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Before yesterdayMildly Indian

Tricolour crispy tofu wrap

26 April 2026 at 05:58

If you are a tofu lover or a beginner, you will actually start liking these wraps for a couple of reasons

  • They dont feel so tofuy so its fairly easy for you to adapt into them.
  • These wraps come together in under 20 minutes and don’t need any marination.
  • They pack in a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and veggies.

If these sound good to you, lets get you started.

With the approach of autumn,Β  the sunrise is slowly getting later and later, we have started to slowly wake up late. This means it is then a mad scramble to get things done and all of us out of the door on a weekday. So having something that will roll quickly into a nutritious meal is welcomed. There are a couple of wraps that I know my kids will surely grab as they run out of the door. These are also the ones that my teens never had a reason for missing out on the eating. These are

the Paneer khati rolls,

Black bean and salsa wrap

Pumpkin wraps

and this tricolour tofu wrap

There is another reason why these are sure to be taken without the excuse of β€œOh ! I forgot my lunchbox”. These are so much smaller when packed, so bags are less clumsy. Whatever the reason, these do get taken, eaten and are a fully balanced meal. So what is here not to love it.

Here are the details.

Ingredients to make this tricolour wrap

Before you start making wraps, you need to keep in mind that wraps are only as interesting as the flavor of the filling. So lets keep this one interesting.

Wrap:Based on the time you have you can make a roti like flat bread or use a store bought wrap. I use Helgas or Mission wraps as these are the closest to me.Β 

Tofu: You need firm tofu or extra firm tofu for this recipe. This ensure it will crisp up well and hold shape. If you have firm tofu and are planning your meal ahead, use a tofu press to ensure you get a perfect tofu. once this is sliced, salted and roasted these stay good for lunch. To make the tofu crispy, you needΒ  few ingredients cornflour, breadcrumbs and salt. These three ingrdients coat the tofu to make it crunchy.

Veggie: I have used shredded carrots and baby spinach to make this recipe as this is what I often have at hand ready to go. If you prefer, you can add shredded cabbage, colored capsicum, cherry tomato, celery or avocado. You can use a bagged salad or a coleslaw mix as well to make the wrap. This is a pretty good shredder to use for carrots and cabbage.

Sauce: This is probably the simplest sauce you would have made without any compromise on flavors. It takes only two ingredients – a good quality chilli oil and thickened cream. Once you adjust the salt levels, I will put this on anything from toast to pasta. The sauce is useful as it will not run by afternoon and not make your wrap go limp.Β 

Equipment to make wraps

Honestly, if you have a great frying pan, you are set to make this recipe. I have this frying pan and love it to fry tofu, it does not stick much as well. I use these pre-cut parchment to wrap the rolls for lunch.

Flour wrap| crispy tofy| salad veggies

Lets make lunch perfect tofu wrapΒ 

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Tricolour crispy tofu wrap

If you are a tofu lover or a beginner, you will actually start liking these wraps for a couple of reasons If these sound good to you, lets get you started.They dont feel so tofuy so its fairly easy for you to adapt into them.These wraps come together in under 20 minutes and don't need any marination.They pack in a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and veggies.
Course Main Course
Cuisine International
Keyword camp recipes, Lunch recipes, Tofu recipes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 medium wholewheat wraps

for the salad

  • 200 grams carrots shredded
  • 200 gram Spinach

for the tofu

  • 250 gram firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp Corn Flour
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • salt to taste

for the dressing

  • 1/4 cup thickened cream
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil

Instructions

  • Remove the tofu from the packaging.
  • Wash and pat dry and slice the tofu into thick long chunks.
  • Make a slurry with cornflour and salt.
  • Set your pan on medium heat, spary a bit of oil on it.
  • Dip each tofu block in the cornflour slurry, then roll in bread crumbs.
  • Place the tofu on the medium warm pan.
  • Don't move it much till the side is crisped and the tofu piece moves easily.
  • Then flip and cook another side.
  • Once all sides are crisped, tofu is ready, remoe and set aside.
  • Warm up the wrap on a flat pan.
  • Place the spinach and top it with shredded carrot.
  • Place a couple of pieces of the crispy tofu on it.
  • Whisk together cream and chilli oil.
  • Drizzle the dressing on the tofu.
  • Fold the sides of the wrap and roll tight.
  • Wrap is ready.

