Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti

This Green Bean Plantain Dish is a simple side-dish commonly consumed in Kerala (South Indian state that I belong to). I know, the name Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti sounds super intimidating, but this dish is SO SIMPLE with a few ingredients. It comes together in under 20 minutes and goes great with some Sambar and rice!

What is Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti?

Achinga is a the Malayalam name for Green beans and Kaya is the name for raw plantain. Plantains are very commonly found in South India and are quite widely prepared. This is a simple and quick recipe commonly made in Kerala households to add to a simple meal for lunch or dinner.

How to make Achinga Kaya Mezukkupuretti – Tips and Tricks

The Achinga Kaya Recipe is very easy and doesn’t call for a whole bunch of spices, except for turmeric powder.

Achinga: Green beans. You can use long or short green beans, also called French beans in India. You can also replace this with potatoes or beetroot or any veggie you have. Slice these to amount an inch in length:

Kaya: Raw Plantains. The star of the show. If you replace this, you will lose the essence of this recipe. But it can be replaced with any other starchy vegetable if you REALLY want to. Slice these to the same size as the green beans:

Whole Spices: Curry Leaves and mustard seeds . Curry leaves provide an earthy savoury flavour that cannot be replaced. You can find these dry or frozen or fresh in any Indian/Asian store.

Ground Spices: This recipe only calls for turmeric powder, but you can also add red chili powder if you like it extra spicy!

Why are my peeled plantains turning black?

Raw plantains oxidise easily and tend to turn black. Nothing wrong with it. But if you want to avoid it, drop them in a bowl of turmeric water. Helps keep the colour until you are ready to cook.

You can also just follow the recipe and boil them in salted turmeric water directly after slicing:

Check out other Kerala dishes from the blog:

• Kerala Kadala Curry/Kari
• Sambar
• Idli and Dosa

Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 250-300 g Green beans/Achinga sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 medium – large Raw Plantains/Kaya (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric
• 2-3 Green chilli peppers
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• Curry leaves

Instructions

• Peel out the tough portions of the raw plantain/pachakaya and slice it and the green beans to a equal sizes length.
• In a cooking pot, add raw plantain/pachakaya pieces and achinga payar/long green beans (unless using frozen ones like I was. Then keep it for later and add after the aromatics) with water and 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and salt. Cover, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add curry leaves and green chillis. Cook for 30 secs.
• Add 1/2 tsp each turmeric. Fry for 1-2 mins.
• Add cooked green beans and plantains. Mix well. Cook for 5 mins and remove from heat. Serve with rice and pappadom.

This quick, flavourful and healthy Tofu Masala Sandwich is going to save your a§§ on days when you want to have a delicious meal but don’t have time! It comes together in 15 minutes and requires very few ingredients! Make this the next time you are craving street food, but healthy, or need to make a quick lunch in between zoom calls.

Why Bombay Style Sandwich?

Sandwiches are really popular in Mumbai. I remember visiting Mumbai and finding a sandwich stall in every corner, near railway stations, in markets, popular hangout spots etc. These are always spicy and so delicious. Of course they were doused in butter so I decided to make a home and vegan friendly version for all of us to enjoy!

How to Make Tofu Masala Sandwich – Tips and tricks

The steps are very easy. The tofu masala or stuffing is made with grated tofu, tempered with spices. the ingredients are pretty easy to find.

• Make the chutney first and keep ready. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge: Blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1-2 green chilies in a blender with just enough water. The chutney should come out with a thick consistency.
• Tempering spices and aromatics: I used mustard seeds and curry leaves. You can also use cumin seeds and ginger+garlic instead if that is what is available to you.
• Add the onions and green chilli: the onions don’t need to caramelise. Just cook until translucent or slightly golden brown.
• Add grated Tofu: Grating then makes them easier to handle in the sandwiches and give a more even shape to the sandwich. You can also choose to crumble the tofu if you wish. Use firm or extra firm tofu for this purpose. Sub with mashed chickpeas or potatoes.
• Making the sandwich: I chose to use a classic sandwich maker but if you don’t have one, just use a greased grill or a skillet. Press each side down until golden brown and crispy on each side.

