Vegan Vale Bajji Ambat Recipe

Malabar spinach is a highly nutritious green leafy vegetable, a perennial vine. It is also used as a home remedy for skin allergies.

Vale Bajji Ambat is a delicious Konkan curry made with Malabar spinach or basale soppu, served with unpolished rice, jolada roti or ragi mudde. Vale bajji is the Konkan name for Malabar spinach, and ambat means curry. Malabar spinach is a highly nutritious green leafy vegetable, a perennial vine. It is also used as a home remedy for skin allergies.

Malabar spinach grows everywhere in coastal areas and western ghats of Karnataka. My aunt said that basale soppu would grow all around their homes in summer, they just had to harvest it and make this yummy curry. Both the stem and leaves are used in the curry. The stems need to be chewed on and fiber discarded, like drumsticks. The leaves can be eaten completely.

We have used the more traditional pepper instead of red chili that is used now, to make vale bajji ambat spicy without causing irritation to the digestive tract. We have also avoided garlic to make it satvik. We hope you enjoy it!

Recipe by Prathima Prashanth, Health Coach & Plant-based Cooking Expert, NutritionScience.in

Whole Food Plant Based Vale Bajji Ambat Recipe

Course: Course 2 (Vegetable Dishes) for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: Satvik Coastal Karnataka Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Moong dal sprouted
2 tbsp Almonds
2 Tomato chopped
2 cup Basale Soppu Vale Bajji / Malabar Spinach, chopped
2 tsp Coriander Seeds Powder / Dhaniya Powder
1 tsp Jeera / Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
4 tsp Miso Paste
2 tsp Coriander leaves chopped
2 cups Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove leaves of basale soppu and chop stems in 1-2 inch pieces. Boil sprouted moong dal, Malabar spinach, chopped tomatoes together 1 cup water, dhaniya powder, and turmeric powder.
2. Blend almond butter with water, miso paste, jeera powder, and black pepper powder to a smooth paste.
3. Once vegetables are cooked, switch off stove. Add spiced almond cream.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with brown rice, ragi mudde or foxtail millet rava upma.

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Vale Bajji Ambat Recipe

1. Split yellow moong dal or toor dal can also be used instead of sprouted moong dal.
2. Increase quantity of pepper for a spicy curry.
3. Use Kokum or Garcinia with tomato for an authentic Western Ghat flavour!
4. You can also add little bit of seeds like methi, poppy, fennel for more vibrant flavours.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Vale Bajji Ambat Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. Why legumes? Legumes are the #1 number food associated with long life in many recent large studies! They also fuel your gut microbiome through their resistant starch content and slow down glucose absorption, keeping your blood sugar levels steady - even in the next meal! This has been called the Second Meal Effect. This recipe is one of the yummiest ways to include pulses and legumes in your daily diet.
3. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!