According to Medical News Today’s website, “the health benefits of consuming papaya include a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, aiding in digestion, improving blood glucose control in people with diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and improving wound healing.”

But many people don’t like the smell of this fruit and therefore avoid it. For them and for others who love experimenting, here is an interesting way to consume papaya: in a spicy coconut gravy. The delicious vegan papaya curry cooked in a spicy coconut gravy goes well with both rice as well as rotis (Indian flatbread).

Papaya Erissery: A delicious vegan curry

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 1½ cups papaya, thinly sliced to 1” long pieces
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt

To grind

• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 4 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 – 2 green chillies
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

To temper

• 1 tbsp oil, preferably coconut oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 whole dried red chillies
• 5 – 6 curry leaves
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp grated coconut

Preparation method

1. Cook the papaya with water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt in a pan till the  slices are soft and you are able to mash them with a spoon. You can also pressure cook them for one whistle, allowing the steam to be released naturally. Set this aside.
2. Grind the ingredients listed under ‘to grind’ to a semi-smooth paste. Add this to the cooked papaya. Gently heat this mixture for 3 – 4 minutes till the coconut gravy gets cooked. Lightly mash any big pieces of papaya with the back of your stirring spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from flame and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Once they crackle, add the shallots and fry till golden. Add this tempering to the papaya curry.
4. Return the saucepan to the stove and tip in the coconut. Gently toast the coconut on a medium-low flame till golden brown. Add this to the papaya curry as well. For best results, keep the papaya erissery covered for 30 minutes before serving to develop the flavours. Serve with rice or rotis.

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Makes 6 large fritters

Ingredients

• 2½ cups zucchini, coarsely shredded
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup corn kernels
• ½ tsp red chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ cup chickpea flour [besan]
• ¼ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp oil

Preparation Method

1. Take the coarsely shredded zucchini in a bowl and sprinkle ½ tsp salt over it. Rest for 10 minutes to draw out the liquid from the zucchini.
2. Squeeze out the water from the zucchini. Add the zucchini, corn, red chilli flakes, cumin powder, garam masala powder and chickpea flour to a mixing bowl. Mix well with a spoon to form a batter. If you feel the batter is runny, add breadcrumbs, few spoons at a time, till batter comes together. If you do not wish to use breadcrumbs, you can add more chickpea flour. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Divide batter into 6 portions. Form each portion into thin patties with your hand and pan-fry on both sides till nicely browned, 2 – 3 minutes per side.
4. Serve the fritters hot with a chutney or dip.

This recipe was published in the April 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 2 tsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 5 – 6 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• A pinch of asafoetida
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup grated green or unripe papaya
• ½ cup grated green or unripe mango
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 3 cups cooked rice
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts

Preparation method

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. When the seeds begin to crackle, add ginger, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Saute for a few seconds on low flame to fry the ginger.
2. Add grated papaya and mango and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring frequently. When the papaya and mango are soft, add the coconut and saute for a few more seconds.
3. Now add the cooked rice and gently fold in to combine. Season with salt. Add the roasted peanuts. Serve hot with raita, pickle and papad.

This recipe was first published in the February 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Green papaya and raw mango rice appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 3 cups yoghurt
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 3 mint leaves, finely chopped
• A big pinch of red chilli flakes
• A big pinch of chat masala

Preparation Method

1. In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt well to remove any lumps. Make sure to use thick yogurt for best results.
2. Add zucchini, tomatoes and salt to taste. Mix well.
3. Garnish with mint leaves, red chilli flakes and chat masala.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

This recipe was published in the April 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

The post Zucchini and tomato raita appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Makes one 9” loaf.

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups zucchini , grated
• ¼ cup chocolate chips
• ¼ cup almond flakes

Preparation Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200° Celsius. Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper or foil and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric beater, cream the oil and sugar together. Add yogurt and beat on high for 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract.
4. Add grated zucchini to this and mix well.
5. Tip in the dry ingredients and fold in carefully till just combined. The batter will be thick.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle chocolate chips and almond flakes on top of the batter. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove bread to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container when completely cooled. Serve bread slices warm or cold with a cup of milk, coffee or tea.

The post Zucchini chocolate bread topped with almond flakes and choco chips appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized, ripe papaya
• 1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• Honey as a sweetener, if needed
• A few mint leaves, to garnish

Preparation method

1. Cut the papaya into chunks. Blend it along with orange juice and turmeric powder to a thick but drinkable consistency. Use more orange juice or water to thin it if necessary. Taste and sweeten with honey if needed.
2. Pour into tall glasses, garnish with mint leaves and serve chilled.

The post Papaya-orange juice immunity booster appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 200g noodles [wheat, rice or egg noodles]
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 dried red chillies
• 3 spring onion greens, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup fresh green peas
• 4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• A pinch of sugar
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds, to garnish

Preparation Method

1. Prepare noodles as per package instructions. Drain and set aside
2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add dried red chillies, garlic and white parts of scallions. Saute till garlic is soft and fragrant
3. Add zucchini slices, sprinkle a pinch of salt over them and saute till lightly browned on both sides. Add fresh green peas and saute for a few seconds
4. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli sauce, sugar and black pepper powder. Stir for a few seconds on high heat to coat the vegetables with the sauce
5. Tip in the cooked noodles and toss to combine
6. Garnish with the reserved green parts of scallions and white sesame seeds. Serve hot.

The post Takeout-style hakka noodles with zucchini appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

These muffins are eggless and do not have any butter. To make them healthier, you can replace all-purpose flour with wholewheat flour as well. They can be eaten as dessert, snack or even a quick breakfast.

Use very ripe papayas and bananas in this recipe for best results. Mash the fruits well with a fork or puree in a blender before using in the recipe.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup papaya [very ripe, mashed or pureed]
• ¾ cup banana [very ripe, mashed or pureed]
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup coconut flakes; a little extra for topping

Preparation method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375⁰F or 190⁰C. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Take the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed papaya, banana, sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.
4. Tip in the dry ingredients and mix till just combined. Gently fold in ⅓ cup of coconut flakes.
5. Scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Top each portion with some coconut flakes. Gently tap the pan on the counter-top to level the batter and get rid of any air bubbles.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for five minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or upto 3 – 4 days in the fridge.

This recipe was first published in the February 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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