Vegan, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian diets all have their pros and drawbacks. However, if you have decided to try incorporating more veggies in your feast after the fast this year, let us aide you. Here are some meatless, nutrient-dense, low-calorie recipes that are ready in under an hour. Not to be too bold, but these are so flavorful, you might not even miss meat.
Table of Contents
Meatless Recipes To Try This Ramadan
1. Sarso Ka Saag
Many run away at the mention of this sabzi, but one spoonful later, it’s truly a challenge to not go back for seconds. ‘Saag’ means pureed greens. Mustard greens, commonly available in India and Pakistan are used for this recipe. It is typically consumed with cornmeal bread. You need around 11-12 ingredients which are mustard greens, spinach, green chilli, garlic, turmeric, corn flour, fenugreek leaves, ghee, and some ginger.
Cook all the mustard greens and spinach until they soften, then using an immersion blender or food processor, puree it all.
Bring it back in the cooker/pot and add corn flour. Mix well until it is combined evenly. Next. add some water and fenugreek leaves. In a separate pan, take some chopped onions, with ginger, cilantro, and cook them in ghee. Add this tempering over the pureed greens and voila, its ready. Relish it with some white butter.
2. Aloo Gobi
This side dish is as popular in Pakistan as it is in North India. The two vegetables, potatoes and cauliflower are cooked in a simple onion-tomato gravy and seasoned with commonly used spices. The cooking process ensures the veggie chunks soak up the flavors, making it a perfect pairing with rice/roti.
This recipe calls for easy-to-find ingredients like potatoes, onions, cauliflower, garlic, tomatoes, spices, chilli, some oil.
Chop cauliflower into florets and potatoes in cubes of the similar size.
Start by roasting some cumin seeds in oil followed by sauteeing onions in the same mix until they turn golden. It is crucial to not skip this step as maximum flavor is developed here.
Then add the ginger and garlic at this stage and let the onions keep cooking deeper. Once the onions develop a deeper golden brown from the initial pinkish brown, add the tomatoes with spices and salt.
PS- do not add in the tomatoes before the onions brown because the acid from tomatoes will hinder with the browning.
When you see oil separating, you know the gravy is cooked.
In another pan, stir fry the cauliflower and potatoes over low heat then add them to the gravy and cook until there is no moisture left. Serve with parathas and raita.
3. Chana Masala
Best paired with rice, chana masala is a vegan, high-protein, high-fiber meal. Oh, did we mention flavor-loaded too?
Even if you missed the pre-prep stages, you can make this recipe fairly quickly. Forgot soaking the chana? Used canned/pre-boiled chana. So, all you need is chickpeas, spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, green chillies- the basic ingredients.
Like in the previous recipe, start by sauteeing onions and add garlic, ginger, and green chillies. Once they turn fragrant, add tomatoes with some water. When you see these ingredients have come together, add in the chana, cover, and let it cook. Check around three minutes later.
To gauge properly, crush a chana and if it has turned soft, you know its ready.
4. Aloo Baingan
Certain points to keep in mind when making Aloo Baingan- it can be cooked in under an hour, it is packed with flavors, and super easy to make.
The ingredients are more or less similar to the gravies we shared above. You would need eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger, seasoning and salt, some oil and lemon juice.
Chop the eggplant into cubes and pan-fry them for three minutes, until they are charred. Do not fully cook the eggplant, as it will cook further with the gravy.
Moving on to making the base, you must saute the onions, tomatoes, with ginger, garlic, and other seasonings patiently. This ensures maximum flavor development. Next, add the eggplant and potatoes to this gravy with some water. Cover, let it cook until the vegetables are tender. This is ready to be served.
5. Punjabi Kadhi
A curry packed with homestyle flavors? Yes, please.
This fool-proof curry is a gram flour and yougurt-based stew that may also contain dumplings.
Traditionally served with basmati rice, if you make this, you’re in for a treat.
Rich but light, flavorful with soft dumplings, this curry is made with besan, dahi, ginger, garlic, oil, spices, and salt. Onions are optional, like the dumplings.
Optional- for the dumplings, you need sliced potatoes, besan, seasonings, salt, and some oil. Make a batter using besan, dip the potato slices in the batter, and fry them until golden brown and crisp.
For the kadhi, start by combining the besan and dahi. Mix them until it is smooth and there are no lumps remaining. Optional, but you can saute the onions. Once they turn a deep brown, add the besan-dahi mix with some water. Ensure you keep stirring to prevent curdling. Once the kadhi is half-way cooked, fry the dumplings.
When you notice a layer of oil on the kadhi, you know it is cooked and you can stop stirring. Turn off the flame and add in the dumplings and serve.
6. Aloo Palak
This dish is typically made stir-fried or partly dried so it does not have any gravy per se.
This is prepared with basic, everyday ingredients. You need spinach, tomato, potato, chilli (green and red), onion, seasoning, oil, and some lemon.
Finely chop the spinach and process or blend it with tomato, garlic, and ginger. Boil potatoes with some salt.
Saute the onion, add garlic, ginger, and green chilli. Then add the spinach puree. Cook until this stir fry reduces. Keep the pan open to ensure the spinach retains its natural green. Lower the heat, toss in the boiled potatoes, add seasoning, sprinkle some lime juice, and your dish is ready!
You can also opt for malai kofta, palak paneer kofta, anjeer koftas, paneer makhani, or a veggie stew if you are looking for more options. These are some basic yet flavor-loaded vegetarian recipes you can try if you wish to experiment with vegetarianism during the festivities. Quick to make and do not call for fancy ingredients, which of these will you try first?