Stay connected

Hope you will like to make this wrap and the crispy tofu. We love taking this on our lunch, surprisingly this makes it to our camps too. When you make this recipe do share your thoughts and what you liked about it.This recipe was posted as a part of Sunday Funday’s theme cottage cheese, tofu and paneer hosted by Mayuri. Here are the other entries, each delightful in its own manner so don’t miss to check them outΒ 

Corn Paneer Parathas from Mayuri’s Jikoni

Cottage Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cottage Cheese Wraps from Making Miracles

Cheese Paneer Tikka Open Sandwich in Air Fryer on Sourdough from Cook with Renu

Firecracker Tofu Broccolini Stir-Fry from Food Lust People Love

Homemade Paneer Recipe Ideas from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking

Paneer Tomato Rice With Leftover Rice For One from Sneha’s Recipe

Pasta with Green Beans and Ricotta from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Potato, Cottage Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Pierogi from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Retro Cottage Cheese Jello Salad from A Messy Kitchen

We have added some links that we think will come useful for you. These are highlighted in blue. Please use your choice to click on these links as the lead to external sites.

Dont skip lunch, and always Γ©at for your body. Stay connected

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tricolour tofu wrap

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Alu kangmet | Manipuri potato mash

22 February 2026 at 00:00
Alu kangmet

While trying to explore the diversity of cuisines across India, one root vegetable that gets so well used is the potato. May it be jeera aloo, urulakizhanagu stew, potato podimas or aloo dum biryani, you will find potato running its own show here. This pattern extends to all the Indian cuisine styles and the one that caught my attention recently was the Manipuri spicy alu kangmet.

What is alu kangmet?

Though the name sounds so complicated this is one of the simplest of the Manipuri cuisine. Basically it a spicy, mashed potato recipe. The ingredients that flavour are mustard oil, chillies, garlic scapes and ngari (fermented fish). in this vegetarian version, we have omitted the fermented fish. The raw onions served with it or mixed in as pieces with the mash flavour it different from classic mashed potatoes.Β 

Dietary profile for alu kangmet

Traditional alu kangmet has fermented fish paste added to it so it will not really be a vegan vegetarian recipe. However, the recipe we have made today is with most of the flavours without the fish paste making it vegan.
The recipe uses a bit of oil, but not enough to deep fry so I would say they are still low-oil recipes. However, don’t skip using mustard oil for the best flavour.
The aloo kangmet is certainly grain-free, nut-free and nightshade-free.

Ingredients and substitutions

Potatoes: The potatoes are the main ingredient for this recipe. Any variety of potato that cooks soft and mashes well like the Yukon gold or white potato is perfect for this recipe. You can use the same variety that we have used to make jeera aloo.

Garlic greens: The traditional recipe for alu kangmet uses green onions rather than regular onions. I had a small batch of green onions and that is what I have used for this recipe. If you don’t have any red Spanish onion or sweet pink onion can be substituted,Β 

Dry red chillies: Ooo this is a spicy recipe that packs in a punch. The dry red chillies roasted in oil are the ones that are mashed in with the potatoes. Use the spicier serrano dried or the milder bydigai (Kashmiri chilli)

Mustard oil: The mustard oil is absolutely needed to bring that classic Manipuri flavour to this dish. You will find these in the Indian grocery stores. Most of them say external application only, but read through and you will notice that it will be used for cooking in certain cuisines. The restriction is because of the high euric acids. There are tolerable limits established in certain countries that are deemed safe. The quantity used for this recipe is really small and under regulatory limits. If this is not an option for you, try olive oil or vegetable oil. I will not recommend coconut oil or sesame oil as it imparts a distinct South Indian flavour and takes away from the recipe.Β Β 

Salt: Can’t make this spicy mash without salt! Regular sea salt or Himalayan pink salt will make just the same.Β 

aloo kangmet

Let’s make alu kangmet

There are only a few steps that lead you to this spicy lip-smacking potato mash.

Prepping the potatoes: Boil and cool the potatoes. Peel them, gently mash them with a fork and set them aside.Β 

Making the spicy mix: Wash and clean the green garlic leaves. Remove all the dry leaves and chop them half half-inch pieces. Into a frying pan add oil and as it warms up add the mustard oil. Saute the green garlic
(garlic scapes) and then the dry red chillies till they are crisp.Β 

alu kngmet

Bringing it all together: Add all this to the potato and mash the spices into the potatoes with salt. roll them up into small balls to serve with rice.Β  In the recipe card below are the details of this recipe and you can pin from here too to your board.

Serving aloo kangmet

Aloo kangmet is often served with tan (bread) at breakfast time. However, the small ball of aloo kangmet is so soothing to have with rice. If on a soft diet have this with porridge or congee.

Meal prep alu kangmet

Aloo kangmet stays so good for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator to have for the week, However, potatoes leach water and lose that soft texture you don’t want it frozen.Hence, I haven’t quite come to be successful in freezing this recipe.

