Please come and share your favourite vegetarian curry recipe with me!

[TheKitchenWitch]

I love curries, do quite a few different ones, but I've never made a successful vegetarian one - somehow it always feels like there's something lacking, or the veg gets too soft and it's all a bit too mushy, or it feels more like an accompaniment rather than a main meal.

This does not really make sense, as we eat loads of vegetarian food!

Anyway, any recipes would be gratefully received :)

[Onykahonie]

How about Paneer Jalfrezi ?

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I use this Jamie Oliver one usually, when cooking from scratch. I usually put in potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, chickpeas, spinach.

[Yamyoid]

I made this recently. Because most of the veggies were roasted first, they weren't too mushy. I also added more spices, used madras paste, tinned tomatoes instead of passata and swapped coconut milk for a little bit if natural yogurt. I thought it was pretty nice and my curries are usually a disappointment.

[mrspremise]

chickpea and spinach coconut curry, I do it in the slow cooker... Can of EAZY onions, 2 cans of chickpeas, drained, curry paste as you like and a can of coconut milk. Ten minutes or so before you want to eat, mix a bagful of raw spinach leaves into the curry and replace the lid...

[LumpySpacePrincessOhMyGlob]

This is lovely, and really easy.

[MrsPnut]

I make a mushroom, potato, paneer and spinach curry.

Quarter some small mushrooms, and dice peeled potatoes into pieces about the same size. Cook these briefly in veg oil and then add curry paste (I make my own but you can use bought) and fry off for a few minutes.
Add the paneer, cut into cubes, and stir to coat. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a splash of water then leave to simmer with a lid on until the potatoes are soft. add some frozen spinach and a splash of cream or coconut cream and cook until the spinach is deforsted and the curry is at the required consistancy.

[Badvoc]

Any veg curried that don't include coconut milk?

[JamNan]

Madhur Jaffrey's Punjabi mustard greens is a fave in our house. You can use any greens available - kale, spinach, savoy cabbage mix it all up if feel like it; sometimes I add sweet slow-cooked onions and sunflower seeds too.

Recipe here. I cook it in the slow cooker on low for a few hours but you do have to keep an eye on this one. The crispy bits are lovely the burnt bits not so. Use ghee instead of butter.

[TheKitchenWitch]

Ooooh thank you everyone, there are some great sounding recipes here. I think this Saturday might be veggie curry night round our place :)

[Levantine]

Thanks for the thread, I have wanted to know this too!

[LittleBabyPigsus]

Veggie kofta curries are lovely and v popular in India. Basically mashed potatoes along with any other veg you like, made into meatball sized spheres and browned before adding to a curry sauce and cooking until all hot throughout. A mix of potato and greens (like bubble and squeak!) is popular in India.

[Badvoc]

That sounds lovely pigsus

[Dilidali]

I love dahl. Just green lentils, really.
Ginger and garlic, mustard seeds as a base, add onion and more spices (curry if that's what you want, I mix my own coriander/cumin/turmeric etc). Add lentils, fey for a couple of minutes and then put some water, topping up until the lentils are soft.
I normally make lots, they taste better a day or two later.

I serve it with brown rice, naan, mango/lime chutney.

That's food for the soul for me.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

Recipe here, I would brown the koftas in a little oil rather than shallow fry them. You can also use cottage cheese instead of grated paneer.

[spilttheteaagain]

Madhur jaffrey's cabbage & peas is fabulous. More a side dish than a main event. Goes beautifully with dahl:

Cabbage with peas (Bund gobi aur matar)
Serves 4 (actually dh and I eat it between two of us)

450-500g green cabbage (I like savoy best because the crinkly leaves hold the spices well)
150g frozen peas
5 tablespoons veg oil (I use 1 or 2 tablespoons because I use a non-stick wok)
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 bay leaves (I often leave this out if I don't have them)
1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 fresh green chilli, very finely chopped (I consider this to be optional, it's just as nice without if you don't like hot)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1. Core the cabbage and cut it into very fine, long shreds. Put the peas into a strainer and hold them under warm, running water until they separate.

1. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan (I use a wok, could also use a deep saute pan) over a medium-high flame. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds and bay leaves. As soon as the bay leaves begin to take on colour - this takes just a few seconds - put in the cabbage and peas and stir them for 30 seconds. Add the tumeric and cayenne. Stir to mix. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. (I usually add a tiny amount of water before covering so that the veg steams a little. No need to do that if you use the full 5 tablespoons of oil though.) Add the green chilli, salt and sugar. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on a low heat for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle in the garam masala. Stir gently to mix.

1. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

[spilttheteaagain]

Remus's dahl. Search for it, it's fabulous.

Also MotherInferior posted her mother's dahl recipe ages ago and that is delicious too:

¾ cup yellow split peas (mung dal)
½ cup red lentils (masoor dal)
put the two together , wash well, cover with water and allow to soak for about an hour.
Then drain, cover with fresh water (about 4 to 5 cups), and bring to the boil with
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, smashed and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
Once it has come to the boil, simmer for about an hour or until the dahl is well cooked, and the whole thing can be mashed together. Remove and set aside.
Now take another pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds, a sprig of curry leaves (do try and find this; it makes all the diff.), 1 –2 dry red chillies, ½ tsp whole cumin seeds, ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds a pinch of asafoetida (don’t leave this out, it gives the genuine flavour).
When the mustard seeds splutter, and the other spices have toasted and are fragrant (but not burnt), add 1 finely chopped onion. Let this brown. At the last moment add a good bunch of washed and finely chopped coriander. Let it turn in the oil, and just crisp up. Then pour the whole fragrant seasoning (bhagar or taalippu) on to the cooked dahl. Check for salt; give a good squeeze of lemon.

[spilttheteaagain]

Sag aloo, also great with dahl:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp chopped ginger
new potatoes (or you can subsitute swede/turnips very successfully) cut into 2cm, ¾in chunks
1 large red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced (or just dried chilli flakes/powder)
½ tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric
250g spinach leaves or 3-4 cubes of frozen spinach defrosted and excess water squeezed out.
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, garlic and ginger, and fry for about 3 mins. Stir in the potatoes, chilli, spices and half a tsp salt and continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins more. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook for 8-10 mins.
Check the potaoes are ready by spearing with the point of a knife, and if they are, add the spinach and let it wilt into the pan. Take off the heat and serve.

[spilttheteaagain]

If you have access to the book i would recommend both the channa massala (Chickpea curry) and Afghan aubergines (aubergine, tomato & onion curry) from Hairy Bikers great curries.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Curried savoy cabbage - I want that NOW (and am stuffed full, having been out for dinner but I STILL want it NOW!).

[spilttheteaagain]

Just noticed a typo if anyone tries the cabbage and peas. That should say 2 teaspoons, not tablespoons of cumin seeds!

It's very healthy Remus... And savoy cabbages are 50p each in Lidl just now. I feel a batch coming on here v soon.

[TheKitchenWitch]

Oh my, these sound fantastic! I think I had got into the habit of just trying to replace the meat in my usual curries with vegetables, which doesn't necessarily work, rather than doing something specific with the vegetables themselves, iyswim.

The malai kofta look amazing! I am definitely going to be trying that.

[JamNan]

pigus that whole website for vegrecipesofindia.com looks great. Going to try the malai kofta too. DH did onion bajees tonight and his secret ingredient is rice flour which makes them go crispy and chewy.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

Also a good site for veggie curry recipes.