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Vegetarian curry, not with chickpeas


I've made this one a few times - you can use whatever veg you have available so it's very flexible. It's always come out quite well.
 
It's a bit pricey and sometimes hard to get hold of, but if you can get a copy of 'Lord Krishna's Cuisine, the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking' by Yamuna Devi then you'll never need to eat the same curry twice. My mum, who is a lifelong vegetarian always had a copy, so I got one when Mrs Loop went veggie, it's got amazing simple stuff to do with individual veggies, but I've been doing more adventurous stuff like making my own paneer and then deep-frying it in crispy batter.
 
It's a bit pricey and sometimes hard to get hold of, but if you can get a copy of 'Lord Krishna's Cuisine, the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking' by Yamuna Devi then you'll never need to eat the same curry twice. My mum, who is a lifelong vegetarian always had a copy, so I got one when Mrs Loop went veggie, it's got amazing simple stuff to do with individual veggies, but I've been doing more adventurous stuff like making my own paneer and then deep-frying it in crispy batter.
Does it have pictures or is it just all text?
 
Here's my curry and how I made it:

Heat big pan. Chuck in various spices (I used different mustard seeds, cumin, dried chillis, turmeric, paprika and curry powder) and dry fry. Add some oil and ginger (I cheat and used the jarred stuff). Add a big sliced onion. Cook for a bit till onion is soft and a nice colour. Add beetroot (I used vacuum packed). Stir a bit. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and another can of water. Cook for about 5 minutes on low. Before serving, stir in some plain yoghurt, and put some fresh coriander on top.
 

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In my curry making experience the main thing I've learnt is less is more - unless you know what you're doing, chucking 12 random spices in rarely turns out brilliantly. I usually start with cumin seeds, turmeric and chillies, then add fenugreek, fennel seeds, corriander seeds/powder or whatever depending on what I'm going for. Amchoor/mango powder is great with tomato based gravies, add at the end of cooking to add a bit of sourness, but go easy with it.
I'd up whatever spices are in the recipe (unless it is from an Indian site, or a few spices like amchoor, fenugreek, black salt etc which can overpower the dish) but pay attention to the proportions, as my Gujarati cook friends says, most recipes are designed for 'an English palate', so scrimp on flavour.
Start by cooking down a load of onions (again, more than the recipe) Cook them slowly for as long as possible - for a curry house type of curry, blend the onions into a paste before browning.
Sometimes, adding just a tiny bit of sugar (especially if using things like mugbeans) can make a big difference. Also, don't scrimp on salt
 
It's a bit pricey and sometimes hard to get hold of, but if you can get a copy of 'Lord Krishna's Cuisine, the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking' by Yamuna Devi then you'll never need to eat the same curry twice. My mum, who is a lifelong vegetarian always had a copy, so I got one when Mrs Loop went veggie, it's got amazing simple stuff to do with individual veggies, but I've been doing more adventurous stuff like making my own paneer and then deep-frying it in crispy batter.

Can I move into your house, Fruitloop?
 
Another great one I did recently was deep-fried potato balls, like a curried version of croquettes. You mix spices, lemon juice and crushed almonds into the potatoes, then dip them in a wet batter before frying them. It is literally the only thing that is happening to left-over mash for quite some time in my house.
 
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Another great one I did recently was deep-fried potato balls, like a curried version of croquettes. You mix spices, lemon juice and crushed almonds into the potatoes, then dip them in a wet batter before frying them. It is literally the only thing that is happening to left-over mash for quite some time in my house.
Oh my god that sounds good.
 
The other thing I've got well into is making paratha. It's just flour, salt, ghee and water, then you roll them out, brush them with melted ghee and fold twice. It's a bit of a fiddle the first time but after a while you can just do it on autopilot, and fresh paratha are amazing.
 
I think cashews deserve an honourable mention too. They don't have a strong flavour or soak up a lot of sauce, but they add texture to every mouthful.

Oh, and a little pearl barley also adds great texture and thickening.

Neither of these are the main event in a curry, though both are nutritious enough, but both add satisfying bulk and grainy chewiness in a way similar to meat.
 
Aubergine curries are magnificent and amazingly versatile, goes with so many other things. Meera Sodha has umpteen recipes for them scattered around the net. Prashad's also do amazing stuff with them - their aubergine & potato is probably my favourite (and bloody easy). I love everything about Prashad.


Must admit, that generally, I just make a variety of curry pastes then see what veg I have that will go nicely.
 
It's a bit pricey and sometimes hard to get hold of, but if you can get a copy of 'Lord Krishna's Cuisine, the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking' by Yamuna Devi then you'll never need to eat the same curry twice. My mum, who is a lifelong vegetarian always had a copy, so I got one when Mrs Loop went veggie, it's got amazing simple stuff to do with individual veggies, but I've been doing more adventurous stuff like making my own paneer and then deep-frying it in crispy batter.

Just downloaded it from here...https://zlibrary. unblockit.ltd/book/5393391/d45431

(Link broken obvs)
 
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