Kahaani 2 actress Vidya Balan shares her favourite vegan recipe -- Kerala Pachadi

Kahaani 2 actress Vidya Balan shares her favourite vegetarian recipe for a Sunday lunch!

Talented Bollywood actress Vidya Balan who is known for her amazing performance in movies like Kahaani 2, The Dirty Picture and No One Killed Jessica is a vegetarian. Her love for food is not hidden especially for south Indian delicacies which she simply can't resist. One of her favourite vegan dishes is pachadi which is basically red pumpkin with coconut. This dish is usually part of her Sunday lunch menu.

Vidya shares her favourite recipe in the book 'The Vegan Kitchen: Bollywood Style!' authored by Anuradha Sawhney.Here is the Kerala pachadi recipe excerpted from the book.

KERALA PACHADI (Red Pumpkin with Coconut)

4 servings

Ingredients

• 500 gms red pumpkin
• A lemon-sized ball of tamarind
• tsp turmeric powder
• A nut-sized ball of jaggery
• Salt to taste

Coconut paste

• 2 tbsp grated dried coconut
• tsp mustard seeds
• 1-2 green chillies

Tempering

• 1 tsp oil (optional)
• tsp mustard seeds

Method

• Peel the pumpkin and cut it into " cubes.
• Soak the tamarind in 1/3^rd cup of water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with your hand and press the juice through a strainer into a small bowl. Discard the residue in the strainer.
• Grind the coconut paste ingredients to a fine consistency. Set aside.
• Put the pumpkin in a pan with the tamarind juice, turmeric powder and jaggery. Place the pan over moderate-hot heat and boil, till the pumpkin is tender. When necessary, add some water so the pumpkin does not burn.
• Taste and add salt.
• Add the coconut paste and give it a stir.
• Pour in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• Heat the oil for tempering in a small pan (optional). Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter, pour the contents of the pan into the pumpkin.
• Give it a stir and remove from heat.
• Serve with steamed brown rice.

'The Vegan Kitchen: Bollywood Style!' is a collection of healthy vegan recipes contributed by top Indian celebrities. It is authored by Anuradha Sawhney and published by Westland Ltd.

Image source: Getty Images

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