Season 1, Episode 2
Coconut Broccoli & Paneer
Mung Bean Dal, Basmati Rice and Simple Yogurt Raita
Overview
A four course pure veg Indian meal for two! And did I mention, you can make it in under one hour? Just gather your ingredients and let’s get started!
Note: There is one minor pre-prep to be done – get your mung beans out, clean & rinsed and soak them overnight in water to cover. In the morning, cook them in the soaking water until they are soft. That’s it!
Know Your Ingredients
Tamarind
Tamarind pods are the fruit of the hardwood tree known scientifically as Tamarindus indica. The bean-like pods are filled with seeds surrounded by a fibrous pulp. The pulp of the young fruit is green and sour. As it ripens, the juicy pulp becomes paste-like and more sweet-sour.
Tamarind is sometimes referred to as the “date of India.”
Mung Beans
The mung bean, (Vigna radiate) also known as the green gram, is a plant species in the legume family. They are one of the healthiest sources of plant protein and as an article published in the Journal of Chemistry Central puts it, “mung beans have biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, lipid metabolism accommodation, antihypertensive and antitumor effects.”
Turmeric
Turmeric is a flowering plant, (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the roots of which are used in cooking. That’s what turmeric powder is – the dried root. It has a warm, bitter taste and I use it daily to cook with.
Clinical studies have shown that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a powerful antioxidant.
Instructions
Make it Vegan
Instead of using paneer, use Tofu. Substitute ghee and butter with your favorite vegan alternatives. And ditch the honey for sugar or some other sweetner such as stevia. Or don’t use a sweetener at all. If you use freash tamarind pods instead of store bought tamarind paste, you can probably skip a sweetener entirely.
Prepper Style!
Use boxed, long-life Tofu instead of fresh paneer. If you’re not growing your own broccoli, you can substitute another vegetable you have in your garden, or just leave the broccoli out. It won’t be “broccoli & paneer”, but the sauce is still delicious. Use bottled, grated ginger and dried cilantro (or if you have these in your garden – great! Use them!) Fresh paneer is easy to make if you have your own milk supply.
Kick up the Keto!
The spinach curry is a keto dish i.e. very low carb, hgih fat, with nothing changed. Omit the rice (it’s how I usually eat, sans rice) and add another dollop of ghee or butter to the cauliflower.
Feed your Dosha!
Vata – To balance vata doshas, add another 1/4 cup of water to the rice to cook. It also helps to offer a spiced tea as an aperitif. Also extra ghee or butter anywhere!
Pita – Be sure to eat lot’s of cooling yogurt and cut back on the chili spice.
Kapha – Cut out the rice and less ghee as possible.
