Veggies as
HEROES Plant based ingredients and recipes related to Indian street food.
Allium sativum Garlic has medicinal properties including reducing heart diseases
Allium cepa Onion is has antibacterial properties.
Zingiber officinale Ginger has a combination of antibacterial properties and helps in improving cardiac function.
Capsicum frutescens Chilli has anti-inflammatory properties
Solanum lycopersicum Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Cauliflower is rich in Vitamin C
Solanum tuberosum Potatos are a good source of carbohydrates and potassium
Citrus limon Lemons have skin and digestive benefits
Let’s
SPICE it Up!
Indian cuisine is a ll about the ba lance of the spices. using a mixture of cool and hot properties of spices brings a significant depth of flavour.
जीरा
Cumin = cool
दालचीनी
Cinamon = hot
धनिया
Coriander = Cool
करी पत्ते
Curry leaves = Hot
इलायची
Cardamom = Cool
Cumin
काली मिर्च
Pepper = Hot
DOSA INGREDIENTS - 1 cup moong dal dhuli yellow moong dal (split petite yellow lentils), 205 grams - 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds - 1 inch ginger - 1-2 green chilies to taste - 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste - 1 tablespoon rice flour - water to blend, around 1/2 cup (4 oz)
METHOD Rinse and soak moong dal in around 3 to 4 cups of water for 2 to 3 hours. If you can't wait for that long, soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Once soaked for 3 hours, drain the dal using a colander and rinse it well. Transfer the dal to a blender along with cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies, salt and rice flour. Add water and blend to a smooth paste. I added around 1/2 cup water here. Transfer batter to a bowl. You can add some water here if you want to adjust the consistency. The batter should be pouring consistency (like a regular dosa batter), don't make it thin. Heat a iron tawa/pan on medium-high (you may use a non-stick pan but iron pan works best for dosa). To check if pan is hot enough, sprinkle some water on the pan, the water should sizzle away and evaporate immediately. Cut an onion, insert a fork in it and then dip the onion in some oil. Use than onion to rub the pan with oil (this makes the iron tawa non-sicky). Then start making the dosa. Take a ladle full of batter and pour it in the center of the pan. Start spreading the batter by moving your ladle in circular motion in one direction. Start from the inside and move your ladle out in a circular motion (move the ladle in clockwise direction). Keep moving the ladle in circular motion and spreading the batter until the batter is well spread. Try to spread it as thin as possible. Drizzle oil all around the dosa and also few drops in the center. Let the dosa cook for few minutes until the bottom starts appearing golden brown. Once the bottom starts appearing brown, scrape the sides using a spatula and release the dosa from the pan. Flip and press and cook the other side also for a minute. Fold the dosa and remove from the pan. Make all dosa similarly.
GOBI MUNCHURIAN Ingredients - canola oil, for deep frying, plus extra for stir -frying - 1large head cauliflower, cut into small florets - 2garlic cloves, finely chopped - 1 tspgrated ginger - 1long green chilli, finely chopped - 3spring onions, finely sliced (white and green parts separated) - 2 tbspsoy sauce - 2 tbsptomato sauce (ketchup) - 2 tbspchilli sauce - ½ tspmild red chilli powder - 1 tspsugar - 2 tbspwhite vinegar - ¼ tspblack pepper
Batter 75 g(½ cup) plain flour 2 tbspcornflour 1 tspmild red Korean chilli powder salt and pepper, to season
Method - Pour the oil for deep-frying into a large saucepan and heat to 160°C. - Place all the batter ingredients into a large bowl and whisk in about 125 ml (½ cup) water, or enough to form a thick batter. -Dredge the cauliflower in the batter and fry for about 6-8 minutes or until very crisp. - Heat a wok over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the garlic, ginger, green chilli and the white part of the spring onions until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine well and bring to a simmer. - Add the fried cauliflower to the wok and toss to coat in the sauce. Transfer to a plate and scatter with the green spring onion tops. Serve immediately.