If you are serious about meal prep, invest in a good set of glass boxes for storage. Check out these ones if you are in Australia. They are really a great investments.Β 

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Alu kangmet

Manipuri style spicy potato mash.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine gluten free, Indian, One pot
Keyword camp recipes, Indian vegetarian dinner, Lunch recipes, potato recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
  • 5 tsp mustard oil
  • 2-3 heads garlic scapes cleaned and chopped
  • 5 dry red chillies stalk removed
  • salt to taste

To serve along

  • 1/2 medium onion sliced

Instructions

  • Boil and peel the potatoes.
  • Mash them a bit by a fork and set aside.
  • Into the frying pan add the mustard oil.
  • On medium heat roast the cleaned and chopped garlic scapes.
  • Add the red chillies and roast them on low heat till crisp.
  • Add the spicy mix to the potatoes.
  • Sprinkle salt and mash further, till they come together as a ball.
  • Taste test and adjust salt if needed.
  • The alu kangmet is ready to be served.

Other recipes from North Eastern India

North Eastern Indian cuisine is rarely blogged about. But each state and tribe brings out some unique flavours. Here are a few recipes we have blogged about earlier. Try some?

Chia al meh

Kechuri

Rosep aon

Phuklein

Collaboration

This recipe is a part of the Sunday Funday collection of β€œcook with roots”. The bloggers, under Mayuri have collaborated to put some useful recipes together that range in cuisine. Try these recipes that use potato,beets, sweet potato, ginger, parsnips, carrots etc.

Mayuri’s Jikoni : Arbi Ka Paratha

Cook With Renu: Beetroot Paneer Rice With Leftover Rice (Easy Lunchbox Recipe)

Food Lust People Love: Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

Sneha’s Recipe: Ginger Almond & Poppy Seed Vadi

A Messy Kitchen: Maple Miso Root Vegetable Medley

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Parsnip and Leek Soup with Cumin and Mustard Seeds

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Roasted Beet Galette

Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Roasties

Making Miracles: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

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Stay connected

Hope you enjoy this spicy kick recipe that helps you explore the Manipuri vegetarian cuisine. When you make this simple recipe, do comment how you like it and how you served it. While you are here, subscribe to receive further updates.

In this post there are some highlighted links in blue. Some of these lead to products that will pay me a small commission if clicked on or bought. Use these links if it is helpful to you and using your discretion.

This post updation had huge help from both Mayuri and Kayani who have introduced and guided me through the new group, with much motivation.

See you in the next post.

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Anna ogranne | tempered rice

20 May 2025 at 05:45
anna ogranne rice

Talking about quick ideas that makes rice taste a bit more than plain, cooked version is another trick up my sleeve.
This is faster and quicker than the kalonji rice or the ghee podi rice , i have written about before. AddingΒ  yogurt cured chillies mustard and curry leaves s etc tempering into the cooked rice (or left over rice) revives it and it feels like you have made a pulao or variety rice.

Ingredients to make quick thallippu saadam

Cooked rice:cooked rice is the base of this recipe. You can use sona masoori, basmathi or thanjavoor ponni rice to make the steamed rice. Sticky rice is not suitable for making this recipe.

Tempering ingredients: ghee or oil is the base of the recipe. You can use coconut oil, olive oil or sesame oil as per your preference. Whole mustard seeds, cumin,Β  black gram dal , curry leaves and mormilagai (yogurt cured chillies). Mormilagai is the key flavour factor in this recipe. Yes, you can use red chillies instead, however it doesn’t give the same flavour. You can add crushed garlic or shallots can be added to the oil as you tempering.

Seasoning : if using mor milagai, it has added salt so be watchful when you add salt to the dish. No other seasoning is really needed for this recipe.

Lets make thalippu saadam

  • Cook and fluff the rice.
  • Prepare the tempering for the rice.
  • Add the tadka to the rice, sprinkle salt.
  • Mix well and the rice is ready to serve.

Can I use left over rice to make this recipe?

Leftover rice is perfect for this recipe as the cooked rice grains are well separated. This makes it even better in making any variety rice or fried rice. So to make thalippu saadam left over rice is perfect.

Can I make vegan ogranne rice?

Instead of ghee if coconut oil is used to make the tempering the recipe is then vegan.

mormilagai thallipu saadam

Meal prep and storage

The ogranne rice stays good for a week in the fridge. Additionally, the recipe freezes well and is an easy one to add to the meal prep. To thaw, ensure you defrost and then bring it to heat. Steaming is a great option too.

What pairs well with thalippu saadam?

Thalippu sadam is the one recipe you can pair with a lot of curries like vindaloo, thalagam kuzhambu or thengaarachukuzhambu and stirfries like cabbage thoran, beans foogath or bhindi kalimirch .You can use the same in a wrap along with roasted veggies and chickpeas or a party.

