Redefining Indian Food

Mira Manek has a passion for health and wellbeing – and is changing how we all perceive Indian food through her cookbook Saffron Soul and her events and videos.

Monday 22nd January 2018 05:38 EST
 
 

You will certainly recognise the thali on the cover of Mira Manek’s cookbook Saffron Soul, but it is much more than just a book about curries and daals. Saffron Soul is a celebration of modern and traditional, of healthful Indian food and fresh flavours, and of family and feasting.

 

'The dishes in Saffron Soul have all sorts of personalities,’ writes food blogger Sasha Gill - we couldn’t have explained it better ourselves, ‘from the feisty and seductive beetroot thoran, to the mild–mannered and comforting cleansing mung soup. The former is perfect fuel for a glamorous evening out, while the latter is the perfect dish to have when you're back—nursing it from a large bowl after tucking yourself under layers (and layers!) of blankets.’ We thought this encapsulated the essence and diversity of the book. ‘What I love about Saffron Soul, other than Mira's lyrical and colourful narration, is the creativity behind it all. The subtitle of Saffron Soul promises you healthy vegetarian heritage recipes from India. But in addition to that, you get all of Mira's creative and innovative spins on her grandmother's home cooking. From millet roti and brown rice kheer to quinoa and coconut upma. Saffron Soul is quite unlike any Indian vegetarian cookbook before it.’

 

Mira, through Saffron Soul, her blog and her events (Mira hosted yoga brunch at Liberty London last weekend and her Diwali feast was at Dalloway Terrace), is changing the perception of Indian food, bringing a fresher, lighter and more vibrant take on the cuisine. It is a very timely book, as we become more aware of the healing powers of each of our spices, as local cafes start brewing turmeric lattes and garam masala is available in every supermarket. “I think it’s brilliant,” she says of this new wave of golden milk. “It’s a bit like yoga, taking something ancient and Eastern, mixing it up, making it more versatile and appealing, adding maple syrup, cinnamon and pepper to turmeric, creating power yoga and repackaging everything and making it in vogue.” And that’s what makes Mira’s book so appealing to all – the balance of the traditional and inspired, from a Gujarati dal to masala grilled aubergine and shrikhand cheesecake.

 

Here, we have shared a few recipes from her book and from her popular blog miramanek.com – and as for events, join her newsletter or follow her on instagram @miramanek to find out when and where her next event is.

 

Mango Shrikhand Cheesecake

Recipe taken from Saffron Soul

 

Thick creamy yoghurt, mixed with honey and infused with saffron and cardamom, is layered on a crunchy date and nut base, topped with fresh blended mango. This cheesecake is based on my grandmother’s homemade Shrikhand, one of those deliciously creamy desserts I’d always look forward to as a child. Here, I’ve decided to add a layer and make a cheesecake using those same flavours. Since it is made with yoghurt, it takes longer to set. It is therefore ideal to make it two days in advance of serving, or at least the day before.

INGREDIENTS

For the base

100g (3.oz/ ¾ cup) almonds

40g (1.oz/ 1/3 cup) walnuts

150g (5oz/1 cup) pitted dates, preferably Medjool

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon almond butter

 

For the yoghurt layer

500g (17½oz/2 cups) thick Greek yoghurt

180g (6oz) cream cheese

4 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

pinch (less than ¼ teaspoon) Spice Kitchen saffron

½ teaspoon Spice Kitchen ground cardamom

 

For the topping

1 large or 2 small mangoes

 

METHOD

Start with the yoghurt layer. Place the Greek yoghurt in a muslin (cheesecloth) set over a bowl and leave to strain for at least an hour or ideally overnight (place in the fridge if overnight).

To make the base, blend the almonds and walnuts in a high-speed food processor for a few seconds, then add the dates, coconut oil and almond butter and blend until the nuts are well crushed and the mixture has become quite smooth. If there are a few pieces of nuts and dates, this is fine – it will give the cheesecake a lovely crunch.

Press the base layer into a 20 centimetre (8 inch) loose-bottomed tin and leave to set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Place the strained Greek yoghurt, cream cheese, honey, saffron and ground cardamom in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly, then spread this mix evenly over the base layer.  Leave to set in the fridge overnight or for up to 2 days.

To make the topping, peel and de-stone the mango(es), then place in a blender or food processor. Blend the mango until smooth, then pour over the top of the cheesecake. Leave in the fridge for at least a few hours so the mango sets, then remove from the tin.

Serve as it is, or this also looks lovely topped with toasted pistachios and a mint leaf.

 

Saffron overnight oats

 

Overnight oats are just brilliant, especially for winter and especially if you’re lacking time in the morning! They’re super simple and make for the best breakfast, are great on the go and the perfect snack. In my cookbook Saffron Soul, I have a luxurious saffron porridge recipe with jaggery, so here’s the overnight oats version of that with a few extra edits. Just soak overnight and eat the next day – you will love it!

 

Makes 2 bowls

 

To soak together:

7-8 tablespoons, 70g oats
150ml nut milk (or any milk of choice), around ¾ cup
100ml apple juice, around ½ cup
2 teaspoons flax seeds
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds
1 apple, peeled and grated (or julienned)
pinch of saffron
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Optional garnishings
1 tablespoons coconut yoghurt or any yoghurt
handful blueberries
handful goji berries
sprinkle of bee pollen

 

Soak together all the ingredients for the bowl and stir well. Leave to soak for a few hours or overnight (you can also just soak for an hour but the longer the better!) Divide into two bowls and serve with garnishings.

 

 

Indian Summers Salad

 

Ingredients

70g kale (about 3 handfuls)
150g red cabbage (about ¼ of a cabbage)
5 pitted dates, preferably Medjool
​150g (strawberries, plus a few extra to garnish)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
handful of flaked almonds, to garnish

 

For the dressing

40g cashews
3 tablespoons plain yoghurt
handful of coriander leaves
juice of ¼ lime
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt or sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
​80ml coconut water
¼ green chilli

Method

1. Make the dressing in advance so the cashews can soak. Mix together all the dressing ingredients and leave for at least a couple of hours (or overnight).

2. You can make the base of the salad just before serving, or make a few hours in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to dress and serve. 

3. To make the salad, chop the kale and cabbage as finely as possible, removing any thick stalks from the kale. Chop the dates into small pieces so there aren’t any large clumps. Lastly, chop the strawberries into small pieces. Mix together the kale, cabbage, dates, chopped strawberries and sesame seeds in a large bowl.

4. To make the dressing, in a blender or food processor blend together all the dressing ingredients and taste for seasoning, adding extra salt, lime or chilli if required.

5. When ready to eat, place the salad on a serving plate and drizzle the dressing over the top. Quarter the reserved strawberries for the garnish, add to the top of the salad, sprinkle with almond flakes and serve immediately.

You can buy Saffron Soul by Mira Manek online on Amazon and in most bookstores and Waitrose.


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