Let me know if you try this healthy Tofu Masala Sandwich and I would love to see your recreation. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram .

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I think it’s time you do. I post yummy food reels with tidbits about my life.

Try other snacks from the blog:

• Vegan Yoghurt Toast – Spicy
• Baked Aloo Tikki – Crispy and Healthy

Tofu Masala Sandwich

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 1/2 block tofu grated
• 1 small red onion
• ½ tbsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 or 2 green chilies or jalapeños chopped
• 8 to 10 curry leaves fresh, frozen or dry
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 pinch of asafoetida hing (optional)
• salt as required
• ½ tsp sugar optional
• Chaat masala

Instructions

Coriander chutney

• Blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1-2 green chilies in a blender with just enough water. The chutney should come out thicc, like your a§§.
• Set the chutney aside.

Tofu Masala Sandwich

• Heat oil in a shallow pan and add mustard seeds.
• When the mustard seeds start to splutter, asafoetida (hing), if using, on low heat and then curry leaves.
• Add the chopped jalapeños and onions soon and let the onions get golden on medium-low heat.
• Add turmeric powder and let it cook until the raw smell goes away.
• Add the grated tofu and season with salt.
• Stir and mix the tofu the tofu in for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the sugar now, if using.
• Take the tofu masala filling off the heat and set aside. Let it cool down a bit while you grease your sandwich maker.
• Spread coriander chutney on one slice of bread and ketchup/sriracha on the other.
• Add the tofu filling on one side, sprinkle with chaat masala and close the sandwich. Press down gently so the filling doesn’t start falling all over the place.
• Cook in a sandwich maker or on a pan or grill until crispy on both sides.
• Serve with more chutney and enjoy!

In today’s episode of “Make-it-yourself”, I introduce to you the queen of alternative milk – oat milk. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s easy to make and the best part, it does not have that slimy mouthfeel. Follow through all the tips and tricks of this oat milk recipe to get fresh, creamy, and luxurious Oat milk at home.

Oat milk is extremely flavor-neutral and goes really well in Chai , lattes, and smoothies. Creamy oat milk is key to a delicious vegan Chai. Are you looking for uses of oat milk and similar inspiration? You might like the decadent Dairy-free Chocolate pudding that I made using oat milk.

Why Oat milk though?

The bright side to the pandemic is that we learned to depend on our own abilities as much as possible. Because of limited grocery trips, we had to learn to make do with what we had at home including making things from scratch. I’m glad that many of us could get inspired to consciously follow a more plant-based and animal cruelty-free diet.

One of the first steps to going non-dairy is to find the right alt milk for consumption because milk is a fridge staple. Cow’s milk isn’t for everyone – whether you’re a vegan, lactose intolerant or cow’s milk just doesn’t sit right with you. The alternatives are Soy milk and Coconut milk. There’s no harm in using them but coconut milk often impart a distinct taste to the recipe and some people are allergic to soy. Oat milk is the saviour for all these situations.

How to make Oat milk at home?

Oat milk is a blend of water and oats. These two simple ingredients are put through a blender to get a milk-like consistency, strained, and stored. It is a fairly simple technique and is cheaper than store-bought milk. Because of its growing popularity, oat milk is found in almost every grocery store or online store. The catch is that if you don’t make it the right way, you’ll end up with slimy milk. Many give up before they even give it a try and end up buying oat milk from the store.

Store-bought vs. Homemade

First things first, I am not against store-buying here. Many store-bought oat milk have additives like oils and sugars to give them a smooth and palatable texture. Although a plus point of getting store-bought oat milk is that they are fortified to have other nutrients and vitamins. Before the tips, I just want to flag that you can’t get the EXACT texture of store-bought oat milk at home. Store-bought versions use stabilisers so the water does not separate from the milk. They use enzymes to break down the oat’s starches. If you want a similar texture, you can use digestive enzymes (amylase) if you want to.

