Vegan Christmas Kulkuls- A Tribute to my Manglorean Catholic Roots

I turned 35 this year. An age where you've figured yourself out and can finally fit in your past symbiotically with your present. And that's why tradition, or rather recreating new traditions based on the ones I grew up on are so important to me. I was raised in a rather secular household, a catholic Mangalorean mother (albeit raised in Calcutta) and a Hindu father. We were brought up with both influences, celebrating Diwali and Christmas with same-same enthusiasm. I was born in the U.S and lived there till I was 10. Then I was raised in Bangalore from ages 10 to 18. 

The one Mangalore Catholic tradition that stood the test of time in my childhood (growing up both in the U.S and Bangalore)was making Kulkuls at Christmas time with my mother Rosemary Mukherjee. Then we grew up and the tradition stopped. 

Today, I am making them again after 20 years.

The recipe is perfect for the whole family (especially the kids) to get involved with because of the fork you need to shape the dough with. In fact, that's all I was allowed to do as a kid, only roll them and never go near the stove for deep frying. Today, Manjula who has worked in our house for almost 6 years now told me she'd teach me how to do the perfect deep fry, making sure the kulkuls were dark and crisp outside and the dough inside cooked just enough. I usually cook and bake in isolation, but having Manjula doing it with me today created the atmosphere of memory- kulkuls are always made together.

I've organized the recipe of course. The traditional version has butter and in some versions even eggs. So here is my 'kinder' version of Kulkuls :) It's a fairly easy recipe. 

What You Need

(makes 25-30 kulkuls)

1 cup flour (maida)

1/2 cup semolina (rava)

1/4th cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons salt

1/4th cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons soya/almond/plant-based mylk

How To Make

We'll roast the semolina (rava) on a dry pan on medium heat for a few minutes till it smells toasty. In a large bowl add flour, cooled down semolina and salt. Now add the coconut oil and start to mix with your hands, you'll get a crumbly dough. Now add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again. Finally add the soya mylk and knead the dough well. It should be dry-ish and not wet, but you still want it to be pliable. 

Kulkul dough

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 

Now gather around and everyone who wants to make kulkuls with you (the more the faster) grab a fork. Pluck 2- inch sections of the dough and press on the back of the fork. Now roll upwards. They might not be perfect, it's ok. Every table of kulkul makers will have a show-off and the failure- it's ok, all kulkuls are equal. 

Roll em up!

When all your kulkuls are shaped heat a large bottomed vessel with oil for deep frying. Let it heat up on med-high for 4-5 minutes. Take a speck of the dough and test the oil. If the dough rises up it's hot enough. Add the first batch of Kulkuls gently into the hot oil. 

Reduce flame to simmer and the kulkuls cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remember to flip them in the middle. Drain them of oil with your spoon and lay on a plate lined with tissue paper. 

While they are still hot sprinkle on some more powdered sugar. 

Your kulkuls are ready! Spread New Year/Christmas cheer by sharing. 

Here's to a bright, kind, and adventurous. I'll see you guys on the other side! Keep it real.

Talking Shop With Pavan Melukote, Founder of Nutrimake + Nutrimake Cake Experiment

Meet Pavan Melukote, a native South Bangalorean who still gets frazzled by the idea of the city expanding past inner ring road. 

Growing up, he was that nerdy kid who opened up electronic machines at home for fun. From his TV to the washing machine at home (bless his parents), Pavan claimed his tinkering taught him to fix just about anything.

As he started adulting, he became an engineer by qualification and a problem solver by profession. Pavan worked with National Instruments R&D for six and a half years before taking the plunge into the food industry. 

First, he tested waters in this new industry as the COO with Veganarke. It was a period of time that taught him a lot about the manufacturing area of the food business industry. That's when he decided he was going to start something up on his own. The product he had in mind was channeled with focused intent: to create a meal that was more nutritious than any other meal replacement product in the country and that took less than ten seconds to make.

Pray, why did he even think of something this specific?

Two years ago Pavan made a shake with protein powder, a banana, and ragi (finger millet). It was both delicious and filling. Then he read about Soylent in January  2018. 

"I was impressed by their campaign and their record, when I decided to part ways with Veganarke, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. So, thank you, Rob Reinhart," says Pavan. 

Since Pavan cooks a lot he understood the fundamentals of taste profiles. He went back in time to use the flavors he loved as a child to create Nutrimake. 

The rest is history. Now let's talk all about Nutrimake in this interview with Pavan!

     Is there such a thing as the 'right time'  to jump into running your own business?

