Red lentil fritters (bhajias)
Going plant-based doesn’t have to be boring. It’s so exciting when we try new things. These red lentil fritters (bhajias) are crispy and delicious. They are very popular in Gujarat, India. Yes they are fried and amazing hot and fresh. I love making them as lettuce wraps and add my tamarind chutney and kachumber ( an Indian pico de gallo) Recipe for kachumber berlow and tamarind chutney here.
Serves 8
Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 40 mins
Ingredients
2 cups red split lentils
1 tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin ground
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Oil for frying (grapeseed or sunflower)
Ingredients for katchumber
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ carrot, finely chopped
½ cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
lemon juice of ½ a lemon
pinch cayenne (to taste)
pinch Himalayan salt (to taste)
Directions
Soak lentils for 4-5 hours; rinse and add all ingredients into a food processor and grind for about 30 seconds to a minute till all lentils are ground and mixture is nicely combined.
In a wok or deep frying pan heat oil to medium high
Fry teaspoon fulls of red lentil mixture and fry till golden brown (about 7 mins) Remove and place on paper towel to drain the oil.
Decorate on a bed of lettuce and serve with katchumber and tamarind chutney like a lettuce wrap
Directions for Katchumber
Dice all ingredients and mix. Serve as a condiment to most indian dishes. Serve also as a topping with red lentil bhajias in a lettuce wrap.
Enjoy!!
Red lentil fritters (bhajias)
Going plant-based doesn’t have to be boring. It’s so exciting when we try new things. These red lentil fritters (bhajias) are crispy and delicious. They are very popular in Gujarat, India. Yes they are fried and amazing hot and fresh. I love making them as lettuce wraps and add my tamarind chutney and katchumber ( an Indian pico de gallo)
Serves 8
Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 40 mins
Ingredients
2 cups red split lentils
1 tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Oil for frying (grapeseed or sunflower)
Ingredients for katchumber
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ carrot, finely chopped
½ cucumber, finely chopped
Cilantro, finely chopped
lemon juice of ½ a lemon
pinch cayenne (to taste)
pinch Himalayan salt (to taste)
Directions
Soak lentils for 4-5 hours; rinse and add all ingredients into a food processor and grind for about 30 seconds to a minute till all lentils are ground and mixture is nicely combined.
In a wok or deep frying pan heat oil to medium high
Fry teaspoon fulls of red lentil mixture and fry till golden brown (about 7 mins) Remove and place on paper towel to drain the oil.
Decorate on a bed of lettuce and serve with katchumber and tamarind chutney like a lettuce wrap
Directions for Katchumber
Dice all ingredients and mix. Serve as a condiment to most indian dishes. Serve also as a topping with red lentil bhajias in a lettuce wrap.
Enjoy!!
Paneer /tofu tikka
Paneer tikka is a popular Indian appetizer where chunks of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) are marinated in yogurt and spices and then grilled in a tandoor( a traditional clay oven) and if you don’t have one, just barbecue the paneer tikka on a barbecue! And if you don’t have a barbecue, pan fry the tikka on a tawa (Indian griddle). If you are plant-based vegan, you can use firm tofu as well.
My take on this dish is that I have changed it up a bit and included Harissa, a North African Chilli paste which is a blend of hot red peppers, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, olive oil, garlic, tomato paste, salt and lemon juice.
The marinade is a blend of yogurt, garlic paste, ginger paste, Harissa, Himalayan salt and cumin ground.
PANEER TIKKA WITH SPICY MINT CHUTNEY
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs Paneer cheese or firm tofu
First marinade
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Second Marinade
4 tbs plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut paneer or tofu into thick cubes or in triangles or rectangles.
Mix the ingredients from the first marinade and marinate (paneer, tofu) for 20 minutes
Mix the ingredients from the second marinade and pour over the paneer, tofu , or chicken and marinate for 6 hours at least in the refrigerator
Grill on barbecue on medium high heat for 10 -15 minutes till you see the paneer with grill marks or golden brown.
Serve immediately with spicy mint chutney from my previous post.
Click here for Chicken tikka recipe