Indian Food Made Easy recipes: Soya Chunks Pulao, Mohabbat ka Sharbat

Our guest is Priya Lakshminarayan, who's usually creating delicious ideas for her website Cookilicious.com. Today she shares a recipe from her book, 'The Essential Vegan Indian Cookbook', a rice dish called Pulao. Plus, how to make the 'drink of love', Mohabbat ka Sharbat. 

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Soya Pulao

"Soya Pulao is an Indian vegan rice dish. It's aromatic, packed with flavors and very easy to make. This recipe is also ideal for those who have changed their lifestyle and become vegan. Soya chunks or TVP is a meat substitute and can help satisfy all the meat cravings once you have turned vegan. 

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 cup soya chunks
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp vegan ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, grated or paste
• 7-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• ½ tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp Biryani masala
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• fried onions, to garnish

Directions

1. Cook rice in rice cooker with 3 ½ cups water, cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Once cooked, discard whole spices.
2. To cook soya chunks, bring water to boil in pan, and add salt and ½ tsp turmeric powder, followed by soya chunks. Press down to absorb water and let cook for 15-20 minutes until soft and swollen.
3. Drain, cool, squeeze out excess water to prepare for use.
4. In pan, heat vegan ghee. Add cumin seeds and allow to sizzle 5 seconds.
5. Add minced garlic, ginger paste, minced jalapeño, and sliced onions to pan. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
6. Add chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and cook until soft.
7. Stir in sliced bell pepper, ½ tsp turmeric powder, garam masala, and Biryani masala. Cook another 2 minutes.
8. Add prepared soya chunks to pan and mix into masalas, cooking together for 4-5 minutes.
9. Gently fold in cooked rice. Drizzle with lemon juice, if using, and garnish with chopped cilantro.
10. Cover and leave pan on low heat to allow flavors to steam together 2 minutes.
11. Serve Soya Chunks Pulao hot with raita (see recipe below) or Mirchi Ka Salan on the side.

Burani Boondi Raita

"Yogurt Raita is served as an accompaniment to Pulao."

Ingredients

• 2 cups yogurt
• ½ cup water or milk (if needed to adjust consistency)
• 1 tsp black salt
• 2 tsp chili powder or paprika
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 5 curry leaves
• 1 green chili, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• ¾ cup boondi (fried chickpea flour droplets)

Directions

1. In mixing bowl, whisk yogurt until creamy, smooth, and free of lumps. Add water or milk if needed to achieve desired consistency.
2. Stir in black salt, chili powder, and roasted cumin powder.
3. Heat oil in small tadka pan or skillet. Once hot, add mustard seeds and wait until they begin to crackle.
4. Add curry leaves, minced green chili, and minced garlic to tadka pan. Fry for about a minute or until garlic turns lightly golden in color.
5. Pour prepared tadka (tempered spices and oil) over yogurt mixture.
6. Add chopped cilantro to spiced yogurt.
7. Depending on preference, either add crisped boondi directly to yogurt to retain crunch or soak boondi in water for 5 minutes, squeeze out excess water (to remove excess oil), then mix into yogurt.
8. Chill raita in fridge until serving time for best flavor.
9. Right before serving, optionally sprinkle more chili powder and cumin powder on top for garnish.
10. Serve Burani Boondi Raita chilled alongside biryani, pulao, or any curry dish.

Mohabbat ka Sharbat 

"Mohabbat ka Sharbat (Watermelon Rose Drink) is loaded with the cooling properties of watermelon and aromatic flavors from rose syrup which makes it an ideal perfect rose summer drink. It also pairs well with a spicy meal like Soya Pulao."

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• ¼ cup water (for soaking chia seeds)
• 1 cup watermelon chunks (shaped as preferred, optionally chilled in freezer 5-10 minutes)
• 2 cups chilled milk
• 2 tbsp simple syrup
• ¼ cup condensed milk
• 2 tbsp rose syrup
• 2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup ice cubes

Directions

1. Soak chia seeds in water 5 minutes. After soaking, chia seeds will have absorbed water and become gelatinous.
2. If preferred, shape watermelon into rounds or desired shapes using fruit melon baller. For chilled effect, place watermelon chunks in freezer 5-10 minutes.
3. In mixing bowl, add chilled milk.
4. Stir in simple syrup, rose syrup, and condensed milk until well combined.
5. Fold in watermelon chunks and soaked chia seeds.
6. Add scoops of vanilla ice cream and ice cubes to bowl, mix gently.
7. Pour mixture into serving glasses.
8. Serve Mohabbat ka Sharbat chilled as a refreshing and sweet drink.

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