Pavan Melukote: Often we romanticize the answers to questions like these and say, just follow your dreams. Unfortunately, it ain’t true. We all have our own commitments and bases to cover before we set out on adventures that are definitely more rewarding, but also come with a lot of risks.

I say the right time is when you have figured out how to cover your bases and are confident to begin your entrepreneurial journey. For me, it was about having enough experience and financial backup to fall back on in case I needed to, especially since my family is financially dependent on me.  Thanks to 6.5 years in IT, I had a good amount of savings accumulated to get me a launchpad.

Apart from having personal confidence in starting your venture, it is important to have an understanding of what you want to do; a vision for your company. This might change but doesn’t mean you should shoot in the dark.

"The right time to jump is when you've figured out how to cover your bases and are confident to begin  your entrepreneurial journey."

 What's the coolest thing you learned when you were experimenting with Nutrimake ingredients?

Pavan Melukote: You can make cakes with Nutrimake :D

Nutrimake is a versatile product, because of the many natural ingredients we use, people have the flexibility to use it in many applications – including cakes, laddoos, and energy bars. 

Some of the other examples of the cool things I learned is that Nutrimake stabilizes blood sugar in people suffering from hypoglycemic activity, that was so cool! It also makes recovery post-workout much better!

"I learned is that Nutrimake stabilizes blood sugar in people suffering from hypoglycemic activity, that was so cool!" 

 I was talking to you about how Nutrimake can serve several purposes at the same time. Can you talk about 3 unique needs that could be met with this product?

Pavan Melukote: Convenient Meals – Often, in our busy urban lives, we tend to skip breakfast and other meals or eat incomplete and unhealthy quick meals, Nutrimake fills this gap perfectly. It has all the nutrients your body needs and takes less than 30 seconds to prepare.

Complete Nutrition – We are only beginning to pay heed to Nutritionists’ advice and understand all the elements our body needs to function effectively. Nutrimake is probably one of the very very few meals that guarantee complete nutrition – every element of nutrition your body needs is available in each serving at adequate quantities.

Designed for Everyone – Nutrimake, unlike many other specialty diet foods, is made for pretty much everyone on the planet irrespective of the age, gender, and other barriers. Our customer base is scattered across the spectrum with people as young as 15 years of age to as old as 85 years of age, it is heartwarming to see that it is adding value and nutrition to the lives of all these people.

 "Every element of nutrition your body needs is available in each serving at adequate quantities."

What's the longest trip you've taken on your two-wheeler delivering your own products? Do you hope to look back at these moments with some pleasure, knowing you can honestly say you gave every part of yourself to this product and its business?

Pavan Melukote: 127Kms on a single day! I did a route from JP Nagar- Koramangala - Varathur - Ramurthy Nagar - Indiranagar - Austin Town - Nagarabhavi - Hosakerehalli - Mylasandra- Kanakapura Road.

I absolutely look back at that, I still do deliveries by myself sometimes, and it is always pleasurable to talk to the customers face to face and get their feedback on the service. Apart from delivering a kickass product, offering great service is also something we pride ourselves with.

 As a vegan running a plant-based business, tell us why you think plant-based industries are the future.

Pavan Melukote: Two parts to this answer.

(i) As a vegan, I want plant-based industries to be the future, for ethical reasons. We abuse and murder innocent beings for no reason. This should stop.

(ii) Plant-Based industries will be the future, thanks to advances in science and technology. It is more efficient to make and sell plant-based products the costs involved are a lot less. It is only a matter of time before the world develops affordable cultured meat and dairy products. Capitalism will ensure that any product whose cost is less and the returns are more will succeed. When we offer affordable products that do not rob customers of their love of the taste of specific products, yet we reduce the cruelty and carbon footprints of such products, I don’t believe there’s any reason for the customers not to embrace this. We are waiting for the revolution to happen and it will.

 "I want plant-based industries to be the future, for ethical reasons. We abuse and murder innocent beings for no reason. It is only a matter of time before the world develops affordable cultured meat and dairy products"

 What flavor of Nutrimake do you honestly think Donald Trump would like? Why?

Pavan Melukote: I think President Trump would love all the flavors because anyone who says otherwise is only spreading fake news. So bad, so bad. They are the enemies of the people.

                                                   ***********

Now, this wraps up our interview part. But Messy Cooking Always Vegan went one step ahead and made a lovely Cinnamon Almond Teacake with Nutrimake as an experiment. The result? A truly wholesome cake that could actually be eaten for breakfast and will keep you fuller than any normal cake. You could make this cake way healthier too by omitting the oil and using applesauce and maybe just a bit of coconut cream. While the sugar and fat is what makes cake taste delcious, there isn't a reason not to pump up its nutritional value! 

