RECIPES: ‘Indian mom wisdom’ passed down in new vegan cookbook
“Food is Love: Plant-Based Indian-Inspired Recipes to Feel Joy and Connection” ($35, Harvest), available May 7, is the first cookbook from celebrity chef Palak Patel.
Born in India, Patel moved with her family to Stone Mountain in 1990. “In fact the day the book comes out will be the 34th anniversary of our arrival here,” Patel said when we spoke by telephone. Her family still lives in metro Atlanta and Patel returned here after living in San Francisco and New York City.
Growing up in Madhya Pradesh state in central India, Patel was raised in a vegetarian household with all meals cooked from scratch for the 15 family members living under the same roof. By age 7, she was helping in the kitchen, creating her own dishes and enjoying the compliments that came along with her cooking.
The book is organized into nine chapters that explore the connection between what you serve and eat and how you feel. From “Food is Caring” to “Food is Indulgent,” Patel shares stories of family, what she calls “Indian mom wisdom” and how her global travels have provided culinary inspiration.
For those just venturing into plant-based Indian cooking, the book includes a chapter on Patel’s pantry, with the ingredients she finds most versatile and instructions on how to make your own spice blends. The section on tools can help allay fears that Indian-inspired food requires an abundance of equipment. Patel lists only six as essential: a Tennessee-made Lodge cast-iron griddle, small food chopper, high-speed blender, nonstick skillet, enameled cast-iron skillet and a wooden rolling pin.
As for where to buy any ingredients not available at the local grocery store, Patel says her go-to source is any Patel Brothers shop (no relation). There are three in metro Atlanta: Decatur, Kennesaw and Suwanee. Patel will also launch an Amazon Marketplace May 7 to make it easy to source what’s needed to cook any of the recipes in this book. The marketplace will be accessible from her website, chefpalakpatel.com, which will also showcase videos on how to cook many of the recipes from the book.
RECIPES
Serve these four recipes from “Food is Love: Plant-Based Indian-Inspired Recipes to Feel Joy and Connection” by Palak Patel ($35, Harvest), in one delicious plant-based meal, then put them on repeat all summer. Recipes reproduced with permission from Harvest.
Peanut-Avocado Chaat Salad
Patel explained that she simply will not eat leafy greens, but she loves the components that go into a salad. This recipe was developed to marry the flavors of a chopped salad in a modernized version of chaat. “This is one of my most requested recipes, definitely a fan favorite. ‘Chaat’ by definition means ‘to lick’ and chaats are meant to inspire you to eat more.” This combination of crispy, tangy, sweet, spicy and crunchy elements will have your guests wishing they could lick their plates.
- 2 cups salted roasted peanuts
- 1 diced large avocado
- 1 minced small red onion
- 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 minced serrano pepper (seeds removed, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh mint, for garnish
- In a large bowl, mix the peanuts, avocado, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, serrano, chaat masala, cumin and lime juice. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and mint before serving.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 266 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 10 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, 5 grams fiber, 22 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 101 milligrams sodium.
Palak Paneer
There is no paneer cheese in this recipe despite its title. Patel uses tofu to substitute for dairy-based paneer. The addition of baking soda to the water used to blanch the spinach keeps the spinach bright green after its brief cooking.
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4-inch knob fresh ginger, not peeled
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 12 cashews, divided
- 1 Thai chile
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 5 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
- 8 ounces super firm tofu, patted dry with a towel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Naan or rice, for serving
- Make masala: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine onion, coconut, garlic, ginger, cilantro, 6 cashews, chile, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper and cloves. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste. Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Do not wash processor bowl.
- Put the tomatoes in the food processor and process until pureed. Transfer tomatoes to a medium bowl. Do not wash processor bowl.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the tofu and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the saucepan. Add masala, raisins and remaining 6 cashews and saute until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato puree and cook for another 15 minutes.
- While masala and tomatoes are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, then immediately use a slotted spoon to transfer the blanched spinach to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the spinach and transfer to the food processor. Puree until very smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the spinach puree and tofu to the saucepan, heat through, and season with salt. Serve immediately with naan or rice.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 361 calories (percent of calories from fat, 61), 17 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 6 grams fiber, 26 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 334 milligrams sodium.For nutritional calculations, the Diamond Crystal kosher salt included is defined as 1/4 teaspoon.
Spiced Phyllo Cake
Patel created this cake as a variation on a traditional Greek cake with oranges she first enjoyed while visiting Saudi Arabia. The baked and crumbled sheets of phyllo turn soft and custard-like when prepared in this way.
Patel recommends using certified organic cane sugar which is made exclusively from sugarcane. Other table sugar may be refined with bone char – animal-derived charcoal.
Aquafaba, the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas, is used here as a substitute for egg whites. If using canned chickpeas, it may take two cans to get the 1 cup of aquafaba needed for this recipe. If you like, save the drained chickpeas to make Patel’s Roasted Chickpeas.
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup fresh orange juice, divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 (1-by-3-inch) strips orange peel
- 1 (1 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 3 green cardamom pods, smashed lightly
- 4 cloves
- 1 cup aquafaba (see note)
- 16 ounces phyllo dough
- 1 cup unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Cooking spray
- Make the syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice, water, orange peel, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom and cloves in a small saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Remove from cooktop and allow to cool. Strain syrup into a small bowl, discarding solids.
- Pour the aquafaba into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture reduces to 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees.
- Remove phyllo from package and unfold each roll. Carefully take a single sheet of phyllo from one roll and lay it flat on a large baking sheet. With your fingertips on the bottom short edge of the sheet, pleat the sheet like an accordion and move to the end of the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sheets from this roll, placing each pleated sheet next to the others, and then repeat the process, gathering the sheets from the second phyllo roll onto a second large baking sheet. Bake phyllo until crisp but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely, about 5 minutes, then use your hands to crush the dried phyllo into small pieces, putting pieces in a large bowl.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Make batter: Put the reduced aquafaba into a medium bowl and use a hand mixer to beat the aquafaba on high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low while adding the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, then increase the speed to medium and whip for another minute.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, remaining 1/2 cup orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch and vanilla. Stir in baking powder. Fold the whipped aquafaba into the yogurt mixture.
- Coat a 9 × 3-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Set pan on a large baking sheet.
- Transfer half the phyllo pieces to another large bowl. Pour half of the batter over the pieces and gently fold together. Add the remaining phyllo pieces and pour the rest of the batter over the top. Gently fold until all the phyllo pieces are moistened. Scrape phyllo batter into the prepared springform pan and spread evenly. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Move pan to a wire rack. While the cake is still hot, use a paring knife or skewer to pierce small holes all over cake. Pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake. Allow cake to cool, then run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake and unmold to a serving platter.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 551 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 5 grams protein, 80 grams carbohydrates, 47 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 25 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 367 milligrams sodium.
Roasted Chickpeas
Patel writes that cans of chickpeas are always in her pantry. “I cook with chickpeas and save the canned liquid (aquafaba) for baking. The addictive snack food aisle at an Indian grocery store has lots of snacks made from chickpea flour, including my go-to snack, fried black chickpeas dusted with spices (chana chor garam). My roasted chickpeas have that same lip-puckering taste and can be enjoyed as a snack or sprinkled on salad.” Baking the chickpeas before seasoning them helps make them crisp without frying. If you wish to use the aquafaba for baking, save it instead of draining and discarding it.
- 1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Skins should crack a little and the chickpeas will shrink. Remove from oven.
- In a small bowl, mix oil, chaat masala, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt. Pour the spice mixture over the chickpeas and stir until evenly coated. Return to oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Cool before serving.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 50 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 2 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 70 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