Print

Anna ogranne

Course Main Course, Traditional
Cuisine gluten free, South indian
Keyword Indian vegetarian dinner, leftover recipes, Lunch recipes, rice salad recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 people

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Raw rice cooked, fluffed.

for the tempering

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp urad dal black gram dal
  • 3-4 yogurt cured chillies mor milagai
  • 10 curry leaves
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Cook, cool and fluff the rice.
  • Set it aside till needed.
  • Into the frying pan, add the coconut oil, mustard seeds and let this warm up.
  • When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the cumin, urad dal, mor milagai and curry leaves.
  • When this roast and temper, add the mix to the prepared rice.
  • Sprinkle salt and mix well.
  • Crush a couple of mor milagai as you mix the rice for extra flavour.
  • Once mixed well, the recipe is ready to be served.

Stay connected

For a seasoned cook, ogranne rice is not much of a recipe. However, it is very handy to know and plenty of variations possible with meals. Hope you like to give this recipe a try.
Pin this for later.
Stay subscribed and see you in the next post.Β 

ogaranne rice recipe

Peerkangai thol thogayal | ridgegourd chutney

11 May 2025 at 04:16
Peerkangai thol thoyayal

Enjoy a lipsmacking thogayal made with dals and peels of the ridge gourd in traditional south Indian flavour. Pair it with meals of your choice to wow, your family.

What I see as a difference between home cooks and chefs is not just in the size of meals that we make. Chefs have to keep up with so many of our taste factors, cost control and visual appeal. Home cooks, do know the people they cook for, so fairly easier for them to play around with the ingredients to suit the home needs. Moreover, home cooks can focus on ensuring the best of nutrition from best of produce.What do you think

Here is an age old recipe that a lot of South Indian home cooks rely on, peerkangai thol thogayal.

What is peerkangai thol thogayal?

Peerkangai thol is the peel of ridgegrord. This along with roasted lentils, spices, coconut and tamarind is ground into a coarse paste. This is peerkangai thogayal or ridgegourd chutney. It is a popular recipe among all South Indian states and has a few different names, peechinga chutney in Kerala, beerakaya pachadi in Telugu,Β  heerakai chutney in Kannada.Β  Often paired with steamed rice, a dollop of ghee and some stirfried vegetables on the side, the recipe is a classic homestyle one.
The recipe as such is

  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • Onion and garlic free
  • No nightshade added
  • And dairy free

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peerkangai thogayal

Ingredients from ridge gourd chutney

Β Angled loofah or ridge gourd belongs to the cucumber family. The tough outer skin has predominant ridges. The gourd as such has soft flesh that is cooked into curries or stirfries. The peel is the one we have used to make this recipe

Dals: the dals add volume and depth of flavour to this recipe. I use a mix of skinned black gram dal (urad dal) and chick pea dal(channa dal). When roasted thr dals and ground the dals add the necessary volume to the dish.
Spices:there is very minimal spices in the recipe. Red dried chillies are a huge part if the flavour. The second main flavour comes from curry leaves. Along with the salt, the small pinch of asafoetida added offsets any need for garlic or onion.
Coconut: grated coconut added a softness. The milky flavour of the coconut works well with the ridgegourd. Tamarind: there is a slight hint of sourness that you experience while having this recipe. This comes frontiers dried tamarind that is added andΒ  ground along with the ingredients. It adds a zesty flavour to the dish when having with grains or breads.

Let’s make peerkangai thogayal

The recipe is a medium intensity one where the roasting of dals is the one that can go wrong as it burns easily.

Prep the peerkangai: the peel of the ridge gourd is the one used to make this recipe. However, the ridges have a tough fiber running through them that needs to be removed.

  • Wash and pat dry the riodge gourd.
  • Using a knife or peeler approach of the pointed ridges. This js where the fibres are.
  • Press down the peeler and remove the green skin completely. Save this part of this chutney. Save the spongy part to make kootu or stirfry.

Roast the dals and spices: in a heavy bottomed pan, add the urad dal and channa dal and a tsp of coconut oil. Dry roast this on low heat. Add the curry leaves and red chillies as the dals start turning golden and roast all together till the chillies are crisp and the dals deep golden. Remove this from heat on to a plate and set it aside.

Roast the peerkangai thol: Add the skin. Stir fry this till the peels look deep green and vibrant. Remove and add to the same plate. Let this cool down as well.

Grind the thogayal: once cooler to handle add the roasted dals, chilli,curry leaves, sauteed ridgegourd peel, tamarind, salt and coconut to the food processor and blend into a coarse mix.
Remove the coarse ground mix to a bowl and the thogayal is ready to be served.

peerkangai thogayal

Best pairings with peerkangai thol thogayal

Here are a few ideas for you to try with this thogayal
Peerkangai thogayal with steamed rice, a small spoon of ghee and poriyal on the side is one great Sunday meal.
At home, we like this as a side to rasam rice and often with some kootu.
Alternatively, you can use this as a dip for idlies, dosa etc too.
We use this as a spread for wraps and sandwiches. Pretty much the thogayal and cheese sandwich is a great try. Use someΒ  grana padano orΒ  aged cheddar instead of saltier ones like feta.