Nutrimake Cinnamon Almond Teacake

What You Need

1 packet of Nutrimake Alcanut Flavour ( although Nutrimake Classic flavor should also work)

1.5 cup flour

1/2th cup vegetable oil

1 cup almond mylk 

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup jaggery powder (or sugar)

Pinch of Salt

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

1.5 teaspoons vanilla

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

How To Make 

In a large bowl combine almond mylk, jaggery powder, vanilla, salt, and chia seeds. Let the chia seeds sit in the bowl for 5 minutes. They kind of work like eggs do for baking. 

Now add the packet of Nutrimake, the flour, the baking powder and soda, and the cinnamon. Stir into a thick but moving batter. Add the nuts and give it a stir.

Pre-heat oven to 170c. Add batter to a greased cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Let cool. Cut up and serve at tea-time or eat while you're rushing out the door for work!

More questions about Nutrimake?

Get on to their website to order and follow them on FB.

Bangalore Vegan Treat Alert: Coco Truce Cashew Cheese and Mayo Spreads

Herby, eh? Photo Cred: Coco Truce

Yo Yo Zebras!


You gotta love this city. This Bangalore, I tell you. The amount of local homegrown vendors making vegan treats is on the rise. This means plant-based substitutes is going to be way more accessible and even affordable.  Heads up, I'll be featuring  local vegan companies a couple times a month on my blog so that YOU can dig in, support, and celebrate local food and people making  kind, ethical, and sustainable treats.

So today we have the very spectacular Coco Truce. This Bangalore based homegrown company is run by a couple of vegans in the city. They are offering Cashew Cheese spread and Vegan Mayonnaise for right now. I think they also do a beetroot Hummus too.

Looks like Coco Truce has been Hella Busy. Photo Cred: Coco Truce

This week I got a jar of the cashew cheese and the vegan mayonnaise. First of all, the jars are pretty large. I was expecting tiny bottles, but listen-up coco truce, your camera angles make the jars look smaller than they are. I'd reckon we are getting 250 grams in each jar.


So let's get down to how they taste. The cashew cheese is lovely, right amount of tang, right amount of creamy. This is great on a sandwich or on crackers. I'd say surprise your friends with a fruit, nut and cracker board with this cheese and watch your big mighty jar be finished on the quick.


Let's get to the mayo. So, this is not your traditional mayo. I was expecting it to be a mayo substitute.  In the market a lot of the diet-eggless mayonnaise brands are default vegan. That means a lot of oil, but you know, whatever, it's mayo. But Coco Truce's mayo is more like a delicious salad dressing. I didn't find it oily at all. I used it as a millet-salad dressing, thinned it out with some water, added a chili for extra spiciness and a lump of jaggery to balance it out and it was so good! This spread can be used on sandwiches, pasta salads, and even be used in place of chutney.

Vegan-up your lunch. Photo Cred: Coco Truce

What I really loved about these guys were the amount of herb garnishing on top. Adds that oomph. It's almost sexy.

Each jar of cheese is 250 rupees and the mayo is 200 bucks, which is very reasonable given the amount and the ingredients.  I haven't tried the cheese on pizza yet, but you can bet I'll be doing that this week.

Masala Papad and Coco Truce Spreads were made for each other. Photo Cred: Coco Truce

 This weekend I really scored.  I got Coco Truce treats on Friday, and this Sunday met some vegan friends for lunch and scored a batch of Vegitein Spicy vegan hotdogs and veggie meat strips from the founder of Vegitein, Salona Lutchminarain. I have tried them before and they are amazing. The veggie meat strips just need to be fried up. The texture is amazing. The price to is amazing. 200 bucks for 5 hearty sausage links or 400 grams of veggie meat strips. Listen, mockmeat is the future of meat. We have a huge-ass problem with the industrialised meat and dairy.Whether you are vegan or not, consider using mock meat for some of your meals. It goes a long way in creating a compassionate sustainable future. Let's do this, yeah?

Sneak Peak of my Vegitein swag (Hotdogs + Veggie Meat strips) - stay tuned for a blog on this! 

                                                                                Photo Cred: Coco Truce

I'll be doing an interview with Carrots (which was the first vegan restaurant in Bangalore) and talking about Vegitein in upcoming blogs. So watch out, that vegan fever is going to bite you, albeit compassionately. Haaha, don't you love lame vegan jokes?

Photo Cred: Coco Truce

Alright ants, to order Coco Truce spreads, click on their FB link here and inbox them. Have a solidly super week people!

