Vegan Indian food: The curry thread

[Kim[ba]]

1 C Long grain brown rice (or whatever rice you prefer)
2 - 3 C water
1 tsp Indian curry
2 - 3 Tbs Hummus

Boil the rice until done, and when most of the water has been absorbed and evaporated stir in the curry . Mix it around real good until there are no bloches left. Spoon on 2 or 3 tablespoons of Hummus until you reach the desired consitency and flavor. Dump it on a plate and eat it.

This would probably also be good with freshly squeezed lemon, and chopped herbs. This really satisfied my craving for curry!

[Trendygirl]

Please see http://vegan.meetup.com/142/photos/31338/105623/ for image of food

Serves 2 people

Ingredients:

1 tblsp olive oil
½ tsp Brown mustard seeds
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
5 figures of okra (roughly chopped)
1 cup Cauliflower florets
¼ tsp Turmeric
¼ tsp Ground coriander
¼ tsp Garam Masala
350ml boiling water
½ tblsp light soya source
15 Almonds
Large handful of dark leafy greens (this could be spinach, Savoy cabbage, kale etc).
½ Red bell pepper (roughly chopped)
2 ½ tblsp Coconut milk
½ tsp chilli bean paste
1 tsp tomato Puree


Method:

a) Add oil, mustard and fenugreek seeds to a pan, cover with a lid and remove from the heat when you hear the mustard seeds begin to pop. Once the mustard seeds have popped, the fenugreek seeds should be dark brown but not black. If you burn them, repeat this step until you get it right.

b) Add okra, Cauliflower, Turmeric, Ground Coriander, Garam Masala, Light Soya source, Almonds and boiling water.

c) Cover the pan with a lid and cook until vegetables are tender.

d) Once the vegetables are cooked, add dark leafy greens red bell pepper, coconut milk, chilli bean paste and tomato Puree. Stir in ingredients and replace the lid for one minute or until leafy greens have wilted.

e) Taste; if it doesn’t have enough flavour add a little of each ingredient and cook for another minute.

f) Serve with rice or chapattis.

[Kim[ba]]

I tried it with lemon juice and it was a nice compliment. I think some bell peppers, onions, etc would also go well....

[Gorilla]

sounds gorgeous, and the photos on the website look amazing

mmmmmm curry

[Trendygirl]

Mmmmm! I love curry, maybe too much? Chillies are suppose to be very high in antioxidants (like many spices are) and they are supposed to help speed up your metabolism. This recipe makes a mild curry but I normally have them quite hot!!!!

[Gorilla]

i prefer mild curries, not too much chilli but i love all the Indian spices.

[Kiva Dancer]

How yummy, trendygirl.

What could you substitute for the okra if you were making it for someone who couldn't stand the stuff?

[Leigh]

This is so yummy! My bf, who had 'never cooked, would never cook and didn't like cooking' is now a little star in the kitchen when it comes to making this It gave him the confidence to try other things too and now he loves trying new recipes.

It's really good with rice and/or wrapped in chappatis or naan bread.



2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 tblspn oil
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn salt
1 tspn tur,eric
1 tspn paprika
1 tblspn ground cumin
1 tblspn ground coriander
2 x 440g (14oz) cans chickpeas, drained
440g (14oz) canned tomato pieces
1 tspn garam masala

1. Slice onions finely; crush the garlic. Heat oil in a medium pan. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook over medium heat, stirring, until soft.

2. Add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric, paprika, cumin and coriander. Stir over heat for 1 minute.

3. Add chickpeas and undrained tomatoes, stir until combined. Simmer, covered, over low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garam masala. Simmer, covered for another 10 minutes.

[Tigerlily]

I never tried Indian foods. But this recipes sounds very non threatning. And I love chickpeas!

[kriz]

I belive you can use the same ingredients as a base for many other indian dishes, too. Just exhange the chick peas for something else (tofu, cauliflower, potatoes....) when you're tired of it. I use this base for everything and it's so easy.

[kriz]

To keep indian spices such as cummin, turmeic, coriander and curry powder in your cabinet, is always a good idea. And if you also keep some onions in you fridge, you're set to go anytime.

[Leigh]

Oooohhhh, I never thought of putting tofu in it! Yum!! I'm addicted to scrambled tofu at the moment. If I make if for dinner I take some to work the next day and have it on toasted sandwiches. Fantastic!

[feline01]

I made this over the weekend but made some amendments. Didn't have any okra so I used a whole head of cauliflower and upped the mustard seeds/fenugreek to 1 tsp each. I used baby bok choy as the greens, added 1/2 cup of yellow dahl and used an entire tin of light coconut milk. And soaked and ground 3 fresh red chillies to add a little zing. Served it over a hot roti. It was yummy!!