For the Vada - 1 inch ginger - 5-6 large garlic - 2 green chilies - 1 tablespoon oil - 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon hing also known as asafetida - 12-15 curry leaves - 4 medium potatoes around 600 grams - 1/4 teaspoon turmeric - 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste - 2 tablespoons chopped coriander for the batter - 1 cup besan also known as chickpea flour - 1/4 teaspoon turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon saltpinch baking soda - 1/2 cup water + 1-2 tablespoons extra, as needed
VADA PAV
Vada Boil the potatoes until soft, peel them and set them aside. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the ginger, garlic and green chili. Set it aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the curry leaves and hing and mix. Add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili. Cook for one minute until the ginger and garlic starts changing color. Now add the boiled potatoes and remove pan from heat. Add turmeric, salt and mash the potatoes using a potato masher. Add chopped cilantro and mix well. Now make lemon sized balls out of the potato mixture. I was able to get 10 of these. Set these aside.
Batter to fry the vada To make the batter, take besan in a large bowl. Add turmeric, salt and pinch of baking soda to it. Start adding water, little by little to the bowl. Whisk to form a smooth batter. You may need couple of extra tablespoons of water to reach a desired consistency. The batter should neither be thick nor thin.
Fry the vada Heat oil in a kadai/wok on medium-high heat. Dip each potato round into the batter, coat it from all sides. Then drop it carefully into the hot oil. Fry the vada in hot oil until golden brown in color. Fry all vadas in a similar way. Drain on a paper towel.
Assemble the Vada Pav To assemble the vada pav, toast the pav with some butter on a pan. Then slice each pav and fill with vada.
INGREDIENTS
KATHI ROLL
Marination for Paneer - 1 cup paneer cubes - ½ cup chopped green pepper - ½ cup chopped onions - 3-4 tbsp yogurt preferably use hung curd - 1 tbsp chickpea flour [besan] - 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste - ½ tsp chat masala - ½ tsp kasuri methi crushed - ½ tsp garam masala - ¼ tsp curry powder - ¼ tsp paprika powder - ¼ tsp red chili powder or to taste - salt to taste
Roll/Wrap - 4 flour tortillas or use rotis
METHOD Filling Chop paneer [Indian cottage cheese], onions and green pepper [capsicum]. Set aside, In a bowl mix together all the ingredients listed under "to marinate". Marinate the paneer, onions and green pepper and let it sit for around 30 minutes. Slice onions, add chaat masala and lemon juice. Mix and set them aside. Heat oil in a pan and add marinated paneer mixture. Cook the paneer for 4-5 minutes till it's lightly golden brown in color. Add chopped coriander & mint leaves and switch off the flame. Filling for the kathi rolls is now ready. Kathi Roll Take the roti/tortilla and put some green coriander chutney in the middle. Put the paneer mixture over the chutney. Put sliced onions then sprinkle grated cheese, chaat masala and ketchup on top. Fold the the roti/tortilla to make a roll. Heat the kathi roll with little oil/butter before serving
Lakshay Dhiman is a Sydney based creative, specialising in photography and food styling, who has produced three independent short films which have won awards in Australia & America. He has travelled to more than twenty countries which has sparked his great love and appreciation for food.
Bio
Growing up in India, Lakshay was introduced to the craftmanship and design of Indian textiles. Hence, rich colour is the foundation of his design aesthetic. He is a strong, optimistic individual who strives to be an entrepreneur, inspired by people such as his idol Pharrell Williams, who operates across the entertainment, hospitality, media and fashion industries.
Concept
A plant-based diet has become increasingly mainstream and recognised as an important lifestyle choice over recent years, Many people have adapted a veggie diet in their life and multinationals have added vegetarian products to their ranges. However, often it seems like a compromise. So this project is focussed on elevating vegetarian ingredients and food, in particular from Indian street food which has vegetarian tradition spaning centuries. Showcasing vegetables as heroes is the key part of this project. It’s ironic because lots of kids growing up don’t like to eat vegetables, so visual presentation is very important along with delicious veg recipes.
filmislucky@gmail.com @luckyudesign