Meal prep and lunch boxes

Thogayal stays well in the fridge for up to a week without any issues. It also freezes so well, that we often rely on a frozen block for quick lunches. We love thogayal cheese sandwiches for our lunch box. You could also use it to stirfry the rice with, like we made ghee podi rice.

Print

Peerkangai thogayal

Enjoy a lipsmacking thogayal made with dals and peels of the ridge gourd in traditional south Indian flavour. Pair it with meals of your choice to wow, your family.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine South indian
Keyword beans and legumes, chutneys and podi, Indian vegetarian dinner, leftover recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Kadai
  • mixing bowls and spoons.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium ridge gourd
  • 4 tbsp urad dal
  • 4 tbsp channa dal
  • 6 dry red chillies
  • 8 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 small lime sized ball tamarind
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Wash and remove the fibers of ridge gourd.
  • Remove the peels and set them aside.
  • In a pan roast the dals, curry leaves and red chillies.
  • Once they are golden brown, remove on to a plate.
  • Roast the peel of ridge gourd.
  • Let all this cool.
  • Add the coconut, lemon and salt.
  • Grind this mix to a coarse mix.
  • Remove into a bowl and serve.

Other chutneys and thogayals

Thogayals, chammandi and chutneys are a big part of South Indian meals. Here are a couple of ideas
Thenga chammandi
Curry leaves thogayal
Doddapathra chutney
Mango chammandhi
Watermelon rind thogayal

Stay connected

The comfort of hot rasam on a plate with steamed rice and a ball of this thogayal is Sunday for us. We enjoy it as a meal together that screams simplicity yet home.Hope you enjoy making this chutney as much as we love bring it to you. If you make it slightly different tell us your version, we always love to try different ones .
Pin this for later
See you in the next post.Β 

ridge gourd thogayal

Hidden veggies sandwich

22 March 2025 at 16:11
cream cheese veggie sandwich
Past couple of weeks has been so busy that I now look back and think how did we pull it off. Those frozen meals that we keep a stach of was super helpful and depleted pretty fast. Hence emerged easy ideas like this hidden veggies sandwich. Fairly easy to make this sandwich came together in under 15 minutes (use the mincer) and did not fall apart by lunch time. Here is the recipe for you to try

Ingredients to make hidden veggies sandwich.

Cream cheese: the soft cheese that is made with milk and cream is cream cheese. It is spreadable and mixes well with the vegetables to form a good spread. Most cream cheeses have added salt in them. You can us any rand available or home made ones.
Vegetables: my go to mix for this filling isΒ  basically firm salad veggies. carrots, bell pepper (capsicum) and zucchini form a good combination. You can add scallions and radishes too, if you like. The veggies I avoid are tomatoes, cucumber as they leach a lot of water making the filling soggy.
Herbs and black pepper: A good mix of fresh herbs like basil, thyme, oregano are lovely in this combination. You can use fresh or dried versions. Crushed black pepper adds a heat kick to the recipe. You can add pickled ginger or pickled peppercorns too. Red chilli flakes are optional.
Bread: choose one that you like to have. It can be sourdough, panini, foccacia or basic sandwich bread. We have used a multi grain sliced bread to make this batch. You can use wraps or soulaki too.
vegetable and cheese sandwich

Let’s make this cream cheese sandwich

Keep the cheese our of the fridge: the cheese when in fridge firms up a bit. If we bring it to room temperature it is easy to mix the vegetables and to spread the mix. You don’t have to leave it out for long, just enough toll it feels soft.
Prep the vegetables: the veggies that go in the mix have to be finely chopped so they mix well with the cheese. This makes them overall spreadable. I use a manual mincer or hand chop them to make them small.
Prepare the cheese filling into the mixing bowl add the chopped vegetables, herbs and cheese.sprinkle black pepper powder and give it a good mix till they arr evenly mixed.
Make the sandwiches: lay out the bread and top it with the cheese filling. Spread it evenly.the thickness of the filling is up to you.Β  Slice it into halves or triangles and the sandwich is ready.
ingredients for hidden veggie sandwich cheese spread for sandwich filling on bread

Can we make wraps with this filling?

The filling is the most flavorfulΒ part of this recipe. So it is entirely up to you if you want to make it a wrap, a sandwich or a pin wheel sandwich. Depending on what you want to make choose an appropriate bread.

Can the sandwich be made vegan?

Creamcheese will be the part that needs a change to make it vegan. Dairy free cream cheese or cashew cheese will help you achieve this. I have not personally tried it out yet. When you do, let us know how it matched you taste test.