Mighty Vegan Veggie Fox Millet Pulav ( Demolish your Veggie Quota)

So Many Veggies. So Many Feelings

This is for real my 6th post in January, and the damn month is not even over. I am on a blog binge, and it's likely to end at some random time you least expect it. So make merry with my sort-of-amazing vegan recipes now.

Remember how I am supposed to be off rice (and all other shitty carbs and sugary sweet things?) Yeah, so it's fox millet time. Shilpa, our friend, (and founder of Jus'Amazin, plant based treats) brought in some millet salad today, and told us she makes pulav/biriyani with it too. Aha, what a great slip of tongue, had she any idea I would go right to it and make some the very same night?

So I thought, let's get a crap ton of veggies in while we're at it. Because, you know us vegans don't get enough protein (there is plenty protein in vegetables, FYI)

So all you need is your standard masalas, some fox millet (easy to get these days in a bunch of stores), and all the veggies you can find in your fridge. It's nice and spicy, and I added mint and coconut too for a little bit of a south-indian twist.

Here's What You Need

1 cup fox millet

1 green pepper (capsicum)

1 onion

2 tomatoes

1 carrot

1 cup chopped spinach 

1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas

small punch of mint leaves

small bunch of cilantro (dhanya)

3 green chilies (less if you're a wimp)

6 pods of garlic

2 inches of fresh ginger

1 packet of your favorite ready-made biryani masala (I used Shaan bombay biryani)

1/2 cup fresh or dried coconut

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chili powder

6-8 pepper corns

2 pinches of mustard seeds

salt to taste

1/2 cup coconut milk

cooking oil

How to Make

Like hell I was going to experiment combining the masala and fox millet in one pot the very first time I used millet. So we did things separately to avoid an  epic fail. 

First you gotta add your cup of fox millet to about 11/2 cups of water and open cook it. You might need a little more water after the first 10 minutes of cooking. You'll need to cook it for about 20 min. 

Cooking them millets

Blend your ginger and garlic with a little water to make a paste. Now blend half the cilantro with your chilies and mint and make a green paste. Chop all the rest of your veggies.

In a pot, add two table spoons of oil. Add mustard seeds and peppercorns and then the fresh ginger-garlic paste. Now add your onions and fry for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, stir, then pour the green paste over it and mix. Now is a good time to add your packet of biryani masala, chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Mix it all up. Add the rest of your veggies (peppers, carrots, peas, spinach, or whatever you decided you want to use) and mix. Add your coconut milk and fresh/dried coconut. It should be a nice thick spicy gravy with veggies. Add a little bit of water and keep letting it cook. 

Once your millet is ready, spoon it into the gravy mixture and mix well. Let it all be in one pot now on low flame for 3-4 minutes. Serve in a bowls with some vegan peanut curd or sneak in some chips or something crunchy with it ( I won't tell)

Dinner is done!

Now go tell your veggie quota for the day what's up. 

That's right! You ate all you veggies. And it was delicious. 

Till next time!

Bengaluru Special Donne Biryani ( Plus my Vegan Sermon, Yikes!)

Mighty but not Meaty

Ola Leopards!

Here's to a more conscious, kinder, and happier New Year. 2017, baby! Let's make it wicked hot.

If you've been following my posts, you already know the drill: it doesn't matter if you aren't vegan, or vegetarian. Reducing your intake of meat and dairy makes a stand against cruelty. By consciously lowering your intake you are acknowledging one of the most cruelest industries in operation today: subjecting animals to being produced just to they live in cages until they are killed. The dairy industry keeps cows pregnant (by artificial insemination) constantly, so they give out milk around the clock. And their calfs certainly don't get enough to drink. What's more is that they inject cows with hormones,so they produce more (which is painful for the cow, and super nasty for you).

 I turned vegan ( after being vegetarian/pescatarian for 7 years) about 8 months ago. So, I thoughts, why not chronicle my experience of being one in India.

It's lonely being a vegan in a non-vegan world. I don't know any vegans in real-life most of them are on the internet. We live in a non-vegan world, globally we're only 3%-5% of the population. India might have a large vegetarian population, but is very lactose dependent: ghee, milk, curds and butter is in a lot of our vegetarian food. India's population is huge-Ass, but we in all probability don't have even have 10k vegans in the country.

As a vegan, I get eyebrows raised, I get made fun of, and I certainly get unwarranted advice. But I am no evangelistic vegan. Ain't one of them that says the go vegan or call yourself a mass murderer. Humans are fundamentally hypocritical- we have pets, but we eat meat. We think cruelty is bad, but we don't think about our food.  We have cultural ties to food, and the demands for vegan substitutes are so low, that it might seem like a very privileged thing to take up. Most people think that you don't get the right nutrition on a vegan diet. That's a complete myth, and there is enough on the internet to read about that specifically.

