Tag: vegan travel

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One Pot Vegan Coconut Dahl Recipe

As you may already know, I’ve spent a lot of time in India and I’ve even got Indian heritage as my grandad was from Kolkata, West Bengal. And as a vegan foodie, it’s simply impossible to not love everything about Indian cuisine because it’s always bursting with the most exceptional spices! Every region is the home to different unique flavours and after having slept in so many different random family homes with different cultural practices and ancient family recipes, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way!

This southern Indian style coconut dahl recipe is hearty, full of flavour and packed with fiery spice! Omit the chillies if you can’t handle the heat otherwise embrace the flames because this is a dish jammed with goodness, protein and an exotic taste which is delicious on its own or to pack a punch alongside other curries. 

The term ‘dal’ / ‘dahl’ / ‘dhal’ means split lentils or pulses in the Indian sub-continent and is a staple dish served all over with many variations (most likely because India is the largest producer of pulses in the world!). The more southern states are known for their affinity to powerful and spicy flavours and the typically tropical coconut milk based dishes. The southern states usually use dahl as the base to the famous dish, Sambar, whereas in the north it is a staple dish in its own right. 

It is commonly eaten with chapatis (also known as rotis) or rice and one variation or another is found on (almost) every thali plate in India. For those of you that have never heard of a ‘thali’, it’s a ‘little bit of everything’ type of plate where you’ll get a selection of batch cooked curries, dahl, rice and chapatis which are served at the local dhabas (restaurants). It’s the best and cheapest way to try as much delicious food as possible when you’re visiting India! 

Dahl is a great source of protein and fibre and is also low in fat so it makes an excellent addition to your cooking repertoire! It’s also rich in nutrients like vitamin B and iron which is always helpful too! 

Anyway, on with the recipe…

SERVES 6 

PREP TIME 15 MINS

COOK TIME 30 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 45 MINS

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g red lentils
  • 400ml coconut milk 
  • 300ml water (extra cup of water to hand)
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil 
  • 2 white onions (finely diced)
  • 2 red pepper mild chillies (halved lengthways) (optional)
  • 1 hot green chilli (halved lengthways) (optional)
  • 1 lime (juiced)
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste, especially if you remove the chillies)
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric 
  • 1/2 sq inch ginger (minced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • Handful of fresh coriander

GARNISH

  • Drizzle of chilli oil 
  • Desiccated coconut 
  • Fresh coriander 

STEP 1

Soak the lentils in hot water for 10-15 minutes (as you prepare your veg and complete step 2).

STEP 2

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a pan over a low heat. Once you can smell the fragrant aroma, remove the seeds before they burn and transfer them to a spice blender or pestle and mortar. Grind the seeds into a dust-like powder and set aside. 

Featuring my glamorous assistant (AKA Mum) with our make-shift pestle and mortar after the spice blender broke!

STEP 3 

Add coconut oil to a large pot on a low heat and slowly cook the onions for 8-10 minutes. 

STEP 4

Add mustard seeds, garlic, chillies, ginger, turmeric and salt . Cook until the mustard seeds start to pop then add the ground cumin/coriander mix. 

STEP 5

Pour in the coconut milk, water and lentils and stir thoroughly. Increase to a medium heat until the contents are boiling then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft. Have a cup of water on hand to add as and when needed. 

STEP 6 

Add the lime juice and roughly chopped fresh coriander and stir, covering and cooking for another 5 minutes. 

STEP 7 

Garnish with desiccated coconut, a generous drizzle of chilli oil and torn coriander leaves and serve with your choice of rice or Indian bread.

So that’s it! Super simple, one pot, no mess and packed full of nutrients and yumminess! I hope you like it and drop me a message to let me know how you get on!

Peace, love and a good dose of spice always 😉 

Han x

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Being Vegan in Northeast India

If you are reading this blog, you’re probably already familiar with the usual struggles of travelling as a vegan/veggie either as a cyclist or regular tourist. Yes, it’s sometimes challenging, but if we share information and prepare in advance, it’s never impossible! Hopefully this blog helps with some region-specific info.

I’ve recently spent 3 months in the beautiful Northeastern region of India, home to the Seven Sister States and a LOT of meat and fish based delicacies!

Where religion makes the difference

I travelled through Manipur, Nagaland, a little bit of Assam and Meghalaya. Assam is a culturally mixed state but still predominantly Hindu so there are lots of veg options there, especially in Guwahati which is a very built up city. Whereas Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya are predominantly Christian states meaning unlike many Hindus, vegetarianism is not a part of their culture at all. In fact, in rural areas of Meghalaya, meat and fish is such a significant portion of their diet, I had to eat rice with salt on several occasions – not ideal. But in general, rice and dal is always available and if you travel like me, staying with locals, they will make sure they accommodate you.

