Does anyone have a recipe for a vegetarian curry please?
Any number of them! What sort of thing do you want? What about a nice spinach or cauliflower curry, a garlicky lentil (dahl) dish, and either chapatis or rice?
Quote from: Melbourne12 on December 01, 2012, 12:11:06
Any number of them! What sort of thing do you want? What about a nice spinach or cauliflower curry, a garlicky lentil (dahl) dish, and either chapatis or rice?
Brilliant, thank you!
It's going to be for my son and his family, I don't like curry myself
and I never make it so I really haven't got a clue where to start.
He likes cauliflower so maybe I could start with that one?
You'll need to do a little shopping expedition for spices. If you have an Indian shop near you, you'll spend much less than Schwartz bottles at the supermarket!. I hope that you don't mind, but if you've not done curries before, you'll not be wanting to buy a cupboard full of spices, so I've looked out some simplified recipes.
Cauliflower & potato curryCauli
Spuds (optional - you can just do the cauli if you prefer)
Butter
Can of coconut milk or a packet of creamed coconut (optional)
Spices:
- 2 tsps yellow mustard seed. You can use a teaspoon of Colman's if you like, but mustard seed is more authentic.
- A 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips or finely chopped. Personally I like ginger, so I tend to use more rather than less. You CAN use "lazy ginger" frozen or in a jar, but it's not as good. Ditto dried ginger. Ginger in syrup won't work at all.
- half tsp powdered turmeric (may be labelled haldi) This makes the dish go a nice yellow colour, and adds only a little flavour. You can omit it, but the resulting dish will be a bit brown.
- 2 tsps ground cumin (jeera) Essential
- Paprika
- Black pepper
- Salt
Peel and slice the potatoes (if using) and parboil them.
Wash the cauli and cut into nice evenly sized florets.
Fry the mustard seeds in plenty of butter until they just start to pop. Add the ginger a saute it for a minute or two, then sprinkle in the turmeric and stir.
Now add the veggies and fry briefly until they're coated with the spices. Aromatise with the cumin, and a shake of paprika and ground black pepper.
This is the point at which you add the liquid. You can use water, or coconut milk and water. (If using creamed coconut, soak it in water beforehand as directed on the packet). Which you choose depends very much on how much you like the taste of coconut. If you use water but want the creamy appearance without the coconut, stir in yoghurt or creme fraiche towards the end of cooking.
Simmer very gently until the cauli and potatoes are cooked. Stir in salt to taste at the end.
Toovar DahlOur next door neighbours are Gujarati, and we've learned much about real home cooking from Ba (grandma). This is her recipe for dahl, which has become a favourite with us too.
It's worth planning ahead for this dish by cooking the dahl the day before and letting it cool and thicken overnight. It still works if you do it on the day, though.
250g Oily toovar dahl (also called toor dahl). You'll probably have to buy a 500g bag.
Rinse the dahl in a sieve thoroughly. It'll take a while before the water runs clear. Then put in a saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Drain, discarding the water.
Then cover with plenty of water and cook very gently until soft OR (my preferred method) pressure cook for 20 minutes. Mash the cooked lentils into the water, or use a stick blender. You'll end up with a creamy liquid which will set like porridge as it cools.
Spices:
- 1 tsp mustard seed (or yellow mustard powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Half tsp turmeric
- Pinch of chili powder (or a shake of chili sauce like Cholula)
- Salt (around 1 tsp or to taste)
- 2 tsp tomato paste
Heat butter or vegetable oil in a saucepan, and gently fry the aromatics. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Add the dahl. Although it will soften as it heats, you will need to add water to bring it to the right consistency. You're aiming for something thicker than cream, but thinner than porridge. Add a teaspoon of sugar (brown sugar is best, but white is fine) and a handful of peanuts (the ones with the skin on). These are a typical Kenyan Asian touch, but are optional).
Simmer very gently for about 15 minutes.
To garnish, either or both:
- Chopped fresh coriander leaves
- Garlic sliced and fried in plenty of oil until beginning to go crispy round the edges.
If you serve this with the cauli curry and either plain boiled rice or ready-made chapatis heated on demand, you'll have a really lovely home-style Indian veggie meal.
Right, last one for now.
Spinach with Paneer (Cheese)Buy the paneer from an Indian shop. It'll be in the chilled cabinet. And, yes, it really is that price, but you don't need much of it! 100g will be fine. Mind you, more is always better.
250g spinach
1 onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped, or half a tin chopped tomatoes (I prefer tinned, esp at this time of year!)
A couple of cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
Spices:
- 2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped. Take out the seeds if you don't want to make the dish too hot. Maybe only use one chilli for the first try. The problem is that chillies do vary quite a lot.
- a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
- Salt
- Scant tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
- Half tsp ground cumin
Cut the paneer into cubes (say a third of an inch) and fry gently in oil until they start to brown. Reserve.
Cook the spinach with the chillies, ginger, and salt. Minimum amount of water. When cooked, chop or even puree in a blender (I think chopped is better).
In a saucepan, heat some oil and fry the fenugreek seeds gently for about half a minute. Then add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion starts to turn colour. Stir in the cumin, followed by the tomatoes. Continue to fry gently for a few minutes until the liquid from the tomatoes begins to evaporate.
Finally add the spinach followed by the paneer, and heat through.
This is a drier dish than the cauli recipe, so isn't really a "curry". It too goes well with dahl and rice or dahl and chapatis, though.
