At many special occasions in my family and community pilau or yakhni are served. These are dishes that generally take a bit of preparation to put together and quite a lot of ingredients. These dishes are always looked forward to, well-enjoyed, and highly praised. Unfortunately for me and other vegans/vegetarians, these traditional dishes always contain meat. My vegan chickpea yakhni pilau is a spin on a well-known classic.
Not only is my vegan chickpea yakhni pilau meat-free, it also comes together in a fraction of the time thanks to Shan Foods’ recipe mix: Punjabi Yakhni Pilau.
To spice up the box of recipe mix I challenged myself to add Shan’s Ginger Garlic Paste to my dish. You’ll see it in the list of ingredients in the recipe below. You can find both the paste and recipe mixes at your local Desi store. I like to keep a few different boxes of recipe mix on hand for meal solutions on weekday nights or if I have guests coming over.
Want to add more fresh ingredients to your Yakhni Pilau? Try adding fresh cilantro, green chilies, or tomato slices.
This dish is perfect for when company is coming over, when you want authentic tasting food, or when you’re up for trying something new.