The good news is that in all of the main travel hubs most people speak English making it very easy to explain your dietary requirements. In fact, I didn’t even need to learn the local way to say I was vegan except in rural Meghalaya where things became significantly more challenging. There, the primary local language is Kasi which was brought over by the Welsh, so despite having the same alphabet as ours, the words are extremely hard to pronounce!

Here’s my phonetic (what it sounds like rather than what it’s spelled like) dictionary for useful food terminology in Kasi language:

  • I  am vegetarian – nya bam dtang kidjar 
  • No meat – nyam bam dhor 
  • No fish – nyam bam dhor kaah 
  • No milk – nyam di doodh 
  • No egg – nyam bam pulang 
  • No butter – nyam bam moch-un 

There is a wide selection of fruit everywhere except Meghalaya (although that may be more season-based) where they have less especially in smaller towns. You can still expect to find bananas (of course!) and oranges.

Fun fact! Nagaland is made up of individual 17 tribes that all speak different local languages. That’s why a modern common language, ‘Nagamese’, was invented to help everyone to understand each other. It’s a mixture of Assamese, Bengali and Hindi. You can learn more about the tribes of Nagaland if you attend Hornbill Festival – a spectacular 10 day display of eclectic cultural heritage through food, music, art, performance and crafts held from 1st to 10th of December. It’s such an incredible experience and a must-see if you’re in the area around that time! You can read about my time at Hornbill Festival here.

Things you’ll notice

Being predominantly Christian (Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur), everything shuts early on a Sunday, so make sure you’ve eaten before or stocked up before you get caught out, especially if you’re camping in small villages!

Nagaland is home to the King Chilli and Assam to the Ghost Chilli meaning you can expect to feel the heat in your food! Make sure you explain that you don’t want it spicy if you can’t handle it!

The veggies (especially in Nagaland) are often served boiled – a green, watery vegetable they call squash is most popular. This is obviously vegan and often what people assume you are able to eat (they literally cannot fathom the concept of vegetarianism!). Explain you can eat curry the same as them just no meat, fish, etc, otherwise you will be served boiled veg everywhere.

Ghee (clarified butter) is not commonly used in this region (unlike elsewhere in India) as it is expensive and not common practice in local food. If you are visiting posher type of places then it may be used although always better to ask either way!

There are an insane amount of different types of rice in the Northeast and as you travel through the region, you’ll get to experience a few varieties in the form of normal rice, rice beer, rice wine, beaten rice and all their other wonderful concoctions!

When most people think of visiting India, your mind jumps to veggie heaven but in this region, you have to watch out for FERMENTED FISH! (Ew, I know!!) It’s in almost everything that’s preprepared as a local dish so be sure to check before a nasty surprise!

TOP TIP: Get pickled! There are so many incredible and homemade pickles available that add so much flavour to your food…the perfect accompaniment for boiled vegetables eh?
A wonderful meal cooked for us at a convent in Meghalaya

Snacking Tips!

BEATEN RICE

You can just add water, wait for 5 minutes, drain it then add fruit and sugar or salt and nuts for quick energy. This is readily available at markets and can be bought without plastic. Especially good for breakfast or to take with you on a hike like I did when visiting the spectacular Dzukou Valley. (Here you can read about my incredible trip to Dzukou Valley and my blog on how to travel zero waste.)

TOASTED CHANA (CHICKPEAS), MUTTAR (PEAS) AND NUTS

Such an amazing, healthy and nutritious street food with many versions available all over the northeast. Even better, they used recycled newspaper to serve them to you so you don’t even need to have a container handy!

AMAZING FRUIT AND VEG!

If you’re a bicycle traveller that likes to camp and cook then I have good news for you! The fruit and vegetable selection is vast and super tasty (especially the pineapples!).

Epic veg display at the Manipuri women’s market
AVOCADOS

What vegan doesn’t love avocados?! Despite the meat takeover in the Northeast, in Manipur and Mizoram avocados are super cheap and much more sustainable because they grow locally. I know, you’re welcome – ENJOY!

Special mentions

Orange Roots

If you’re travelling from Shillong to Cherrapunjee then you have to pass the spectacular Orange Roots! An amazing all vegetarian restaurant that serves a wide variety of options and can tailor a lot of their menu to being vegan. The thali plate was exceptional and the best news is that it’s eat as much as you like! Not the cheapest, but up there with the best! 180 rupees for a standard thali (can be vegan) and 220 for the special thali. Divine!

Shree Monami Marwari Bhojnalaya

We found a gem of a restaurant in Shillong with super cheap and tasty food! Thalis, parathas, curries, all the usual favourites and for a fabulous price! 7 rupees per roti, 40 or so for a curry, 90 for a thali. Excellent!