Meal prep the cream sandwich

Ideally, I will not keep the sandwich for more than a day in the refrigerator. However,the filling stays good for almost a week. So week the filling ready to slather on the bread as we need.

Lunchbox idea with sandwich

On a busy at work day these sandwichΒ  ideas are welcome lunch boxes. I do top up our boxes with some fresh fruit or a handful of nuts etc. While making this sandwich, I added a handful of steamed edamame and some crackers to the lunchbox.
Print

Hidden veggie sandwich

Sandwich with cream cheese and veggie filling for an easy ;lunchbox idea.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine International, Summer
Keyword camp recipes, Cheese recipes, Lunch recipes, no cook recipes,
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • mixing bowls and spoons.

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 1/4 cup zucchini minced or grated
  • 1/4 cup carrot minced or grated
  • 1/4 cup capsicumΒ  any colour, minced.
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs chopped fine

Instructions

  • Thaw the cream cheese.
  • Mince or grate the vegetables and set it aside.
  • Into the mixing bowl add the cream cheese, prepared vegetables, herbs and black pepper.
  • Mix well till they are uniformly combined.
  • Place two slices of bread on a clean surface.
  • Spread a thick layer of the filling on one side of the bread.
  • Close the sandwich and cut into halves or triangles.
  • The sandwich is now ready to have.

Other useful sandwich ideas for lunch boxes

Guacamole sandwich

Loaded vegemite sandwich

Paneer pesto sandwich

Kale sandwich

Stay connected

This cream cheese sandwich has kept us going for a couple of times this week. It is quite filling and since the vegetables are added in make a light lunch option. The recipe is a good one to take to picnics, brunch or high tea. Hope you like this recipe and will let us know how yours turned out.
See you in the next post.
Hidden veggie sandwich

Vegan walnut mushroom mince

1 February 2023 at 01:06
walnut mushroom mince

A fantastic vegan alternative, walnut mushroom mince is a filling textually satisfying alternative to faux meat. Try out this simple gluten-free, low-oil recipe that is keto-friendly.

Walnut mushroom mince is one of my favourite fillers for tacos and to add to pasta or fill up a sandwich. The idea was developed as just veggies as filling in a taco was never filling, nor gave depth to that dish. When the recipe was meal prep friendly it was one that my friends loved too. Usually, this mushroom mince is what I go for if there is an omni potluck in which I participate. Throw in some store-bought tacos, a simple pico de Gallo and some shredded vegan cheese, and the plan sounds easy and achievable, doesn’t it?

What mushroom is best for this mince?

There are two mushrooms that work well with the mushroom mince. Portebella and the cremini. If you like a meatier version go with portabello. The cremini gives a nicer mouth feel with the walnuts. You can have a mix of mushrooms too. Baby Bella is not too bad, but it makes the mince much softer. Shimenji and enoki are not suitable for this recipe. I have not tried oyster mushrooms for this vegan mince. If it works for you, leave us a comment so we can try it.

Why walnuts?

Walnuts in this vegan mince provide that oily, crumbly texture. Plus it is a good bit of protein with crushed walnuts. The slightly bitter flavour of the walnuts complements the earthiness of the mushrooms. While mincing the walnuts make sure they are not overprocessed. The powdery walnuts leave the texture too soft.

Ingredients for walnut mushroom mince

This recipe is for a basic vegan mince. The flavour profile you want to develop depends on what you want to use it for. The recipe card below gives the measurements and step-by-step instructions to follow.Β 
Walnuts
Mushroom
Cumin
Oregano
Cayenne

Salt

Flavour variations
The walnut mince I make is predominantly used for taco filling and nachos, hence I have added flavours that taste towards it in my basic vegan mince. However, the mince base takes up flavours based on how you prefer to spice it up. You can add while cooking rosemary, oregano and thyme if you are just planning to be used in pasta or pasta salad. If making an Indian-based curry add to the mince some grated garlic, garam masala powder, some turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and chopped cilantro before cooking and then cook them. So it is up to your tastebuds how you like this walnut mince flavoured.

