Ujwala's Delicacies

Indian inspired all natural kitchen.

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.

Brussels Sprouts, raw mango chutney

Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds is associated with quality health. It significantly lowers risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions. Eating green vegetables as raw mangoes, brussels sprouts decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and weight gain. Brussels sprouts don’t normally elicit a positive reaction from many people. Take a chance this holiday season to cook up more yummy recipes featuring Brussels sprouts. And every season, these recipes convert more and more people into Brussels sprouts lovers! These veggies are full of fiber and vitamin C, making them a nutritious addition to any meal!

Raw mango recipes are probably new to the western world. For Indians, especially South Indians, raw mango dishes are a staple. Mango has culinary significance at all stages, mature and immature. Pickles, soups, dal, mango rice, chutneys, salads, desserts, drinks, you name it. Mango is considered to be the king of fruits as it is the top fruit crop of India. Mangoes grow in tropical and subtropical weather where there is no high humidity and rain during the flowering stage. Southern India fits ideal cultivation conditions for mango.

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.

Raw Jackfruit Dumplings

Dumplings or pot stickers is western known word for dim-sum (as called in China) or Momos (as in Tibet and Nepal). Momo is Nepali and Tibetan delicacy. It is a type of dumpling filled with vegetables, cheese or meat, is one of the main menu items in all Tibetan and Nepali restaurants. Though traditionally filled with yak meat, in different areas of North east India, chicken, pork, goat and buffalo meat is used and eaten with a variety of sauces.

Tibet is situated in north of the Himalayas. Extensive mountain ranges to the east of the Tibetan Plateau mark the border with China, and the towering Himalayas of Nepal and India form a barrier between Tibet and India.

Easy Taro stir fry

Taro roots are large and nutty version of arbi, arvi or colocasia roots. Taro is not arbi as many think. Different species of Taro roots are native to Southeast Asia and southern India. Now it is cultivated and used in many places all around the world. Taro has reddish brown lines over pure white. It is not as sticky as arbi. Stir fry comes out perfect. Safely replace potato or sweet potato in a recipe. Taro can be roasted, boiled, simmer, mashed, or fried.

Skinny Sweet potato soup

Did you know you can make full-flavored, creamy soup with out broth and dairy? Trust me you will not miss broth, butter in taste, flavor and aroma. Soup is supposed to be light. It is an anticipation to upcoming meal. With broth and heavy cream soup can load up calories equivalent to meal. Soups made of canned ingredients and stock cubes are high in sodium, bad fat, less in nutrients. This kind of soup is unsatisfactory too. Soup is my favorite fall, winter relish. It feels so comforting sipping a warm bowl of soup.

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.

Spicy asparagus, avocado lettuce wrap

A vibrant, crunchy, protein rich, light dinner or medium-sized snack. Smooth avocado with roasted red bell peppers, crunchy asparagus makes this dish a vivid delicacy. Those times when you don’t have big appetite for dinner or feel lazy to make roti, this dish serves your purpose. Usually I make this dish with left over avocado. When hot,…

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Vegetable 65

A snack, ultimately satisfying in taste, calories and health. There’s no need to skip when you make healthy appetizers! Appetizers are bite sized anticipation of an upcoming meal. Sounds good, but what is 65? It has a story. Many years back, there was a military canteen in some place in Andhra Pradesh, India. Their chicken section had item number 65. It was quiet famous. To order, they say chicken 65. Thats how chicken 65 evolved. Vegetarian 65 is same recipe as chicken 65 with few modifications. Modifications are necessary because vegetables become soggy and dish is supposed be crispy. This bite-sized appetizer easier to grab and consume, very little effort or mess while maintaining hygiene. With minimal store-bought ingredients, this dish is most environmentally friendly, safe for pets too. Don’t forget to use bio degradable toothpicks instead of plastic forks.