[Tofu Monster]

just been down to sainsburys to get stuff for this recipe. now going to take myself off to the kitchen and give it a go. i'm going to make double the quantity so i can take it to work tomorrow as well. will report back later.

[Tofu Monster]

well that was a success, my son and i both enjoyed it. next time i think it would be nice to add some mushrooms for a bit of 'chewiness'.

[Cloudy]

well that was a success, my son and i both enjoyed it. next time i think it would be nice to add some mushrooms for a bit of 'chewiness'.

Spinach is good with chickpeas. Both spinach and mushroom if you really want to go for it!

[kriz]

Sometimes I add a can of coconut milk, but not with chick peas, though. Cauliflower, potato, carrots and tofu is good with that. If taste is lacking, I just add some vegetable broth (cubes have more flavor). Could not live without broth - it helped prevent disaster numerous times!

[Kiva Dancer]

I love anything that has tomatoes and chickpeas in it.

I want to try this recipe as soon as I find garam masala.

[Tofu Monster]

I want to try this recipe as soon as I find garam masala.

i found some in sainsbury's this evening.

i looked at the ingredients of garam masala and it seems to be comprised largely of some of the other ingredients included separately on the menu, coriander, turmeric and cumin.

man that turmeric sure is a wierd smelling thing!

thanks for the other suggestions guys, i think i'm getting inspired to experiment a bit next time i have a go at making a curry.

[Leigh]

Yay for Tofu!! I'm so proud

[kriz]

You can curry everything now, tofu monster.

[Tofu Monster]

yeah i'm gonna go curry bonkers.

out of interest, does anybody know is there any way to cool a curry down a bit if you go overboard on the spices? (cos i'm a bit of a girly wimp.)

[feline01]

yeah i'm gonna go curry bonkers.

out of interest, does anybody know is there any way to cool a curry down a bit if you go overboard on the spices? (cos i'm a bit of a wimp.)

You can add a bit of cooked potato to it, it seems to absorb some of the heat or when you eat it, make sure you have some starchy food like rice, chapati or roti. The worst thing you can do when eating something too spicy is have liquid, that just distributes the spice all around.

Give me spicy curry that makes you tear

[Leigh]

I just can't do really hot curry. Could you add a little bit of coconut milk or cream maybe? I guess that might alter the flavour a bit though....

I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this recipe. I haven't made it myself in ages and all these comments have inspired to make it one night this week

[Aurora]

yeah i'm gonna go curry bonkers.

out of interest, does anybody know is there any way to cool a curry down a bit if you go overboard on the spices? (cos i'm a bit of a girly wimp.)

Yoghurt, I think. Girly wimp

Chick pea curry for dinner tonight I think!

[Trendygirl]

Mmmm! Sounds nice. It’s amazing how versatile vegan cooking is!

[Steph]

I made this earlier in the week, it really was good! I doubled the batch so I could eat twice as much (as usual ), but substituted a can of red kidney beans for one of the chickpeas. I also love it hot and spicey so I added a pinch or 2 or ground cayenne pepper to heat it up.

[snaffler]

I have just checked out the type of Lactic Acid used in Pataks foods as some the pastes have started using Lactic Acid, here is the return email -

Jayson

Lactic Acid is non-dairy.

I have also attached the 'Dairy Free' list of our products for you to
browse through when you get a minute.

(See attached file: Milk Dairy Free.doc)

Kind Regards
T.C.S.

[Billy]

Hey Snaff, thanks for sharing that! Do you think you could post their 'dairy free' list as well? Nice one!

[snaffler]

Ye no worries billy its on my work email so I will do it tomorrow.

snaff

[Tigerlily]

What's Garam Masala and Curry Powder? Some curry recipes call for Garam Masala and some call for Curry Powder? What's the difference? Is there much difference?

Help me, I'm dumb when it comes to this. I never had Indian food before.

[snaffler]

Garam Masala - I find this more aromatic less fire than some curry powders.

I often find curry pastes more successful though when making a curry in a hurry, but back to the subject.

Curry Powders are often a blend of spices to get a specific taste or heat to produce a spacific curry flavour like

Rogan Josh
Jelfrazzi
Balti
Tandori
Vindaloo
and so on.

[antman]

Hiya, it's my Uncle's wedding on Saturday and they said they're going to have Indian food for me as it's mainly vegan suitable.

Just wondered, though, is there anything that they might have which I should steer clear of at all?

Love, life and peace,
- antman

[Kumem]

I know that Naan bread normally has milk or yoghurt in it.

Liz

[ConsciousCuisine]

Who is making it? Best speak to the caterer/restaurant. Ghee is in nearly every traditional dish.

[Kiran]

Stay away from anything that reads "paneer". Panner is made from milk and are in the form of small cubes that are mushy and soft. They are white. Some of the indian dishes contain panner as main ingredient. For example common panner based recepies are "aloo panner", "mutar paneer", "palak panner" and "karai panner". I am sure you might run into one or more variants of panner. Although vegetarian they is not vegan and so stay away from these.