The slime-factor

Oat milk becomes slimy in texture because oats are known to absorb the water just like in overnight oats or porridge. After doing multiple test runs and coming up with my personalized super simple hacks, here’s how I recommend you make your oats milk:

Let’s get nerdy:

Let’s get familiar with a few basic technical know hows:

• Temperature : When oats are soaked and processed in hot water, it forms a gel-like substance. This is called gelatinisation. This happens when we blend oats and water at a high temperature. The heat can also come from blitzing it on high-speed for a long time. That’s how we end up with slimy goopy oat milk.
• Digestive enzymes : The only way we can avoid this, is to add digestive enzymes that break down the starch components in the oats. Amylase is one such digestive enzymes that does an amazing job at keeping the slime at bay. These are pretty easy to procur from any grocery store, it’s not a hurculean task.
• Amylase can also be found in a wide variety of foods like bananas, papaya, mangoes as well as potatoes.
• For this oat milk recipe, we are lowering the temperature factor by adding ice cubes while blitzing.

Recipe Instructions: Tips and tricks

• Oats : We’re using unsoaked rolled oats for this recipe and not quick oats or steel oats. You can use gluten-free oats to make gluten-free oat milk in case you have allergies or intolerances. DO NOT pre-soak them. Pre-soaking them will turn the milk into a slimy mess.

• Ice Water: Pour the oats into the blender with ice-cold water and ice cubes if you can. The trick is to reduce the temperature as much as possible. Note : The water consistency can be modified as per your preference. (For thicker, creamier milk and higher – LESS WATER: For thinner milk – MORE WATER)

• Blending : Blend the two ingredients in a high speed blender for not more than 30 seconds and in a regular blender not more than 60 seconds. More blending time will heat up the content and leave you with a slimy texture.

• Straining : Pour into a container through a GOOD quality nut milk bag to prevent sediments in the oat milk. Try using 2 nut-milk bags if yours isn’t very efficient. But DO NOT over-squeeze the bag. Let it seep through on its own with gentle squeezes in between. Double strain to make sure all the sediment is removed.

• Oat Pulp : Use up the leftover Oat pulp for making Cookies or adding it to Crunchy Chunky Homemade Granola bowls.

Storage:

Freshly prepared oat milk needs to be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. You can refrigerate it for up to a week. Keep in mind that the water and oats will separate when kept for so long. So, shake well before each use.

Also, if you want more dessert inspiration then feel free to check out my other recipes:

• Dairy-free Chocolate Pudding (made with Oat Milk): Rich and Creamy
• Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
• Best Vegan Masala Chai

Homemade (Non-Slimy) Oat Milk Recipe

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 1 cup Rolled oats Gluten free (if necessary)
• 3-4 cups Cold water
• 1 cup Ice cubes
• Vanilla extract, maple syrup etc. Optional

Instructions

• Pour un-soaked oats into the blender with ice-cold water and ice cubes. Make sure the temperature is as low as possible.
• Blend it in a high speed blender for not more than 30 seconds and in a regular blender not more than 60 seconds.
• Pour into a container through a GOOD quality nut milk bag to prevent sediments in the oat milk.
• Use 2 nut-milk bags and double strain to make sure all the sediment is removed.
• Your creamy, slime-free Oat milk is ready!

Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 250-300 g Green beans/Achinga sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 medium – large Raw Plantains/Kaya (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric
• 2-3 Green chilli peppers
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• Curry leaves

Instructions

• Peel out the tough portions of the raw plantain/pachakaya and slice it and the green beans to a equal sizes length.
• In a cooking pot, add raw plantain/pachakaya pieces and achinga payar/long green beans (unless using frozen ones like I was. Then keep it for later and add after the aromatics) with water and 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and salt. Cover, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add curry leaves and green chillis. Cook for 30 secs.
• Add 1/2 tsp each turmeric. Fry for 1-2 mins.
• Add cooked green beans and plantains. Mix well. Cook for 5 mins and remove from heat. Serve with rice and pappadom.