CHENNAI: Vegan Gajar Motichoor Laddu
Ingredients
Winter carrots (Gajar): 2, big
Jaggery powder/Brown sugar: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Dry ginger powder: 1/4 tsp
Nuts/seeds: 3 tsp, finely chopped
METHOD
1.Peel the carrots and mince them to fine consistency in a vegetable shredder. Carrot size should look like motichoor.
2 .Heat a heavy bottom pan. Add the minced carrots to the pan and roast them while tossing periodically on medium heat.
3. After about five-six minutes when the carrots are soft, add the jaggery powder/ brown sugar, mix well and allow it to cook for sometime.
4. Sprinkle cardamom powder, nuts, and ginger powder.
5 .On medium heat, cook till the carrots get to binding consistency.
6.Try making a small laddu to check if it’s ready to bind. If not, cook for a few more minutes.
7.Allow this mixture to cool for a minute before making the laddus.
8.You can store them in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Vegan Dates
PoliIngredients
Peanut: 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds: 1/4 cup
Fresh coconut: 1 cup
Dates: 2.5 cups, deseeded
Ginger powder: 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
METHOD
1 .Dry roast all ingredients except dates. Allow them to cool and blend them to fine powder along with dates.
2 .Depending on the softness of dates, the paste will be soft or moist. If needed, add very little water while blending. The filling is ready.
3 .Knead two cups of wheat flour to semi hard consistency. Leave it for 30 minutes.
4 .Make small round balls of the dough. Make a small depression in it and add sufficient filling.
5 .Gently wrap the dough around the filling and roll the poli to thin/thick.
6 .Heat a pan and slow cook the poli on both sides.
7 .Sprinkle a little oil (optional) while cooking.
Vegan Badam Halwa
Ingredients
Almond: 1 cup
Jaggery powder: 3/4 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
Saffron: a few strands
Any nut milk: 1/2 cup
METHOD
1 .Powder almonds finely, do not remove the peel.
2 .Use a pan with a handle. Add all the above ingredients to the pan. Mix well.
3 .On medium heat, cook by stirring periodically.
4 .As the almonds cook, the oil from the nuts are released, which is sufficient for the halwa. Cook till you get a halwa consistency.
5 .Transfer to a bowl while it is still warm. Garnish with any crushed seeds.
6 .The halwa can be stored for three days in a refrigerator.
7 .You can choose to add fresh mango pulp as a topping.
Vegan Sabudana
Apple Kheer
Ingredients
Any nut milk: 2 cups
Sabudana: 3/4 cup, soaked
Custard apple: 1 cup, deseeded and mashed
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Saffron: a few strands
Mixed seeds, roasted: for garnish
METHOD
1. Soak sabudana in water for three to four hours.
2 .Heat a little oil in a pan and cook sabudana till they become transparent.
3. Add thick nut milk, cardamom powder, saffron and mix well.
4. Let it to cook for a few minutes. Be careful to not boil the milk.
5. Remove from the heat and add mashed custard apple.
6 .Serve in bowls and garnish with roasted mixed seeds.