Brown Girl Vegan

Category: Zero Waste

  • Homemade Protein Powder (Indian Gunpowder)

    Homemade Protein Powder (Indian Gunpowder)

    This homemade savoury protein powder also known as indian gunpowder features a blend of lentils and spices that can be added to almost anything!

    Gunpowder – also known as paruppu podi – is a powder made with dry, roasted lentils and spices. It’s specifically made from roasted chana dal, mung beans, and many more while also incorporating spices like dried red chilies, sesame seeds, and mustard seeds. It’s traditionally used as a condiment for idlis, dosais and tiffin items. The name “gunpowder” comes from its spicy kick – the flavour is fiery, intense, and addictive.

    This dry spice blend is shelf-life stable and can be kept for up to a few months. I personally have grown up eating them with basmati rice but you can also make a quick gunpowder ‘chutney’ by mixing in some groundnut peanut oil or regular sunflower oil.

    You can also make this protein powder in just 30 minutes! All that’s required are: dry roasting lentils and spices, then blending them into a fine powder. This gunpowder recipe has 34g of protein and 36g of fibre for about 20 tablespoons – pair this other high protein dishes to meet your daily protein goals!

    Ingredients You Need

    • lentils
      • red lentils
      • yellow mung beans
      • chana dal (split chickpeas)
      • roasted gram dal
      • toasted sesame seeds
    • spices
      • cumin seeds
      • black peppercorns
      • coriander seeds
    • aromatics
      • dried red chilies
      • curry leaves
    • to season
      • oil
      • salt

    This recipe is gluten and alliums free – just remember to check if the lentils are sourced from wheat-free manufacturers.

    Print Recipe

    Homemade Protein Powder (Indian Gunpowder)

    This homemade savoury protein powder also known as indian gunpowder features a blend of lentils and spices that can be added to almost anything!
    Cook Time30 minutes
    Total Time30 minutes
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: high protein, indian recipes, lentils
    Servings: 15 tbsp

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup red lentils
    • 1/2 cup yellow mung beans
    • 1/4 cup chana dal
    • 1/4 cup roasted gram dal
    • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
    • 1 tbsp neutral oil
    • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
    • 2 tsp black peppercorns
    • 8 dried red chilies
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1/2 tsp ground coriander or 1 tsp coriander seeds
    • pinch hing
    • 1 tsp salt

    Instructions

    • Heat a pan on medium heat. Dry roast red lentils, mung beans, chana dal and roasted gram dal seperate until they change colour slightly – they will also be aromatic. Remove and let cool.
    • To the pan, add oil, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and dried chilies and lightly toast. Add curry leaves, coriander powder and hing and continue to saute lightly.
    • Cool everything completely. Grind the mixture in Step 2 until you get a fine powder.
    • Combine all roasted lentils into the blender or spice grinder. Pulse until you get a coarse, sand-like texture. Don’t over-blend – it should be slightly gritty, not smooth.
  • 5-min Spicy Peanut Butter Miso Nooodles

    5-min Spicy Peanut Butter Miso Nooodles

    Your new favourite quick plant based 5-minute noodle dish is creamy, spicy, savoury and most importantly, zero waste!

    When my Chili Peanut Noodle recipe went viral on Instagram, I was shocked! Not because it didn’t taste good but more so because it was a really simple dish that uses mostly pantry staples. It made me realise that we are always finding ways to simplify what we eat because firstly:

    1. We are always pressed for time.

    Where it’s going to work everyday or managing your workload with family commitments or simply because we fall prey to the hustle culture that we tend to ignore what our body needs to function and give us an optimal amount of energy.

    2. More ingredients = more expensive!

    Okay, I’m definitely someone who spends on groceries because well…I do lots of recipe testing! But if a meal can be made with staple ingredients and I don’t have to go out of the way to get an important ingredients that the dish just won’t taste good without, I’m happy.

    For this recipe, feel free to add on any vegetables or protein for a more balanced meal and for it to be extra filling. I find that having plain ramen noodles in your pantry really helps when you find yourself too tired to cook. I also make sure the ramen noodles don’t contain any preservatives and are made with wheat flour, water, salt only.

    3. We want to be zero waste and sustainable, with low effort

    I love zero waste recipes but many of them require more effort than the actual recipe (but if you have time, you should definitely invest that time!). However, there are lots of them that actually require minimal effort – like this mind blowing peanut butter sauce hack I saw on socials.

    How is this recipe “zero waste”?

    • I use a lot of peanut butter in my smoothies so I’m always left with peanut butter scraps at the end of the jar which I refused to put my hand in and dig out – it’s just not worth it. Instead of that, try add some hot water into the jar and your favourite spices + seasonings to make an amazing luscious peanut butter sauce in no time
    • I used the starchy noodle water that we boil the noodles in to 1) blanch my greens & veggies 2) add to my peanut sauce. It actually gets used up!
    • It’s also a fun way to use up condiments that are almost finishing – like my chili oil in this recipe. Or you could simply just use what you have at home without buying any new ingredients
      • That also means your pantry has to be stocked – mine always has soy sauce, chili oil, miso and gochujang. But in the worst case your pantry is empty (like how many of you have mentioned in the comments section) – you can always mix in the seasoning packet that comes with the ramen!

    Pantry Staples You Need

    This recipe is really pantry friendly. If you cook Asian recipes often, you must have these ingredients already. Here are some staples I use for many dishes:

    • Soy Sauce
    • Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce (Substitute for Oyster Sauce)
    • Miso Paste
    • Rice Wine Vinegar / Mirin / White Vinegar
    • Toasted Sesame Oil
    • Toasted Sesame Seeds
    • Spring Onions
    • Chili Oil
    Print Recipe

    5-min Spicy Peanut Butter Miso Noodles

    Your new favourite quick plant based 5-minute noodle dish is creamy, spicy, savoury and most importantly, zero waste!
    Prep Time3 minutes
    Cook Time2 minutes
    Total Time5 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Fusion
    Keyword: noodles, ramen, tofu, zero waste
    Servings: 1

    Ingredients

    Spicy Peanut Sauce

    • 1 bottle empty peanut butter with scraps of peanut butter in it
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
    • 1 tsp miso paste
    • 1 tsp chili oil / crisp
    • 1 tsp sweetener (kecap manis / coconut sugar / agave / maple syrup)
    • 2 tbsp coconut cream
    • 1 small lime juiced
    • 3 tbsp noodle water

    Ingredients

    • 1 block instant ramen
    • greens of choice
    • pre-seasoned tofu
    • crushed peanuts
    • chili oil
    • coriander

    Instructions

    • Boil your instant ramen noodles accordingly package instructions. Drain and SAVE the noodle water.
    • To an empty peanut jar, add all the ingredients and mix well until fully combined.
    • Combine the noodles with the sauce and mix evenly.
    • Blanch or cook your vegetables in the remaining noodle water.
    • Cut up some prepped or pre-seasoned tofu.
    • Serve noodles with greens, tofu and garnish with chili oil, crushed peanuts & chopped coriander.