A Fine Twist To Vegan Meals
Vegan is a term that took over the world recently. The discussions about being a vegan or about vegan foods are all around the internet. But it was recently that it came to my mind that most of the South Indian dishes have been prepared since ages using plant supplements and were preferably vegetarian.
One day I was watching a video on YouTube and the topic happened to be healthy vegan food recipes. After watching a couple of the dishes prepared it struck to me that most of the dishes we all ate at home everyday fits perfectly to the healthy vegan food list. This is when I seriously began to think about the types of dishes and the ingredients used for preparing and for how long I have been eating and not understanding this is not something that’s new. Vegan as a term was new but the practice was not, it was just unacknowledged.
To be specific , some of the common South Indian breakfast dishes can specifically be categorised into the vegan foods list. Coconut and coconut milk are the supreme ingredients when it comes to South Indian food.
The so-called “Appam and Vegetable Stew” combination is a favourite in every South Indian household. The Appam batter is prepared using raw rice, rice flour, coconut milk, salt and sometimes sugar. At times tender coconut water is also used to enhance the flavour. The Vegetable stew is a mixture of all your favourite vegetables cooked in coconut milk. All its ingredients and its preparation makes this a true plant based meal you can enjoy.
The “Puttu and Kadala” combination is a star if you’re looking for something healthy and interesting. “Puttu” is basically rice flour mixed with the right amount of water and steamed to form a rice cake. Puttu is incomplete without its companion “Kadala ‘’ which is Black Chickpea. The curry is made using coconut, black chickpea (of course!), Onion and spices. This would indeed be a great change to include in your vegan meal plans that keeps you healthy and satiated for a long time.
The “Rava Upma” made with Semolina (Rava) or “Vermicelli Upma” , Poha made with flattened rice, Pongal made with rice moong lentils are all great options to enjoy. That’s not it, You can mix and match all these with several other dishes or fruits. To discuss all the meals would be impossible because all the daily basis meals fall under this category: breakfast recipes, lunch, dinner, your evening snacks everything will get covered.
These dishes are not only vegan, the preparation style makes many of these dishes super healthy and tasty at the same time. And of course a good meal gives the perfect mood and energy to take your day forward.
When I first came across the term Vegan it was fascinating for me. I thought how could I be a vegan if I wanted to because the vegan dishes I found everywhere were mostly not available or were a bit over the budget. Little did I know that I was already consuming vegan food at home. It was just the matter of fact that I have not analysed any of these dishes from the lens of vegan foods.
Food is really something that interests me a lot and hence this was such a news at least to me! These are some great healthy dishes to enjoy without guilt but with great taste. Even though it’s quite late to the game, I feel this could really be a good change to bring to your meal plans if you haven’t tried these out yet!
