Vegetarianism & Beyond

Sacred Vegetarian Recipes - Prasadam

World Vegetarian Day 1st October each year

World Vegetarian Awareness Month - October

http://www.hknet.org.nz/VegeWVD.html

see what's already happened last year http://www.hknet.org.nz/VegeWVD2004.html

see what we hear is to be happening this year

See our previous World Vegetarian Day issue of the newsletter for a wide range of Vegetarian issues
2005 World Vegetarian Day newsletter
Shaligram Tirtha Pradarshini newsletter October 2005 - Theme Prasadam

Vege update:
Social scientists and law enforcement officials have identified animal abuse as a symptom of emotional illness and a precursor to violent crimes against human beings. To allow individuals guilty of perpetrating such cruel acts to go unpunished or not sufficiently punished would be to sanction these horrific crimes and would permit them to go on to possibly commit violent crimes against humans.

The Animal Spirit Newsletter - Issue #2 -  4/21/03-4/27/03

The book "Living a Good Life" normally selling at $21.95 is now going at the $14.95 price, .http://vegsoc.wellington.net.nz/livingGd.htm

This list is about vegetarian kitchen crafts. This list is created for postings regarding back to basics vegetarian kitchen crafts. When we say vegetarian we mean no meat, fish or eggs. When we say back to basics, we mean tips on making yeast, bread, gluten, tofu, sprouts and so forth. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vkcrafts   Post a Message: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vkcrafts/post

Kurma's Khichari recipe.

Hearty One-pot Melange of Mung Beans, Rice & Vegetables (Khichari)

Khichari (pronounced "kitch-eri") is such an important dish for vegetarians that I have included a different recipe for it in each of my cookbooks. The flavoursome, juicy stew of mung beans, rice and vegetables is both nutritious and sustaining. It can be served anytime a one-pot meal is required You can practically live on khichari, and in fact, some people do. I eat it accompanied by a little yogurt, some whole-wheat toast, lemon or lime wedges and topped with a drizzle of melted ghee. Bliss! Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
½ cup split mung beans,
washed and drained 6 cups water
1 bay leaf 1.5cm
(½-inch) chunk ginger,
chopped fine 1 small green chili, seeded and chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 cup Thai rice, or other long grain rice of your choice
1 packed cup each broccoli, potato cubes and quartered Brussels sprouts, or veg of your choice
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons ghee
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
small handful curry leaves
½ teaspoon yellow asafetida powder
½ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
wedges of lemon,
some chilled yogurt,
and extra ghee for serving

Bring to a boil in a saucepan the mung beans, water, bay leaf, ginger, chili, turmeric and coriander, then reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the beans start to break up.

Add the rice, vegetables, tomatoes and salt, increase the heat, and stirring, bring to a boil, then return to a simmer, covered. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is soft.

Season: heat the ghee in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds, fry until a few shades darker, and add the curry leaves – careful, they crackle. Sprinkle in the yellow asaffetida powder, swirl the pan and empty the fried seasonings into the khichari. Stir the seasonings through, then return to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the rice is fully swollen and soft. If you desire a moist khichari, add a little boiling water now.

Serve: fold in the fresh coriander, and serve the khichari piping hot with a drizzle of warm ghee, and the accompaniments suggested above.

Patisa (Soan Papdi)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup gramflour
1 1/4 cup plain flour (maida)
250 gms. ghee
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds crushed coarsely
2 tsp. charmagaz (combination of 4 types of seeds)
(Charmagaz paste: Seed mixture - muskmelon, watermelon, pumpkin, cucumber seeds in equal quantites.)
4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet

Method

Sift both flours together.
Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan.
Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden.
Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally.
Prepare syrup simultaneously.
Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk as shown in section on syrups and thread test below.
Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency.
Pour at once into the flour mixture.
Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes.
Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly.
Sprinkle the charmagaz seeds and elaichi and gently press down with palm.
Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet.
Store in airtight container.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 20 pieces (approx.)
Shelflife: 2 weeks

Thread test:
Consistency in sugar syrup is measure by the thread test. Whenever slightly cooled syrup checked by the pinch method, between indexfinger and thumb, it forms threads depending on how much it has boiled. If no thread is form and pinching shows only wateriness then no thread is formed.
Following is the thread test (tar) to check required consistency of syrup (chashni). If no thread is formed, but there is stickiness in the syrup when tested, then it is 3/4 tar (thread). This consistency is generally used in dipping sweets like, gulabjamoon, boondi, jalebi, imarti, etc. Boil some more and when 1 tar forms, it is used in soaking pancake pancakes like malpua. On further boiling two tars are obtained and this is used in sweets like burfis, mohanthal, etc. At this stage a drop of syrup dropped on a plate will form a soft ball when cooled. After this stage do no stir briskly and continuously or the sugar will recrystallise. Still further boiling will form 2 1/2 to 3 tars and this syrup is used to get a white coating of sugar on sweets like balushahi, surti ghari, etc. At this stage when the syrup is dropped in a plate it will form a hard ball when cooled.
Following are the steps shown to make sugar syrup (chashni) in the right way.
Take sugar and water in the ratio of 2 : 1 1/2 unless other wise mentioned.
Put both in a deep saucepan to boil, stirring occasionally.
When the mixture comes to a boil, add 1/2 cup milk.
When a thick scum is formed on the surface of syrup, it is time to strain.
Always use a metal strainer or moist cloth to strain the hot syrup, never plastic.
Put back to boil, checking the consistency required as above.
Check frequently, because once the first thread forms, it proceeds to thicken to the next stages very quickly.
Use as required in the recipe.
Make syrup side by side of making the recipe, reheating the syrup too many times will alter the texture of the resulting sweet dish.
To save time, prepare the syrup on a second burner, while making the rest of the recipe. This will avoid excess wastage of time and unnecessary cooling off, of the fried flours, etc. as the recipe demands.

