Ujwala's Delicacies

Indian inspired all natural kitchen.

Alu Gobi with chinese cauliflower

Alu Gobi with Chinese Cauliflower: A Healthy Fusion

Alu Gobi, a common vegetarian dish cooked in a majority of Indian households. The aromatic flavorsome alu gobi served with fluffy chappatis or steamed rice is a comfort food relished by kids, adults and the elderly generation after generation in India. Yet, potato & cauliflower stir-fry is also enjoyed by other nations. A little digging into the history takes us 8000 years back to South America where potatoes originated.

The potatoes journeyed from South America through Spain, Italy and reached England only in the 19th Century. Every country blended the potatoes with their very own veggies, herbs & seasoning. In between that, the 14th Century traces references of “alu gobi curry” in the cuisines of the affluent Mughal Empire. Mughals were believers of Islam with Turkish ancestry and their non-vegetarian recipes are popular till date. A wide assortment of rich spices and dry fruits came to India along with them. Drawing inspiration from the Central Asian Alu Gobi recipe, the royal Mughal’s chef impressed the royalty with meatless vegetarian curry made with potatoes, cauliflower, and exotic spices! The conjugal of alu gobi and spices made its mark in Indian vegetarian recipes. It has survived through years while the hands cooking them and mouths enjoying the lovely dish have changed.

Jackfruit curry

Huge and thorny on the outside, Jackfruit is the “porcupine” of the vegetable world. Once a jackfruit is cracked open, what you will find inside are pods or “bulb”. Regularly referred to as seeds, these bulbs are actually, kinds of fleshy covering over the true seeds or pits, which are round and dark like chesnuts. The fleshy part can be eaten, or cut up and cooked. When immature, it is amazingly similar in grain to chicken, making jackfruit is an excellent vegetarian substitute for meat. In fact, jackfruit is sometimes referred to as “vegetable meat”.
The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. Jackfruit is consumed as vegetable when young, as fruit when ripe. Jackfruit is rich in nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Jackfruit flesh and seeds are consumed. Seeds are boiled, spiced up, ate as snack or curry.

Young green Papaya rasam

Rasam is a South Indian dish served commonly with white rice. The term “rasam” literally means soup or juice in Tamil, while in Sanskrit it means “the essential products of digestion”. An authentic rasam would have a sour base prepared using tamarind. I may include lentils and vegetables. Often wise home cooks use the excess water from cooked dal. Cooked dal is used for dal or sambar. Flavorful, nutritious The spices of rasam blend in smoothly to create a flavorsome and aromatic spicy soup. This light savory papaya rasam fits appropriately as a low carb meal with brown rice or quinoa.

Colocasia Stem Sauté

Around the world, almost 10% folks relish a wide assortment of Colocasia as a staple food. The leaves of this plant are quite popular while Colacasia stems are enjoyed by a very limited group of people. So please go ahead and relish this low carb, highly nutritious delicacy. This vegan Colacasia Stem Saute is a gluten-free recipe. It is a delicious Keto Indian curry benefiting the body tremendously for being highly fibrous and packed with nutrition.

Colocasia: How to Recognize it by Form and Name?

Colocasia plants also known as Elephant-ear plants because of their large leaves shaped like those of elephant’s ears. Unlike Alocasia, Colocasia leaves droop downwards.

Colocasia is called by a host of names in different Indian languages such as Taro, Arvi (Hindi name); Kachu (Bengali); Aaloo (Marathi); Sempu (Tamil); Chempu (Malayalam); Kesavedantu (Kannada); Pan (Manipuri) etc.

Sautéed Malabar spinach with tahini

Introducing Malabar spinach (Basella alba or rubra) to the western world. Malabar spinach is highly grown and consumed widely in India and other parts of South Asia. Malabar spinach is fleshy, thick and slimy. Leaves and tender and vine stems are edible. They may be eaten in appetizers, sautéed, stir-fried, in soups, and curries. Even use in omelets, pasta dishes, casseroles.

