Bengali Style 3 course Vegan Meal ( Part 1)

 
Bengalis and Fish are synonymous in India. We are so proud of our extensive cuisine involving different fishes. Not only cooking the fish but each has its own prep recipes. But we also have a vast range of vegetarian dishes, mostly vegan. Once I am into veganism, I started looking and found there are so many vegan dishes but we mostly try to avoid them because of the intricate prep methods. So I picked up a few recipes and made my ow3-course rainy day meal. This is good for both lunch and dinner. I have updated the recipes below.

Moong Dal Khichdi (One pot rice and mung dal porridge)

Khichdi is a staple food in a Bengali household. If the weather is rainy, the menu must be khichdi with lots of veggie fritters, papad and a fish/ egg fry as per choice. Also, khichdi is served as ''Prasada" in most Hindu temples and ceremonies. Moong dal khichdi is the most popular recipe amongst Bengali. So not to delay anymore, let's hop into the preparation.

Ingredients:

Rice ( any rice will work, preferably Gobindobhog rice. I have attached a link from Amazon - Bengali Khichudi Rice ) - 2 cups

Moong Dal - 1 cup

Ginger paste - 1/2 a teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoon

Bay leaves - 2 big ones

Dried Red Chilli - 2 pcs

Green peas - 1/2 a bowl

Tomato - half, cut into quarters

Chilli - 2 pcs

Salt - as per taste

Tumeric powder - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Vegan Ghee - 2 tablespoon ( You can buy it from here )

White Oil - 3 tablespoon

You can also throw in raisin, cashew and cauliflower but as I have added them in the other two dishes so I skipped these in khichdi.

Recipe - 1) Take a big wok and preheat it. Once it is hot enough, roast the moong dal until it is nutty brown and a roasted flavour develops. Transfer it in a bowl and let it cool down. Once cooled, wash it under running water and then spread it in a plate and let it dry.

2) Take the rice and soak it in water for 2 hours. It will soften the rice and will be easy to cook.

3) Put the same oak on the gas and add white oil. Once it is heated, add bay leaves and dried red chillies. Make sure you tear them into two pieces before adding it in the oil. Fry them in medium heat until the spicy smell develops.

4) Add cumin seeds and fry them. Then add the veggies ( peas, tomato and chilli) and fry them until the skins are translucent. Then add the ginger paste and cook it for another 2 minutes. Make sure that the veggies remain in shape.

5) Add the soaked rice and cook it in high heat. Add ghee and cook it until all the rice particles become translucent. Then add the roasted moong dal and cook it for another 5 mins.

6) Add all the dry spices and cook them until the raw smell of spice is gone. Then add salt and mix it well. You may also add sugar at this stage if you want it a bit sweet.

7) Add water until the rice is merged. Cover it and let the rice cook for 15- 20 mins. Stir the rice every five minutes so that it does not get stuck to the wok and also the grains in the top get cooked. Use the transfer method; bring the bottom part over the top part. Once the rice is cooked and very little water is left, turn off the gas and let it sit covered for another 5 mins. After 5mins, your Moong dal khichdi is ready.

Serve it with Panchmeshali Torkari (Bengali mixed veggie) or Labda (mushy Bengali Pujo mixed veggie), a lot of veggie fritters and Tomato Khejur Chutney (Bengali style Tomato Chutney).

Happy Cooking!!! 😃