India's Festival Two Coloured Coconut Barfi

Ingredients:
2 fresh coconuts, grated
3 cups milk,
1/2 cup cream (malai)
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp saffron, heated, curshed and dissolved in a tbsp.of milk.
400 gms. sugar
some drops of green colour.

Method:
In a heavy-bottomed dekchi cook milk, malai and grated coconut.
Keep stirring in between when the mixture starts thickening, add sugar.
Lower the fire, stir occasionally till the mixture becomes real thick and leaves the sides of the dekchi.
Remove dekchi from fire. Divide the mixture into two equal parts.
Take away one part, add a few drops of green colour and half of the cardamom powder. Mix well so that the green colour is evenly spread.
Lightly grease a deep metal plate. Place this green lump in the thali and spread it into even layer.
Now place the dekchi containing one portion on medium fire and put in the saffron milk. Stir well so that this coconut mixture comes to a nice yellow colour.
While stirring add the remaining half of the cardamom powder.
Spread this on the green layer in the plate.
With the back of a big round spoon make the barfi even and smooth.
Spread one or two silver varg (leaves) on top to add to its beauty.
When the barfi is well set. Cut it into square or diamond shapes.

Jagannath tongues - Paras Khaja

Ingredients:
125 gms. fine semolina
4 tsp. nonmelted ghee (clarified butter)
2 tsp. cornflour
2 tsp. melted ghee
1 pinch salt
ghee for deep frying

For syrup:
150 gms. sugar
3/4 cup water

Method:

Blend nonmelted ghee into semolina.
Add enough water to make a soft pliable dough.
Cover with a moist clean cloth, cover with lid.
Keep aside for four hours.
Divide dough into small portions.
Each portion should roll out thin chapathi of 10" diameter.
Make a paste of cornflour and melted ghee.
Apply thinly on each chappati.
Using a pizza cutter, cut each into 1" wide strips.
Roll each one tightly.
Press between both palms gently.
Roll lightly to flatten into concentric circles.
Heat ghee in frying pan, dip in one at a time.
With a ladle, keep pouring the ghee over khaja from sides.
When puffed, drain, keep aside on mesh.
Make syrup of 2-1/2 thread consistency from sugar. (refer feature on syrups for method)
Dip fried khaja into hot syrup, on both sides.
Drain carefully, replace on mesh till cool.
Cool completely before storing in container.

Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 45-50 khajas
Shelflife: 8-10 days

KHOYA -- ITS METHODS and ALTERNATIVES
http://www.bawarchi.com/features/feature5.html

Khoya or mawa is a dairy product. Khoya is used in making many sweets dishes and gravy vegetables. In India there is no problem in getting khoya from the stores. It is considered as one of the important dairy products and in many houses it is very commonely used. However, outside India, people do not know what khoya is, and it is not available in the stores and so you might find it difficult in making many dishes. But then there is always an alternative for everything. So also for khoya.

Khoya can be made at home, though the method is little tedious. It is prepared by boiling and reducing the milk to a semi-solid stage. There are different types of khoya depending on the use of ingredients and moisture content.

Batti ka khoya: This is solid and moulded khoya. It is made out of full cream buffalo milk. The milk is boiled in a large kadhai (big pan) on a high flame, and stirred occasionally. The flame is reduced when the milk thickens. When the mixture is in a semi-solid stage it is removed from the fire and set into moulds. A litre of milk will yield 200 gm of khoya. This khoya is used in burfies and laddus.

Daab ka (or chikna) khoya: This is made with low fat buffalo milk. The process of making it is the same as for batti ka khoya but it is removed from the fire slightly earlier. It is loose and sticky in consistency with a higher moisture content. It is suitable for making gulab-jamuns and gajar ka halwa.

Danedar (or granulated) khoya: This khoya is made out of full cream buffalo milk. The difference is that khoya is curdled slightly by adding little tartary in powder form. The milk curdles slightly hence the khoya is soft textured. Care should be taken not to spoil the texture while stirring. The water content is more than batti ka khoya but less than the chikna khoya. This type is used in making kalakand and laddu.

Alternatives

A number of readers have sent in alternatives to khoya:

I have a suggestion for all those who find it difficult to get Khoya. I have tried this for Kaju Peda and it always turns out excellent. I use Full Cream Condensed milk which is available everywhere. Microwave 1 tin condensed milk with 2 tsp ghee and 2 tsp curd for 6 minutes. Khoya is ready. It is too good. can be used for carrot halwa, kaju peda, kaju barfi etc.

All in my family like the sweets I make with this Khoya. So do try. Sumathi, Singapore:

The Animal Spirit Newsletter - Issue #2 -  4/21/03-4/27/03

"The beef industry has contributed to more deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people', you'd better live real close to a good hospital."

- Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Comittee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, D.C.