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Walnut mushroom mince

Course Side Dish
Cuisine diabetic friendly, Fusion, gluten free, One pot, Vegetarian
Keyword Lunch recipes, mushroom dishes, vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • chopping board
  • Knife
  • mixing bowls and spoons.
  • frying pan

Ingredients

to prep the walnuts

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 cups drinking water luke warm

to prep the muhroom base

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red onion chopped or minced
  • 2.5 cup mushroom minced

Seasonings

  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

To add fresh after cooking

  • fresh herbs use thyme and oregano
  • Lemon juice as required

Instructions

  • Soak the walnuts in luke warm water for about 15 minutes.
    walnuts soked.
  • mince the mushrooms and onion and set it aside till needed.
    mushroom and onions for the mince.
  • Once soaked chop the walnuts and set it aside.
  • Into the frying pan, add the oil followed by the onion.
    frying onions
  • Once the onion is golden, add the minced mushrooms and saute.
    mushroom mince.
  • The mushrooms will release the water and slowly cook.
  • When the water from the mushrooms is nearly over, add the walnuts and saute further.
    dding walnuts to the mince.
  • Add the salt, chilli powder, cumin and pepper and mix well.
    making mushroom mince.
  • Saute and cook till the walnut and mushrooms are well seasoned and cooked.
    walnut mushroom mince.
  • Remove off the heat, add lemon juice and fresh herbs and mix well.
  • The walnut mushroom mince is now ready to be served.
    walnut mushroom mince

Serving the mince

Just as discussed above in this post this is a fantastic recipe to share with any of your vegan friends.
Taco platter: Put up a build-your-own taco with pico de Gallo, cheese, lemon and some soft wraps.Β  In addition, you can add it to salads or top up your nachos platter with it.
Make a sandwich: onto your slice of bread add some creamy Mayo (vegan-friendly ones are so tasty) a whole heap of the walnut mushroom mince, and some cheese and press it down with another slice of bread. Grill it or use a sandwich press and it is a filling sandwich on the go.
Build a burger: if you have leftover mince, mix it with breadcrumbs and some mashed potatoes so they hold shape. Now make them like a patty and this is your quick and easy mushroom burger patty.
Add some to your pasta: I would totally fork this on pasta to make this a wholesome meal. Mix it into the ragu or add it on top of your prepared pasta it tastes really good.
Make a good Indian curry: if you have some mince, thaw a small batch of buna masala and add the mince to it. Now Cook them together with a bit of water to bring them together. Adjust salt if needed. Garnish with julienne ginger, lemon juice and lots more coriander leaves. Keep the naan ready to mop up the curry.

Meal prep and storage for the mince

The mushroom walnut mince stays good on the fridge for a week. So if it is a busy week the mince will hold up your need for something filling and quick. Keep in an airtight box and use as needed. The mince can be frozen and thawed as needed, however, once you do that the texture changes slightly as the mushrooms are now a bit fibrous.

Stay connected

shh cooking secretly

The walnut mushroom mince takes a bit of effort to make, yet is one of the handiest meal preps I have ever done. When Shh cooking secretly group placed the theme for vegan dishes this time, this mince is the one I wanted to share. Working with Anu Kollon as my partner, who was so easy to convince to do this, the recipe is now yours too. Let us know in the comments and by star rating how we are doing with our recipe. If you have not subscribed to our content yet, don’t miss out. Follow the arrow below to keep new ideas coming your way.
Stay safe, meal prep and have a lovely week.Β 

vegan mince

Ellu podi | dry til chutney

13 January 2023 at 15:00
ellu podi | til chutney

Dry til chutney or ellu podi is a common accompaniment on the side of a home-style thali. This dry condiment is a melange of lentils and sesame seeds with spices. Make some of this vegan, gluten-free ellu podi to complement your meals.

Molagapodi or the dry chutney that is used with dosa or idly comes in many flavours like garlic chutney podi and dhaniya podi. This adds a lot of variety to the same breakfasts that we make day after day or the simple home-style lunch. Also, it is one with a fantastic shelf life, thereby a boon to providing some relief to busy mornings. Here is another one that is handy, ellu podi.

Black and white sesame seeds

Sesame seeds are one of the tiniest ingredients that are common in the Indian kitchen. In fact, it is one of the hardest to harvest due to its size too. In the Asian markets, both black and white seeds are available. Both varieties of oil-rich seeds are rich in iron and calcium. Black sesame seeds are explored for their ability to reduce oxidative stress.

Hulled and unhulled sesame seeds

The polishing process at times removes the edible outer coating of the sesame seeds. This is the Hulled sesame seeds. If the outer coat is intact, it is unhulled. Nutritionally they are not very different. In addition, both hulled and unhulled seeds are equally edible roasted or raw. The hulled ones are brighter white and the unhulled white sesame seeds are slightly browned.

Ingredients for this til chutney

Sesame seeds- for this recipe I have used unhulled white sesame seeds. You can use black ones too and the podi looks much darker in colour. Upon roasting the sesame seeds have pop slightly and release the oils. upon grinding if the til chutney looks too oily roast some more of the lentils and adjust to form a dry powder.

Black gram dal- Urad dal or ulundu parippu is the base of most molagapodis. The skinned version is roasted and powdered. If using black sesame seeds, you can use the skinned black ones too. Roast well till they turn golden or aromatic.

