Topic: I've turned vegan. Can I still expect to make good tasting curries?

[GV1]

Hey guys and girls,

So I recently turned vegan, mainly for improved health but I have personal moral and ethical reasons.

I love cooking curries. It's a personal passion of mine. But I've never eaten a curry without meat, and the thought of loading curries with insane amounts of vegetables for the sake of it doesn't appeal to me. I don't want my curries to lose flavour, or taste, just because I've cut out the meat.

Can I still expect to make the great tasting curries I made with meat, but without using any animal products? Does anyone know of any good recipies?

My veg palette is limited. Exotic fruit and veg doesn't appeal to me such as avocado ands aubergine . I'm a big lover of beans and peas of all kinds.

It's a new area for me. Any advice and tips would be awesome.

I'd love to be able to make great tasting vegan curries. It's a new journey

[Peripatetic Phil]

The only place in the world in which I could be a vegetarian is India; the good folk of the sub-continent seem /far/ better informed about how to cook tasty non-meat dishes than anywhere else I know.  I would strongly recommend taking yourself off to your nearest Southern Indian restaurant and familiarising yourself with what they have on offer (starting with masala dosa) and then getting hold of a good Southern Indian / vegetarian recipe book such as that by Das Sreedharan.  I do appreciate that neither the restaurant nor all of the recipes may be fully vegan, but if you are prepared to try some vegetarian-but-not-vegan dishes you may then be able to modify the recipes to make them 100% vegan-conformant.

** Phil.

[Garp]

My veg palette is limited. Exotic fruit and veg doesn't appeal to me such as avocado ands aubergine . I'm a big lover of beans and peas of all kinds.

That's a bugger - I have a great avocado and aubergine Bhuna recipe, and have been waiting patiently for years to unleash it on the first vegan to 'come out'

Joking aside, good luck with this one, GV. I hope you have more success than Bono.

[chewytikka]

Probably no Vegans on here but...
as a NEW Vegan, make a list and publish what your prepared to eat in this new lifestyle.

That way people could give you some good advice on Vegan curry recipes.

I can think of Saag & Chana Masala with Masala fries.

cheers Chewy

[adamski]

I have this book.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Krishnas-Cuisine-Vegetarian-Cooking/dp/0712637834/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Not all recipes are vegan but with 800 pages the majority are, just ignore the ones with dairy.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Like Chewy my first thought was Channa Masala but there's lots of great starters and side dishes you could eat Tapas style - Onion Bhajis/Pakora, Mushroom Bhajis, Dhal made with varying kinds of lentils, Bombay Potatoes, Onion Salad to name but a few.

[martinvic]

Apart from the cream/yoghurt ones you could make most of the BIR curries on here.
Just add pre-cooked veg instead of meat near the end of cooking, the flavour of the sauce would still pretty much the same.
For something a little more substantial veg wise, maybe biggish chunks of butternut squash or similar.

[rshome123]

This springs to mind.... in vegetarian curries, for that extra depth of flavour, add a tablespoon (or two) of Bunjarra (Onion Paste).  I use Mick Crawford's CBM eBook recipe. Not plugging it, just saying that's one I've found to be very good.

[Zap]

As someone who has been vegan for extended periods of time, as well as having catered to many vegetarians with Indian cooking I would say you are absolutely in the right place!

Some of the greatest vegan foods I have made and consumed have been Indian inspired.  Manjula's Kitchen is a great source for simple, traditional Indian recipes that will either be or can easily be converted to be vegan friendly.

You can make many great BIR-style dishes as well.  Favorite mainstays are cauliflower (gobi) or potato (aloo) being used instead of meat.  As you progress your tastes will evolve, so if you don't care for something in the early stages, you may wish to go back and try it again later.  Properly cooked, these veg can be layered with flavors prior to their use in a dish or cooked more simply.  I've made Cauliflower Tikka Masala and have gotten rave reviews from heavy meat eaters.

Tarka Dal, Dal Makhani using coconut milk instead of cream, Rajma - all great bean dishes.

Aloo Matar (pre-cooked potatoes and peas)

The sky is the limit - and many of your favorite dishes will transition without much effort.

[tommy99]

I have been a pescatarian (veg & seafood) for more than 25 years.

The variety of veggie/vegan food is amazing and they tend to be healthier and cheaper than meat. My Mrs is a meat eater (ooohhh er) but she much prefers veggie food.

As well as a variety of dried spices I tend to have stocked for curries:

Cans of chick peas
Bag of split red lentils (for Tarka Dal)
Cans of puy lentils
Frozen spinach
Frozen peas
Frozen sliced green beans
Frozen cauliflower
Frozen sliced peppers
Taj Frozen garlic
Taj Frozen ginger
Frozen green chilli
Carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Block of coconut cream
Cans of tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes
Tomato pur?e
Can of pineapple
Lemons
Limes
Basmati Rice
Fresh coriander

When you use chick peas, beans, or lentils then firstly give them a good rinse under cold water until the water is clear.

For other spicy cuisines try Pad Thai (without fish sauce). Deep fried tofu is amazing in Szechuan sauce. Several meat eaters I know now use veggie mince for chilli-con-carne and spag bol.