Thank you so much for the recipes, I've printed them and will
make a shopping list. We are lucky to have many Asian shops
near where I live and even the local Asda has shelves devoted to Asian
food. I'll be making one or more of them next week and I'll
let you know how I get on.
Thanks again.
Have you got a Pak Supermarket near you (thats what is called - not being racist) is they are very cheap for veg and spices. Alternatively if you are down town the Day In supermarket in the Arcadian Centre (Chinese supermarket) on the corner opposit the meat market is cheap for spices. Cheapest place for veg is the open market a few yards down from the Day In Supermarket.
Quote from: lottie lou on December 01, 2012, 16:32:46
Have you got a Pak Supermarket near you (thats what is called - not being racist) is they are very cheap for veg and spices. Alternatively if you are down town the Day In supermarket in the Arcadian Centre (Chinese supermarket) on the corner opposit the meat market is cheap for spices. Cheapest place for veg is the open market a few yards down from the Day In Supermarket.
Yes, there is a big Pak supermarket quite near,
thanks for reminding me about it!
(//)
Melbourne - I've just made the cauliflower and potato curry and
am using my husband as a guinea-pig before I make it for my son.
Hubby's verdict - "It's fantastic, why don't you make it more often?"
So, thank you very much for the recipe, it was easy to follow and
considering that I didn't taste it while it was cooking, it turned out
brilliantly.
I forgot to buy mustard seeds and had to use Colmans, but I got
all the other things.
I asked my husband if anything would improve it and he said that
chilli would. Mind you, he is a chilliaddict so I should have put some
in. Next time....
Thanks again. :icon_cheers:
I'm glad it worked well! From the photo, you cooked it beautifully.
Here's one of our favourite recipes for the same dish, but a bit more complicated, and with a nice chilli kick. You can of course vary the heat by simply adding more or fewer chillies.
Cauliflower & Potato Curry (2)
1 can coconut milk
300g chopped onions
5 dried red chillies
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
An inch or so of cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon which is easier unless you have a powerful blender)
6 black peppercorns
2 cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
A small piece of dried tamarind, or 1/2 tsp tamarind extract (extract is easier)
A piece of ginger, about an inch, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
A cauliflower cut into florets
Potatoes to about half the weight of the cauli, parboiled
Vegetable oil
Salt
Saute half the onions in a little oil for 3 minutes. Put into the blender.
Put a tablespoon or so of oil into the pan and gently fry together the chillies, coriander, mustard, fenugreek, cumin, cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves. This should only take a minute. Put into the blender.
Add directly to the blender turmeric, paprika, and tamarind. Add 100ml water and blend to a paste. If there are any "bits", pass it through a sieve, but ideally the whole thing should blitz to a smooth paste.
Put about 4 tbsps oil into a saucepan and fry the garlic, ginger, and remaining onions for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the onions become soft.
Now add the paste from the blender, rinsing the blender with a little more water to get it all out. Add the spuds and cauli, and turn the vegetables so they are evenly coated.
Add the coconut milk and simmer until done.
ETA: For anyone wanting to try this but not having a blender, you can use ground spices, or simply leave things like dried chillies, cloves or cinnamon stick in the sauce and warn your guests to pick 'em out!
Thank you - another one printed and saved!
Here is a curry to use all your cooked veg up the day after Sunday lunch. I call it a 'Use it up Curry':
http://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/use-it-up-vegetable-curry-and-coton-manor/
Quote from: kippers garden on December 03, 2012, 20:29:29
Here is a curry to use all your cooked veg up the day after Sunday lunch. I call it a 'Use it up Curry':
http://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/use-it-up-vegetable-curry-and-coton-manor/
Thank you for that, another one printed and saved!
Squash64, I hope you don't mind if this becomes the general Indian veggie recipe thread, because there are so many wonderful dishes.
Here's another favourite. Not a main dish, but a wonderful accompaniment to a meal:
Fried Mushrooms
A small onion, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
250g ordinary white mushrooms
10 basil leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried basil). Fresh is much better.
Scant tsp freshly ground black pepper
6-8 crushed cardamom seeds (1 or 2 green cardamoms, depending on how plump they are)
Good pinch of chilli powder
Juice of a lime or half a lemon
Butter
Salt
Gently fry the onion and garlic in butter until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Let it cool a bit.
Clean and slice the mushrooms. Pop them into a shallow dish or plastic bag for marinating.
Tear or chop the basil leaves, add to the mushrooms, sprinkle on the black pepper, cardamom, and chilli. Add the onion and garlic mixture, and the lime juice, plus half a tsp salt.
Mix together and give it half an hour (or longer) in the fridge.
In the final few minutes before serving the meal, melt a decent thingylump* of butter in the pan, and gently fry the mushrooms with their marinade until done. The lime juice and any moisture from the mushrooms should mostly have evaporated, so that they're still juicy but not swimming in liquid.
ETA: I originally typed k.n.o.b of butter, but the prudish word censor wouldn't let me! As the great Tom Lehrer would say:
"When correctly viewed,
EVERYTHING is lewd.
I could tell you things about Peter Pan,
And the Wizard of Oz, there's a dirty ol' man."
Can I add my thanks Melbourne12, I have been looking for a straight forward Palak Paneer for ages so will give this one a try, off to Lotti to harvest spinach!
Can I just add that any dish with paneer is unlikely to be low cal but if you want to avoid frying it in oil, paneer cubes will fry in their own fat in a dry wok or frying pan without the addition of any oil.