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Paryushan special Jain recipes: Why should vegetarians have all the fun?

Reading Time: 8 minutes

 

It’s that time of the year again! Paryushan Parv, the Jain festival, is a week-long festival of introspection, atonement and forgiveness, but a festival, nonetheless. And just like every other festival, there are Jain feasts too.

The Jain festival of Paryushan brings with it, recipes with a taste of innocence and non-violence, as the cooking process takes utmost care that the least number of organisms are harmed and the ingredients do not include any kind of green vegetables and underground roots.

It might seem as a challenge to make delish dishes out of a limited number of ingredients but that is where the creativity begins! There is a Jain version to every dish and sometimes unimaginable how tasty it can become without the staples onion, potato and garlic.

So why should vegetarians have all the fun? Rejoice and have a Jain feast this Paryushan!

jain frankie wrap

Jain Frankie Wrap / Roti

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • A little bit of salt
  • 1 tbsp yoghurt (pre heated)
  • 1 tbsp oil

Paneer Tikka

  • 200 grams paneer

For Marination

  • ½ cup thick yoghurt (let it hang in a muslin cloth for about 2 hours)
  • 2 tbsp roasted besan flour

Dry Masalas

  • ½ tsp dry mango powder
  • ½ tsp cumin seed powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp fried fenugreek
  • 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp black salt
  • ¼ Chaat masala
  • 1 tbsp homemade methi sambharo
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp hot mustard oil

Yogurt Mayo

  • ¼ cup thick yogurt
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp chaat masala
  • ¼ tsp dried mint leaves

Method

Mix the flour, salt and water (not the oil) and knead a soft dough. After the dough gets ready, add in the oil, and keep kneading it to incorporate it fully. Rub a little bit of oil on top of the dough and rest it for about an hour.

After 1 hour, start rolling the dough to make thin rotis and cook them on a hot tawa on both sides. Do not fully cook. Once blisters appear, take off the tawa and keep in a hot case.

Paneer Tikka Filling

Mix all the ingredients for the marination to make a smooth paste.

Add cubes of paneer to this and keep them aside for 30 minutes.

Either cook these on skewers in the OTG at 200 degrees C for about 15 to 20 minutes or on the tawa with a little oil.

4Once the paneer tikka is cooked and has a nice grilled flavour, you can assemble the frankie.

For Assembly

Heat some ghee or oil on a tawa and cook the frankie roti. Then spread with the yogurt filling & place the paneer tikka on it.

Roll up, wrap in foil and serve hot.

Read Also: Beyond Revelry: The solemnity of the festival of Paryushan

Jain Galauti Kebab

Jain Rajma Galauti Kebabs

  • 1 cup pressure cooked rajma (1/2 cup dry)
  • Salt and black salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • Pinch asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp amchoor powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
  • 2 pinches cardamom powder
  • A pinch of Cinnamon Powder
  • 1 tsp roasted besan flour
  • 1/4 tsp dried mint leaves
  • 1/4 tsp kasoori methi
  • 2 tsp ghee

For Kebabs

Grind the boiled and mashed rajma. Heat a kadhai with ghee and add ground rajma, salt, cumin powder, black salt, amchur powder, asafoetida and ginger powder.

Now add turmeric powder, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, garam masala, red chilli powder and black pepper. Mix on low flame.

Next, add dried mint powder and kasoori methi. In case the mixture becomes too dry, add milk or water.

To get a good binding, add roasted besan powder.

Make little tikkis of the mixture and shallow fry them in ghee or butter to get a nice crisp crust. The tikkis should remain soft as overcooked tikkis will not melt in the mouth.

For Zaafrani Roti

Take 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, add 1 tsp sugar, few strands of zaafran (saffron), 1/4th cup milk and salt to taste.

Knead the dough like chapatti dough and let rest for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough into a roti and spread a thin layer of ghee on it. Now roll the roti into a cylinder and pinch the edges.

Divide it into small balls, like a layered paratha. Make miniature rotis to go under the kebab.

Take a tawa and roast the mini rotis on a medium flame.

Dry cook it first and then use ghee. Press it well to cook it properly from inside. Saffron rotis are ready!

For the Sauce

Mix together 1/4 cup hung curd, red chilli, dried mint and black salt.

Plating

Place the mini rotis first, put a rajma kebab on that and add a dollop of sauce.

Sprinkle dried mint and sesame seeds and chilli flakes as a final touch.

Read Also: Indulgent chocolaty goodness

Jain Chhole Biryani

Amritsari Chhole Biryani

For Boiling Chana

  • 1 cup dried white chickpeas (chhole or kabuli or safed chana)
  • 1-inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1 teabag (optional)
  • 3 cups of water

For Gravy

  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 3 medium or 2 cups of tomato puree
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp anardana powder (dried pomegranate powder)
  • 1 tsp kasoori methi
  • Cream (optional)

For tempering or tadka

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • cardamom

Preparing and pressure cooking chana:

Wash dried chickpeas under running cold water till water runs clear. Soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Discard the soaking water.

Add chana with 3 cups of fresh water along with whole spices in the pressure cooker. Close the lid, put the weight on. Cook on high for 1 whistle then lower the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or till chana is cooked and soft.