Malabar spinach is not spinach. To me, there isn’t any relation visually or in taste. Maybe scientifically they are distantly related. This dish called bachali Kura in Telugu.

Banana leaf wrapped veggies cooked in green Coconut

In south India, traditionally food is served on banana leaf. The leaves are not eaten by themselves but are used as natural disposable plates and food wrappers. It was common to use for serving food before plates were discovered, better yet plates were widely available. Food wrapped and cooked in banana leaves absorbs flavor and nutrients, making food lusciously aromatic and much healthier. A natural seasoning god gifted to us. Eco-friendly, all-natural, chemical free disposable serving plates and utensils. Precisely as someone said – A beautifully biodegradable table setting.

Banana leaf is digested slowly. By cooking food on a banana leaf, you get the nutrients which are hard to digest for humans if eaten as-is. The waxy water proof coating on banana leaves gives the food a distinct better taste.

Malabar Spinach in lentils

Dal with rice or roti is a staple food in every Indian household. My childhood was no different and I’m carrying on the tradition with my family. Lentils are a tasty, nutritious item on a vegetarian dinner plate. Low in calories, and high in protein, calcium, fiber, lentils are versatile food to your diet. Many ways to transform lentils – dal, salads, spreads. Lentils cook much quicker than dried beans and do not need soaking before cooking. You will love this simple, easy, homespun weekday meal. Boost your dal by adding any greens or veggies to make it heart friendly, diabetic friendly. Lentils are a hassle-free addition to any meal with nutty and earthy in flavor. Lentils are available with or without the husk. The husk contains the highest amount of dietary fiber. Consuming lentils with husk adds taste and highest amount of dietary fiber content to your diet.

Malabar spinach or Indian spinach is not spinach at all. It doesn’t look or taste like spinach at all. Malabar spinach leaves are thick, fleshy. They cook very fast. Other than making lentils, you can saute, make soups out of Malabar spinach. This dish called bachali kura pappu in Telugu.

Vegetable Ulava chaaru Biryani

“Ulava Charu” in other words horse gram lentil soup or kollu rasam, is South Indian states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’s favorite soup. Ulava Charu is a traditional yet lusciously luxurious Andhra Rasam. It is generally served with rice and topped with home made butter. Instead of ulava chaaru mixed in rice yourself, this recipe brings you that aroma, taste immersed together. It gives most pleasure to taste buds. It is served as a special dish when special guests arrive. Horse Gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is not very popular bean anywhere other than South India. In South India it a rich and delectable food.

In South India, Rasam or Charu is staple food. It is watery and soup consistency and is usually consumed with rice, lentils and ghee. Sometimes rasam is served as a gravy with dry fry dishes. Lately, its been consumed a soup as well. Rasam tastes sour, tangy and flavorful. It is made of tamarind juice base. It can be made of tamarind juice cooked in a variety of vegetables or plain cooked tamarind with tampering, cooked lentils and spices. You can make wide varieties of rasams by changing sour agent. Click post to see more.

Braised Kohlrabi with magic spice

Immerse in the joy of discovering a new, delicious vegetable. Kohlrabi is not a prominent vegetable in house hold cooking. It is often overlooked in market. If you explore kohlrabi, you ll quickly realize the refreshing sweetness, delicious complex taste. It’s time for kohlrabi to make more prominent place in your cooking. Kohlrabi is bulb with attached bundle of greens. Both bulb and leaves are edible. Bulb is soft as radish, and has sweetness of bottle guard.

Wish you a very happy Ugadi, Gudi padwa

The Hindu New year in India is called with different names in every state. It falls on different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar. It is celebrated as Ugadi in Andhra and Karnataka, Gudipadwa in Maharashtra, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam, Vaisakhi in Punjab, Pana Sankranti in Orissa and Naba Barsha in West Bengal. It falls on the month of Chaitra which is the first month according to Indian calendar Panchanga.