Lacto vegetarian, vegan recipes and reviews!
Sticky rice with mango is one of my family’s favourite dessert. There is something about the flavor and texture that makes it appealing to the masses. Sweet sticky rice soaked in coconut milk is paired with sweet juicy mangoes! What’s not to like?! No wonder …
Mango sasive, maavina hannu sasive is yet another simple and quick side dish from Mangalore. With mangoes now in season, I really wanted to share this gem of a recipe, so those who haven’t tried it yet, have enough time to prepare saasive before mangoes …
Jackfruit kottige takes me back home to Mangaluru, a beautiful coastal city in the south of India. Jackfruits are celebrated in the region. Us Mangaloreans absolutely love this fruit! Varieties of savory dishes are prepared using raw/tender jackfruits. They are also preserved in brine for …
Jackfruit seeds koftas in a creamy masala sauce makes a delicious vegetarian kofta curry . Easily made vegan too! Kofta is a dish that is found in different cuisines in South and Western Asia. Koftas are generally made with meat, call it an Asian meatball. …
Halasina kayi palya is an easy, vegan South Indian unripe jackfruit recipe. Unripe jackfruit (halasina kayi) is a delicacy in my hometown of Mangalore. I grew up eating jackfruit and after a few years of living in the USA, when I finally found a pack …
Do you like mango lassi? How about mango salsa? Here is a healthy yogurt parfait inspired by mango lassi and mango salsa! Mango lassi is an Indian yogurt drink, prepared by blending yogurt and mangoes along with sugar, absolutely delicious. This yogurt parfait is like …
Easy and super tasty silken tofu recipe with steamed tofu topped with pan seared mushrooms, roasted peanuts and soy sauce. Various cultures have their versions of steamed silken tofu with traditional toppings. This one here is my not so traditional recipe with lots of mushrooms, …
Quick and easy dip made using butter fruit/avocado, onions, green chilli, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Tasty and nutritious too! Guacamole is a simple avocado dip originating in Mexico and is very popular in the USA. Made with just a few ingredients, it’s smooth, silky …
South Indian style methi bhaji with moong(mung bean) sprouts and coconut. Simple, delicious and nutritious! I SO love making methi bhaji with mung bean sprouts. If I had to explain the taste in words, imagine the fragrance and deliciousness of methi, perfectly cooked sprouts, a …
Fragrant and flavorful tomato rasam/Saaru made with freshly roasted spices and coconut! If you love rasam, you need to give this version a try! If you haven’t heard of rasam, it is a South Indian spicy broth generally served over rice. It can also be …
Genasale – steamed rice cakes filled with coconut and jaggery, wrapped in banana leaves. Patholi/Patoleo – steamed rice cakes filled with coconut and jaggery, wrapped in turmeric leaves. Genasale and patholi/patoleo are two very similar sweet rice dumplings prepared in the western coast of Karnataka, …
Baingan bharta is a vegan eggplant recipe that literally translates to Eggplant mash. While there are many regional versions of this dish, this is a recipe for restaurant style baingan bharta. Eggplant is one of those veggies that is not a crowd favourite and has …
Easy South Indian style bitter gourd recipe that’s not bitter! Can you make bitter gourd taste NOT bitter without the use of any kind of sweeteners? Yes, you can! Try this recipe to find out for yourself 🙂 I first made this on a whim, …
Authentic falafel recipe with all the troubleshooting tips and other tips for great falafels.
These delicious authentic falafels can easily be made at home. Crunchy outside, soft and fluffy inside, these little fried snacks are delicious! With the goodness of chickpeas, herbs and warm spices, these can be enjoyed plain or dipped in tahini sauce or any middle-eastern inspired sauce.
Falafels are deep fried snack balls from the middle eastern and Mediterranean region. They are believed to have originated in Egypt. They are made of chickpeas/fava beans and a blend of herbs and spices.
In most of the middle-east, falafels are prepared from chickpeas whereas in Egypt, they are also prepared using fava beans. The beans are soaked and ground coarse, along with herbs, spices, garlic and onion and are traditionally deep fried.
Yes, falafels are naturally vegan.
It is not recommended. The best texture comes from soaked dry chickpeas like in this authentic falafel recipe. You would have to add a binding agent if using canned, so that they don’t fall apart in oil.
Authentic falafel recipe uses dry chickpeas. Soak dry chickpeas in a lot of water overnight. They will swell and double in size.
Too much water in the falafel mixture will make it difficult to form tight falafel balls. Too much water may also cause the falafels to break in oil.
Here are a few tips to ensure the mixture does not have a lot of water.
While it is not compulsory, it is recommended that the mixture be rested for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. When you rest, the starch from ground chickpeas seeps out, making it easier to shape falafel. If resting, I recommend adding the salt after refrigeration, so that the onions and herbs in the mixture don’t seep out water, making our falafel mixture more wet.
If falafel is absorbing a lot of oil, the oil may not be hot enough. A hot enough oil (about 350-375 Fahrenheit/175-190 Celsius) is necessary for deep frying. When oil is hot enough, the outer surface of the food you are frying forms a crust quickly which reduces further oil absorption. If oil is not hot enough, the crust does not form quick enough and meanwhile more oil gets absorbed into the food.
1. Oil may be too hot.
2. Falafel mixture is too wet. Fix is to reduce the water content in the mixture so add some flour, chickpea flour would be the best choice, any other flour would work too. Breadcrumbs would help too.
3. Falafel mixture may be too coarse.
