Continued from Meet the Mascot—Part I

Sometime in May 2015, the mule came to the notice of a kind-hearted human. One thing led to another, and soon she was bundled up on a jeep carrier and transported to the Peepal Farm, an organic farm and stray animal recovery center in Dhanotu which is run by a group of vegans who are committed to helping animals.

Bela. That’s what the folks at the farm named the traumatized and fearful mule. Now, for the first time in her life, she was recognized as an individual. For the first time, she experienced love at the hands of humans, a species that had so far only tormented her. She thrived under the watchful care she was receiving and blossomed into a content, sweet-natured, and trusting individual.

There are numerous varieties of plant-based curds for us to enjoy! While the most common variants of dairy-free curds call for soy, peanuts, or cashews, it is very much possible to make a soy-free, nut-free, peanut-free and yet absolutely delicious vegan curd!

It was my friend Preeti Kapasi who first introduced me to the idea of melon seed & rice curd. Check out her original recipe here on her blog Vegan Foodsteps—one that has both the vegans and the non-vegans going gaga! It’s truly versatile and can be used in a number of sweet and savory dishes. A certified crowd-pleaser!

There are loads of vegan curd recipes on blogs and YouTube channels out there. Most of the online recipes use store-bought non-dairy curd as the starter. But… what if you don’t have the option of buying any vegan curd off the shelves in your local supermarket, as is the case in most Indian cities?

Relax! There are numerous ways of making your own vegan curd starter at home with some easily available ingredients.

Here are 5+ methods—all tried and tested—for you to try!

Today, I am sharing yet another method of making vegan curd starter at home! The thing is, you can make a curd starter out of almost anything. I learned about the various methods of making a curd starter from FB posts and comments—a big thank you to everyone who shares their curd-making adventures online!

This one is a super-simple method and works so well. So, if making vegan dahi has been on your to-do list for quite some time, just make a batch of this starter and get going!!

If you ask me, this one is the tastiest of all the varieties of vegan curd I’ve ever eaten! However, due to the cost factor—cashews aren’t cheap—I don’t make this regularly. This is more like an occasional weekend treat for me 🙂

If you love curd or have loved ones who do, then do try this some time. It’s really versatile and works well in all kinds of dishes that call for dairy curd—both savory and sweet.

And please do make it if you’ve vegan guests coming over for lunch. They’d definitely love you more for making this for them 😀

Often, when the subject of farm animal cruelty comes up, people in India are quick to dismiss it as “something that happens only in the Western countries.” Many in India still live under the misconception that farm animals are actually treated as “family members” in our society. This is far from the truth! Below are some videos recorded in India which depict the true picture of animal farming practices. Cruelty is inherent in any food industry where animals are used, be it a major meat processing facility in an urban city, a small dairy in a dusty village, a state-of-the-art-fishery, or a backyard honey farm.

As human beings, we have no requirement of any animal product to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Please watch the videos below to understand what really happens in the industries where farm animals are used and decide for yourself if you’d still want to continue to support these industries which torture, sexually abuse, and kill millions of helpless and innocent animals.

Pineapple season is here and what could be a better way to celebrate it than by making a nice upside down cake 🙂 !? This cake is fruity, sweet, and moist with a lovely glaze of caramelized sugar, topped with juicy pineapple pieces! And it’s so, so easy to make!

It’s such a simple yet nice looking cake to make for get-togethers and potlucks. Just one thing to keep in mind—adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of the fruit. You can also add roasted chopped nuts to the batter if desired.

Say “hi” to Bela, the beautiful mascot of the Of Donkeys & Dhokla blog who loves to munch on sweet guavas 🙂

Now, she isn’t a donkey—she’s a mule—but we won’t get too technical, ok?

There have been many animals who have influenced me deeply but Bela is one of those non-human souls who I bumped into one day and stood transformed as a human being. She’s a lovely creature (which animal isn’t, btw?!) and hers is an inspiring story that’s almost like a fairy-tale… a story that began with abuse, pain, abandonment, and suffering, which by a twist of fate transformed into one of love, hope, and redemption.

This is my favourite variety of curd 🙂 I also love simple peanut curd which tastes great in kadhi and other dishes like dahi-aloo but is not suitable for use in sweet dishes. Soy curd or soy-cashew curd are good for sweet dishes but I personally don’t like eating soy too often.

This peanut-rice curd is the one I totally love! It’s super versatile as it’s more neutral in flavor. I use this to make raita, chaach, meethi lassi, and even aamrakhand in addition to kadhi. This is also good for use in baking recipes. Use this starter liquid if you want your curd to be a bit sour. Otherwise, feel free to use any vegan curd as the starter.

There are several ways to make vegan curd starters, but this one is the *ultimate* in my opinion. One major issue that people generally face with vegan curds is the absence of a natural tang or sourness, and this starter is perfect for solving this problem 🙂

A BIG thank you to Inderjeet Kaur Tinani for suggesting this idea in a Facebook post. This starter liquid is naturally sour and adds such a delightful tang to the curd! You can add more liquid if you prefer your curd to be on the sourer side. Do try and share your results!