I’m visiting my hometown after a while. “We are having idli for dinner tonight,” announces dad.

“IDLI?! Really?? OMG thank you so much!” I shriek in delight, “where’s the batter? Show me the batter?!”

Dad looks at me with a surprised look, “I had NO idea you love idli so much!”

“The batter, dad, the batter! That’s what I’m so excited about! I need that to make curd!!”

My parents exchange knowing glances. Their “vegan” daughter is up to yet another weird food experiment.

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Yes. I said “Chai Tea.” Sorry if that offends you, but I’m not sorry! I find the term “chai tea” extremely cute and will use it. Learn to live with it lol 😀

My dad is a pro when it comes to making vegan masala chai. He uses homemade cashew milk to make me cups of strong and fragrant masala chai. Check out his method here. On the other hand, my mother gets a bit nervous while making “vegan” things for me. So, her approach to making tea is a bit different. She’s more cautious coz “vegan milk is so delicate!” I feel I should share her method as well as it’s a foolproof one! In this method, the risk of milk splitting is almost nil. Even if you have never tried making vegan chai before, this is something you can try confidently. It works so well 🙂 !!

Note: I was inspired to try this combination after coming across the image of a bowl of perfectly set peanut-cashew curd while browsing through Instagram a few months ago. Unfortunately, I have since deleted my account and don’t remember the name of the lady whose post inspired me in the first place 🙁 If *you* are reading this please let me know so I can credit you!

The world of plant-based curds is so, so vast! While I had already tried a few “combos” like peanut-rice, cashew-rice, soya-cashew, and coconut-cashew curds, it would have never occurred to me by myself to marry peanuts and cashews to make yet another version of vegan curd! It’s probably one of my favourite ones at the moment! It looks exactly like the dairy curd we all grew up eating and has a pretty neutral taste. The peanut flavour is well-masked by the addition of cashews, and since we are using just a few cashews per batch, the overall cost of preparing this curd remains nominal.

Love DIY projects? Then you’d definitely like this super-easy homemade tooth powder recipe. There are several varieties of vegan toothpaste and tooth powders readily available—including the popular brand Vicco—which you can simply buy off the shelves in any general store in the Indian markets. However, if you’re someone who enjoys making your own stuff, then this toothpowder is a must-try!

When I was young, my dadi ji used to say that massaging your teeth and gums with tooth powder was the ideal way of cleaning your teeth. She didn’t really believe in toothbrushes and paste! Now that I have been using this homemade tooth powder from the past three years or so for brushing my teeth at night, I can attest.

This is an easy, healthy, and tasty mango “pudding” I often make! However, it never crossed my mind to share this on my blog. Recently, I shared a recipe for Mango Chia Pudding on my FB account and my friend Renu Singh commented that she made a similar pudding with kateera gond. And that inspired me to share this “raw pudding” recipe as well 🙂

Kateera gond (known as tragacanth gum in English) is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of certain species of Middle Eastern legumes. The edible gum is water-soluble and has thickening and emulsifying properties. It’s widely consumed in the northern parts of India during the summers owing to its cooling properties. Mixing soaked kateera gond with cold milk (coconut milk and almond milk are the best in my opinion) and Rooh Afza is one of the most popular ways of enjoying it!

Disclaimer: The recipe is nut-free; I sprinkled a few pistachio slivers on the popsicles just for decoration.

Generally, I use cashews as the base for my homemade vegan kulfis. However, I wanted to make a nut-free version for those who are allergic and decided to use thick coconut milk in this one.

Since we are not adding any nuts or additional sugar to these fruit-based popsicles, do expect some ice formation. But that’s perfectly ok, yeah? ‘Coz these popsicles are fully raw, low fat, nut-free, and have no added sugar–they’re just full of fruity goodness with a pinch of fragrant cardamom! And they’re so easy to whip up! Means you can make and enjoy as many batches as you want for as long as mangoes are in season 🙂

Looking for a simple, tasty, and healthy breakfast option that you can make in advance? Coconut-milk-based chia puddings tick all these boxes in addition to being gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free in case you want to avoid any of these as well. Use sweet, ripe mangoes in season and you won’t have to add any other sweetener! Don’t forget the cardamom powder as it complements the rich, tropical flavor of the mangoes perfectly 🙂

Masala chaach is pretty much a summer favorite in most Indian households across regions, and it’s not at all surprising that many miss gulping down glassfuls of this mildly spiced, refreshing, and hydrating drink on a hot day after going vegan.

But guess what? Vegan versions of chaach can be easily made at home! The most obvious way would be to substitute dairy curd with a non-dairy one in your regular chaach recipe, but what if you don’t have any non-dairy curd on hand? Still no worries, we’ve got you covered, read on 🙂

In India, one of the first questions people—especially “grown-ups”—ask on learning about veganism is, “Fer chai ka kya?” I was like that too! Even though I shifted to black tea when I stopped consuming dairy, I eventually learned that you could make delicious “regular” masala chai with cashew/almond/soy/coconut milk. Check out my non-vegan approved cashew milk tea here.

When it comes to non-dairy milks, there are numerous types we can make at home that can be used to substitute dairy milk in different recipes.

It’s summer—the perfect time to make and enjoy vegan versions of refreshing curd-based items like meethi lassi, masala chaach, raita, fruit yogurt, curd rice, etc. Here are 5+ easy, tried & tested variations of plant-based curd you can make at home.

Start off with making a starter culture—choose any of these 5 types of vegan curd starters—and you’re ready to go ahead and make yourself a bowl of rich and creamy vegan curd that can be used in place of dairy curd in any recipe.