Whether you’re celebrating a major holiday, a loved one’s birthday, having a family gathering, or just getting very few friends together for self-distance catch-up session, good food is always the life of the party!
For me, Indian Fusion party food is about so much more than just taste. It’s about color, texture and vibrancy, lots of ethnic flavors in small packages and everyone coming together. All of my recipes are whole food plant-based with out the use of oil.
Heavily influenced by my mom’s traditional Indian cooking, but also adding healthy fusion flare from my travels to Morocco, Spain and Delhi. I enjoyed preparing this menu incorporating some Liyye seasoning, Persian saffron and cardamom, Moroccan flavors and spices into classic Indian dishes with a focus on organic, locally sourced ingredients.
I am sharing recipes with you for Vegetable Palau Biryani with Pine Nut and Falafels topping. Basic tomato herb chutney, how to make falafel from scratch. Super quick 3 ingredient Mango Ice cream and Mint Moroccan chai. Hope you enjoy these recipes.
Indian Fusion Veg Palau Biryani with Falafel
A Palau originates from the Middle East but is adopted by Indians. Also known as Palau, Pilaf and Biryani. My mom used to make this dish all the time when we were growing up as kids. Indian style rice pilaf that is aromatic, delicious, healthy & super quick to make for a one pot meal loaded with vegetables. This classic recipe has been simplified without any frying of the vegetables and no added oil – you’ll want to make time and time again. You can substitute any vegetable of choice instead of the ones we used.
With plenty of flavor, this tasty dish is perfect for serving with tomato chutney or any curry. I added a completely Middle Eastern, Persian twist to this famous Indian dish by adding crunchy, flavorful falafel and toasted pine nuts on the palau.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 pinch of saffron
- 1 small eggplant chopped
- 1 carrot sliced into thin coins
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 packet Liyye seasoning by Ziyad
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
- 2-3 jalapenos minced
- 1 cup of cilantro chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups basmati rice rinsed and drained
Instructions
- In a large dutch pan over medium-high heat add a tablespoon of water.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, and Liyye seasoning and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water.
- Add in the carrot, potato, bell pepper, eggplant and cauliflower and stir well.
- Add in the salt, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon, and saffron stirring well.
- Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.
- Add in the basmati rice, reduce to low heat and cook (covered) for 40 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes before opening and serving.
- Add toasted pine nuts and crumbled falafel on top and leave some pieces all around the rice platter.
- Garnish with cilantro and enjoy! You can eat this with tomato chutney or by itself so flavorful and delicious.
Falafel from Scratch
You can use the Ziyad brand falafel mix one box and follow instructions on how to make them or make from scratch with my recipe below. For today’s party I used the Ziyad falafel mix but added 1 chopped onion, fresh chopped cilantro, 1 chopped jalapeno and 1 packet Liyye seasoning just to give it an extra kick. Bold Flavor- Liyye All Purpose Seasoning packs a savory punch of flavor from the Middle East and instantly makes any dish delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas drained
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon flax seed powder mixed in water to form paste
Instructions
- Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed.
- Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion, cilantro and jalapenos together in a bowl.
- Stir in the flour and flax seed paste.
- Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
Moroccan Eggplant Tagine Stew Recipe
Tomato Chutney Recipe
Mango Icecream Recipe
YouTube video of closeup of the delicious dishes.