If the thought of being vegan makes you fearful for your taste buds, these wonderful recipes will ensure your life remains spiced
If any cooking culture knows about vegan food it’s Indian. 574 million Indians follow a meat-free diet and India has the highest number of vegans in the world.
Whether you believe going vegan is necessary to save the world (animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change), or whether you think eating vegan is simply good for your body and general health, the recipes here will excite and satisfy your mental and physical well being.
Author Doctor Sheil Shukla learned the benefits and power of plant-based nutrition to prevent and manage chronic illness during his medical training, and his love of Gujarati cooking was born cooking alongside his grandmother in Mumbai.
The recipes here mix his medical knowledge and his grandmother’s tradition to form a solid base of one hundred dishes with Shak (spiced vegetables), Dal (legume stews), Roti (flatbreads), Bhat (rice dishes) and more.
The majority of the spices you’ll already have, or can easily buy at the supermarket, the rarer others can be found in local Asian shops or be bought online. Fenugreek leaves (methi), for example, are a must in many dishes, although you can substitute with coriander, and you can get methi leaves dried as well as fresh from places such as The Asian Cookshop. It’s worth the effort as it makes a big difference.
The introduction sets out the stall on the benefits of plant-based eating, talks about what basics you’ll need in the larder, and gives some useful notes about cooking styles to ensure success.
From there it’s into the recipes with each page offering something mouthwatering. Shak is a Gujarati word for stir fried vegetables and adding flatbreads and dal makes a delicious meal rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Butternut squash stir fried with chana is so simple and perfect you’ll make it again and again.
There are over 100 totally vegan recipes, as well as shak dishes there are dals (legume stews), rotli (flatbreads), bhat (rice dishes), and more. Discover new ways with tofu that beat dairy based paneer, to enjoying vegan Nans, celebrations with Navratan Rice, cheaply filling Dal Makhani, and desserts such Chocolate Chai Mousse with Berries.
Great photos fill the book, if the dish descriptions don’t hook you then the images certainly will.
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