximation of the recipe. First time I tried it, I had to make quite a few changes to the recipe to get the right consistency to be able to stick together. I made them for the new year’s party at our house and they were a big hit. Luckily I had noted the changes, so it was perfect the next time I made them.

You could deep fry these, like I chose to for the party, or you could bake them basted with a little oil as well. Of course the deep fried version are always tastier, but the baked version is almost equally good as well.

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Creamy Raw Chocolate Ice cream

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CREAMY RAW CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

My one week of raw food is over. I did not lose as much weight as I wanted (I was quite disappointed yesterday about that but after eating a hot meal today I am fine), but I do feel a difference in my body shape. I feel flatter and leaner. Plus I imagine with all the greens I put in my body the past week, I only did it good. So what if I did not lose as much as I did last time, (which is weird because this time I exercised as well), I did my body a favor either way.

It was a difficult one week. But I managed it. And this sugar free, vegan, more or less guilt free banana ice cream helped me quite a bit.

Seriously, this was a treat that I had been craving for. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was deprived of all things unhealthy, but I found this ice cream to taste exactly how a chocolate ice cream tastes- creamy and chocolatey. And it comes together in a jiffy. All you need is a frozen banana and raw cacao powder. I did use a splash of almond milk just to get the blender going, but you might not require it at all. No churning in the ice cream maker. No cooking raw yolks. No cream. No nothing. Just a frozen banana, cacao powder and a blender and in two minutes you have a nice creamy chocolate ice cream without the added guilt that comes with ice cream.

A friend sent me the link to this recipe when she saw that I was on raw. It will be unfair on my part to not share this recipe with as many people as I can. So here it is- Creamy Raw Chocolate Ice cream.

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