Chickpea Dal-Bengal gram or kadala parippu is roasted separately and powdered with the urad dal. These two form the lentil base for most molagapodis. Roasted till slightly deeper brown the dal is crunchy and easy to powder.

Curry leaves- you can’t miss out on the karivepelai to give the classic ellu podi aroma. Add a handful if you have one. Dried ones will work well too, slightly roast before powdering.

Red chillies: depending on the spice levels you prefer can use a couple of different varieties here. The bydige or Kashmir red chilli adds a deep red colour without adding all that heat. Whereas the Guntur varieties give lighter red colour with a lot more pungent heat packed in. The ellu podi in the picture has bydige as I am not a huge fan of the heat.

Salt: Seasoning with salt is an absolute must to flavour and keep a good shelf life for the powder.

Hot tip:

On the first day, the salt doesn’t flavour well as the fresh ground chillies take over the flavour. However, taste test the next day to adjust the salt levels as by now the lentils will start absorbing the flavours and the pungent heat is slightly toned down.

Steps to make the dry til chutney

Roasting: dry and slow roasting of each ingredient ensures that the lentils are cooked and also that they can be powdered well. The sesame seeds crackle when roasted releasing the oil needed to bring the powder together. Each ingredient has a different time to roast, so have to be done separately.
Grinding: A spice mill or a coffee grinder can powder the spice mix. Powder the lentils and seasoning separately and then mix them well together. At times the sesame seeds will become mushy upon grinding as they release a lot of oil. Add a tablespoon or two of the lentil mix and grind further to reduce the stickiness.

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Ellu podi

Ellu podi or dry til chutney is a useful condiment that you can keep in the pantry. Use it with breakfast, add it to your wraps and sandwiches, the recipe is a handy one.
Course Preserves
Cuisine gluten free, Indian, South indian, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword chutneys and podi, Indian vegetarian dinner, Roasted recipes, vegan, Winter warmers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
cool and powder 20 minutes
Servings 1 small bottle

Equipment

  • Kadai
  • spatula
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Urad Dal
  • 1/4 cup Channa Dal
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 10 dry red chillies
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Set the kadai on low heat and let it come to warmth.
  • Now add the sesame seeds and let it roast gently.
  • When the seeds start popping and turn golden brown, remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
  • The kadai now has an oil coating which can be used to roast the urad dal .
  • When the dal is golden brown remove and add to the plate to cool.
  • Roast the channa dal the same way.
  • Now add red chillies and curry leaves to roast and till the curry leaves are crispy.
  • Remove and let it cool a bit,
  • Powder each ingredient and add into a mixing bowl.
  • Mix all the ingredients together and add salt to taste.
  • Once the mix is cool, taste test and store in airtight bottles.
  • The ellu podi is now ready to use.
    ellu podi | til chutney

Storing the ellu molagapodi

The til chutney will become rancid if exposed to air much faster. If you are making a batch store it in an airtight bottle on the countertop for about 15 days.Β  Use a dry spoon to serve it. If keeping for a bigger batch keep it in the fridge to slow down the loss of flavour.

Serving ideas for the til chutney

With lunch thali- The dry til chutney can replace the thogayal in the classic south Indian thali meal. It provides a lovely pickle kind of side to add flavour to the dishes.
With idly and dosa- Just like using molagapodi, Ellu podi can be used to dip the idlis and dosas to have. You can add a touch of oil to make a paste that can be smeared on the idlies.
Make a thogayal- Add two or three tbsp of warm water to about the same quantity of til chutney powder and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This will form a thick soft chutney. Further you can dilute it with water if needed.
In variety rice- Just like we make pickle masala rice, sprinkle the chutney podi on the stirfrying leftover rice and make a delightful ellu rice. You can add a tempering of mustard seeds and garnish with coriander leaves to make it more flavourful.
In parathas- Add a tablespoon of til chutney to the atta before kneading it and mix well. This gives a unique flavour to the paratha when cooked, yet cannot be seen much.
Add to sandwiches and wraps– Use the til chutney in your rolls, wraps and sandwiches as this dry spice mix will add flavour without going soggy. Add cooked and drained beans, herbs, or a basic salad to the wrap to make it filling. Smear a bit of the paste-like ellu podi on the slices of bread and make a basic tomato-cucumber sandwich, it tastes amazing.

Collaborations

Recipe challenge

The dry til chutney recipe is added to the A_Z collection of recipes for the Alphabet T. Sesame seeds are Til in Hindi and this long-stay chutney is what I chose to showcase.

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When you make this ellu podi, tag us or share with us how you like it. Leave us a comment with a 5-star rating to tell us how it is, we would love to hear from you. Stay subscribed as this year we will try our best to bring you a lot more recipes. Stay connected and see you again soon.

Til chutney Ellu podi
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