Let the pressure go down by itself and open the lid. Chana should be soft and some of them might be opened up.

Also, puree the tomatoes and keep it aside.

Making the gravy:

Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add cloves and cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

Add tomato puree and salt. Let it cook. If it splutters a lot then partially cover the pan.

Cook till all the moisture evaporates and oil starts to ooze out from the sides. Do stir in between.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, anardana powder, garam masala and kasuri methi. Mix well and cook for a minute.

Add cooked chana along with water. Mix well and let it come to a simmer.

Let it cook till you get the desired thickness of the gravy. Then turn off the stove.

To temper:

Keep the lid of the pan ready. Heat the oil in a tadka pan on medium heat.

Once hot, add cardamom to it. Add tadka to the chole gravy. Immediately cover the pan to trap all the flavors.

Keep it covered for 5 minutes. Then open the lid.

You add cream in the end as per your liking.

Read Also: Oat milk, the new preferred choice

jain papdi chaat

Jain Papdi Chaat

  • 1 cup Wheat Flour
  • 2 tsp Oil
  • Salt as per taste
  • Pinch of Sugar
  • 1 tsp Sun-dried Mint Leaves
  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1/4th tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • Pinch of Asafoetida
  • 2 tbsp Sev
  • 1 tsp Chat Masala
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind Chutney
  • 2 tbsp Grated Dry Coconut
  • 1 cup yoghurt
  • 1 cup Moong

Moong preparation
Wash the moong, drain extra water and transfer it to cooker.

Add some water, add salt as per taste and cook it on low flame for 2 whistles.

After it cools down, take the cooked moong in a heated kadhai.

Add 1 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and a pinch of asafoetida and mix all ingredients well. 

Papdi preparation

To 1 cup wheat flour, add 2 tsp oil, add salt as per taste and mix it all well.

Make semi-soft dough by adding water to it. Cover it with a cloth and rest it for 15 minutes.

Grease rolling pan with few drops of oil. Take a medium-sized dough ball and roll it as thin as possible to make the papdi crispy.

Cut it into square pieces with a pizza cutter or knife. Transfer it to a plate but do not stack up.

Add all cut pieces to semi-hot oil. Flip and fry it from both sides. Remove it from oil after it gets a reddish tint.

Red chutney preparation

Grind 2 tsp dry grated coconut with 2 tsp sev, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, pinch of sugar and little water to form a fine paste, not too watery.

Yoghurt

The yoghurt has to be heated a bit, either in a microwave or in a cooker until 1 whistle with double boiler method. You can use a blender or grind it once to have a fine flowing consistency. You can add some sugar as per your liking.

Plating

Arrange the fried papdi pieces on a plate.

Spread cooked moong over the papdi. Spread spicy red chutney over it and next spread the yoghurt. Spread some tamarind chutney or replace it with amchoor powder.

Sprinkle red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, and coriander powder, sundried mint leaves (optional), and chaat masala. Lastly, add a generous amount of sev.

Read Also: Mutter-ing Peas-fully

falafel pita pockets

 

Jain Falafel Pita Pockets

For Falafel

  • 1 cup soaked chole chana (white chickpeas)
  • 1 tsp Cumin powder
  • Salt as per taste
  • Chilli flakes as per taste
  • Dry mint leaves (optional)
  • Baking powder

Coarsely grind the chhole chana, add the seasoning, and chilli flakes for spice.

Make little balls of the mixture and fry them.

For Pita Pockets

  • 1 cup Whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp Yoghurt
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • Baking powder

Knead soft dough adding curd and water to the wheat flour and rest it for two – three hours.

Make puffed parathas from the dough on tava (same process as making roti).

Cut the puffed parathas into half.

For Hummus

  • Soaked and boiled chhole chana
  • Tahini paste
  • Chilli flakes
  • Oregano
  • Oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients and blend/grind them well to make a very smooth hummus.

Plating

Open the half pita pocket and fill it with fried falafel balls, hummus and other seasoning as required to make a sandwich.

Hummus can also be served with multi grain crackers.

Read Also: Kali Dal: Black gold

Nachos

Jain Loaded Nachos

For Nachos

  • 1 cup Corn meal
  • 1 cup Wheat flour
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1 tsp oil

Knead soft dough with wheat flour, corn meal and other ingredients.

Make half cooked rotis and cut them like nachos and fry them. Sprinkle some Jain Mexican seasoning on it.

For topping

  • Soaked and boiled rajma
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp oil

Heat 1 tsp oil, add caraway seeds, rajma and hot chilli sauce (home made), season with Jain Mexican seasoning.

For sour cream

  • 1/2 cup Hung curd
  • 1 tsp Cream
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp Oregano

Mix the above ingredients well.

Plating

Place all nacho chips on the plate. Load it with topping preparation.

Spread hot chilli sauce same as used for frankie.

Heat the curd as per your liking, before plating.

Read Also: Spice Angel: In conversation with MasterChef contestant Sandeep Pandit

Suruchi Sehgal
Suruchi Sehgal
A new Sydneysider, Suruchi is a stationery junkie, who loves to dabble with writing, aerial gymnastics and dancing. Her new found love is cooking and she tweets as @mellowsunshine

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