I believe any change is good chance. If you can give up meat and dairy one day a week, you are contributing to a better world. We're consuming and consuming, we've lost touch with our food, where it comes from, and what goes on behind the scenes. Sometimes, I don't think the vegan label does us much good, people feel intimidated by it, and get defensive about it (which is why we get all the stupid comments and jokes). And it's not only the non-vegans who create the problem. Some vegans be be downright annoying, holier-than-thou, and dogmatic. After all who is to define the exact rules of being vegan? We could always argue that vegetables kill insects, that india uses animals to farm its agriculture, and that most things we are involved with directly or indirectly abuse animals in some form. There is plenty of infighting in the vegan community precisely because of this, who get's to be 'vegan' enough?  Franky, I could give a rat's ass. Everyone has their own evolution based on their circumstances, privileges, culture, and individual experience. But what we all have in common (if you are reading this) is to be aware of our experience right now, and what we're doing. That's why I think: any change, is good change. Even acknowledging the problem of cruelty is change.


Read up more about the industry. If it moves you, then give up the small things first. Give up leather (there is no good reason you need to actively buy leather). Reduce your consumption of milk. If you are vegetarian, consider trying the vegan diet. The environmental impact is huge. And if this is too hard, support the rest of us vegans by buying vegan products from time to time, it helps us increase the demand in the market, making it more accessible to the mass population.

Alright, sermon over. But the preamble also serves well for my next recipe. A lot of people who eat meat are worried about taste and and recreating old favorites. I am no different, I grew up a meat eater and one of my favorite things was biryani. Bangalore has a special local biryani, and you live here, you've either eaten it or seen it all around town: Donne Biryani. Usually made with chicken and small grain rice. The taste, if you ask me, comes from the spicy-delish mix of ginger-garlic, shit tons of coriander, mint, and chilies! 'donne' in Kannada means palm leaves, which was originally the way it was served, in a cup made out of these leaves.

Here's my vegan version using soya chunks and potatoes! It was extraordinarily tasty and spicy! This recipe will serve 2-3 people.

The Taste comes from these cuties

Here's What you Need


3 fresh  tomatoes pureed

2 large onions

2 cups fresh coriander leaves

1 cup mint leaves

3 inches of ginger plus 10 pods of garlic

As little as 2 to as much as 10 green chilies ( I like it super spicy)

11/2 cup small soya chunks

2-3 potatoes chopped ( I cute one potato into 8 pieces)

5 tablespoons biryani masala ( I use Shaan masala/Bombay Briyani masala or Chicken masala)

11/2 teaspoons turmeric, jeera powder, and dhanya powder

Some fresh coriander and chopped tomato for garnish

11/2 cup of white rice

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

3tb cooking oil


How to make

Puree your tomatoes and set aside. Then blend your mint, chilies, and coriander together with a a bit of water to make your green paste. Blend your garlic and ginger together to make a fresh ginger-garlic paste. Don't use ready-made paste, the taste of this recipe relies on everything fresh. Lastly, grind up your onions too. Now you have 4 pastes : Onion, Ginger-garlic, Tomato, and Green.

Green and Red

In a pressure cooker, heat up 3tb of cooking oil. Add you ginger-garlic paste and fry it for 2 minutes. You can also add a bayleaf to the oil if you want, but totally optional. Now add your onion paste, and fry for another couple minutes.

Pasty!

Soak your soya chunks in a bowl of water. And keep you potatoes peeled and chopped.

Now add green paste to the onion/ginger-garlic paste, and stir. Dump your tomato paste in, and add all the masalas. If your biryani masala doesn't already have salt add some to taste. You might need to use a little salt anyway, since potatoes tend to soak it up. Add your teaspoon of sugar as well now too.

Now add your soya chunks and potatoes, and fry it all together, add a few tablespoons of water, and cook for about 5 minutes. Finally add your washed rice, and stir the mixture throughly. Add 3 cups of water and put the lid on. Let it go for about 3 whistles. Put off the cooker and let it cook with the heat inside. Open, place in a bowl and garnish with more coriander and fresh chopped tomato. Serve with a salad, or with vegan raita (peanut curd is available for delivery in Bangalore and tastes very much like regular curd) Contact Veganarke on their FB page for peanut curd (80 rupees for a litre)

Yeah! Enjoy your vegan donne biryani, and share some with your friends.

<3 Happy 2017!

Have questions about vegan food or being vegan in India? Comment or catch me on FB: Rheea Rodrigous Mukherjee