Why don't you ask the catering company to name and list the ingredients at the buffet table? I am sure they will acknowledge.

[aubergine]

Some Indian food is fried in Ghee, which is clarified butter.

[rippling~wave]

Can someone direct me to a recipe for chick pea curry please?

Im useless when it comes to making nice dinners involving spices!!

Help!

[rippling~wave]

Thank YOU!! yummy, im having it for dinner tonight!!

[puffin]

You might want to check out cherrys wedsite www.parsleysoup.co.uk. I did one of her currys last night and it was very easy

[rippling~wave]

You might want to check out cherrys wedsite www.parsleysoup.co.uk. I did one of her currys last night and it was very easy

Hey thanks puffin

Im fed up with the recipes I do know (which aren't anything special I can tell ya!) so all are welcome!

[maya]

So do I! Yum!

I love chana masala. In fact, nothing beats Indian cuisine.

[Korn]

P. J. Chmiel: Vegan Indian Food

Kate's Vegan Indian Cuisine

[herbwormwood]

yeah i'm gonna go curry bonkers.

out of interest, does anybody know is there any way to cool a curry down a bit if you go overboard on the spices? (cos i'm a bit of a girly wimp.)

Add vegan yoghirt or salad. Like chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomato, whatever, chopped fine. Also lemon juice. And mango chutney. And extra rice, mix it all up, yum. I am also curry mad. I make my own mostly. I always use proper ingredients because I think the ready made sauces are not very healthy. Favourite curries- lentil and spinach (Sag Dahl), potato and spinach (Aloo Sag), mixed vegetable curry with beans, cauliflower curry (Aloo Gobi). We have also made peas paneer with tofu cubes, it works quite well. I use this (non vegan) recipe site, its the best indian food site I have found and it is vegan friendly...http://food.sify.com
The best place to get ingredients for curry is the asian grocers, except they are not very good on organics.
I learned to make curries from "Indian Vegetarian Cookery" by Jack Santa Maria. Once you learn the basics its easy to make unique curries from whats in your cupboard.

[Mr Flibble]

out of interest, does anybody know is there any way to cool a curry down a bit if you go overboard on the spices? (cos i'm a bit of a girly wimp.)

The best way is to put a piece of chopped lemon in the curry whilst it's still over the heat, then remove before serving. It shouldn't change the consistancy or taste, but will remove some of the spiciness.

Some Indian food is fried in Ghee, which is clarified butter.

Whilst this is true, solid vegetable fat used for indian cooking is sometimes referred to as ghee or vegetable ghee.

[indianvegan]

Stay away from anything that reads "paneer". Panner is made from milk and are in the form of small cubes that are mushy and soft. They are white. Some of the indian dishes contain panner as main ingredient. For example common panner based recepies are "aloo panner", "mutar paneer", "palak panner" and "karai panner". I am sure you might run into one or more variants of panner. Although vegetarian they is not vegan and so stay away from these.

Why don't you ask the catering company to name and list the ingredients at the buffet table? I am sure they will acknowledge.

Ask them to put Tofu in place of Paneer, tofu has exactly same texture as do Paneer and taste too. You can also try Tofu in various Indian Foods where they ask us to add Paneer.
Before using, Tofu in any Indian Food, one must boil it in the water then use it.


Manish Jain

[herbwormwood]

Ask them to put Tofu in place of Paneer, tofu has exactly same texture as do Paneer and taste too. You can also try Tofu in various Indian Foods where they ask us to add Paneer.
Before using, Tofu in any Indian Food, one must boil it in the water then use it.


Manish Jain

I have used tofu instead of paneer. When making peas paneer. Most indian recipes can easily be veganized. When it asks for paneer, use tofu. When it asks for yoghurt, use soya yoghurt. Banana curry works fine with soya yoghurt. For milk or cream use the soya versions. Genuine indian cookery does not use eggs anyway so thats not an issue.

[Mr Flibble]

Is tofu really the same in taste as paneer? I can see how drained silken tofu could be similar in texture and properties to paneer, but from what I remember the taste isn't exactly the same. Similarly soya milk (what tofu is made from) is different in taste to cows milk (what paneer is made from).

[LittleMissVegan]

Tesco have a vegan Korma in the section with all the gluten free etc. It's quite strong so I put a bit of coconut milk in it but it's fab!

[indianvegan]

Is tofu really the same in taste as paneer? I can see how drained silken tofu could be similar in texture and properties to paneer, but from what I remember the taste isn't exactly the same. Similarly soya milk (what tofu is made from) is different in taste to cows milk (what paneer is made from).

In recipes, Tofu has exactly same texture and taste as Paneer.

Paneer is made with help of Animal milk and tofu is made with Soya Milk .


Manish Jain