Looking for Recipes: Vegetarian Indian, Anyone?

[mommymonster]

Hi Folks, 

I love, love, love Indian food, and would like to learn how to make Indian food at home. I'm a decent home cook, a vegetarian, and have access to a few local, small, Indian markets. If you cook Indian food, would you mind sharing some recipes? Thanks!

[mamaraby]

Anupy Singla has a couple of cookbooks you might be interested in.

[Lady Marmalade]

A few of my favorites:

 

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

 

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste (I like Pataks)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

4 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala

Combine onion, ginger, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until minced.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture, sugar, and curry to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add chickpeas and tomatoes; simmer 2 minutes. Stir in spinach, water, salt, and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.

Serve over basmati rice with plain yogurt and chutney.

Makes about 3 servings.

 

Lentil Dal

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions — chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger — peeled, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric — ground
1/2 teaspoon red peppers — crushed
4 cloves garlic — minced
2 cups cauliflower florets — chopped
2 cups tomatoes — chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro — minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups cooked basmati rice or long grain rice — cooked

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onions through garlic); saute 2 minutes.

Add cauliflower and tomato; saute 1 minute. Stir in water and lentils; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Serve 1 cup lentil mixture with 1 cup rice.

 

[Desert Strawberry]

There are lots of free/cheap Indian cookbooks for Kindle. A large portion of India is vegetarian, so finding recipes should be very easy.

[Cammie]

My friend has an AMAZING website called Archana's Kitchen.  The recipes are great and she often has videos so they are easy to follow.  Even though I live in India  we often will refer to the website to fine new or different recipes!

[Amira]

I love this vegetable curry.  You can use fewer vegetables, or substitute corn or peas or something else.  It's really flexible.  I like to serve it with crusty flatbread.

 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon panch phoran, or or a scant 1/4 teaspoon each black mustard, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, and nigella seeds

2 bay leaves

1 scant cup diced (1/4-inch dice) carrots

1 scant cup diced (1/2-inch dice) potatoes

1 cup seeded peeled, and cubed (1/2-inch dice) hard squash or pumpkin

A generous handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths (1 cup)

1 cup peeled and cubed (1/2-inch dice) zucchini or other summer squash

2 green cayenne chiles, cut into 1/2-inch-wide rings

1 1/4 cups water

About 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste

 

Heat the oil, then toss in the spices, stirring in the hot oil.  Add the bay leaves and keep stirring, then add the vegetables one at a time, starting with the hardest first and working toward the softer ones, except don't add corn or peas yet if you are using them.  After the vegetables have been added, stir for a couple more minutes. Add the chiles and water and bring to a boil, then add 1 tsp of salt and any remaining vegetables.  Simmer for about 5 minutes till all the vegetables are done (I just check the carrots- if they're done, it's ready).  Add the sugar and lime juice, and more salt if needed.

[Amira]

Here's one that's quick and easy.  I like to use panch phoran and coriander, but you could use garam masala or other spices if you like.

 

Paneer made from three liters of milk, cubed and fried till golden
2-3 cups cooked garbanzos
Oil
Spices
One chopped onion
Lots of minced garlic 
Salt to taste 
Chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a wok, then add the spices and stir-fry till they're fragrant, then add the onions and stir-fry till they're just starting to brown.  Add the garlic and stir for a minute.  Add the paneer and garbanzos and salt and stir-fry for a few minutes.  Adjust the seasonings, then stir in the chopped cilantro.  This is good right off the stove, but it's also good warm.  I like this with crusty flatbread.  It's also amazing with pomegranate seeds added just before serving.

[Jennifer in MI]

A few of my favorites:

 

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

 

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste (I like Pataks)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

4 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala

Combine onion, ginger, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until minced.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture, sugar, and curry to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add chickpeas and tomatoes; simmer 2 minutes. Stir in spinach, water, salt, and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.

Serve over basmati rice with plain yogurt and chutney.

Makes about 3 servings.

Lentil Dal

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onions — chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger — peeled, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric — ground

1/2 teaspoon red peppers — crushed

4 cloves garlic — minced

2 cups cauliflower florets — chopped

2 cups tomatoes — chopped

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup dried lentils

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro — minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 cups cooked basmati rice or long grain rice — cooked

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onions through garlic); saute 2 minutes.

Add cauliflower and tomato; saute 1 minute. Stir in water and lentils; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Serve 1 cup lentil mixture with 1 cup rice.

These!!!! My very picky daughter absolutely loves these recipes!!!

[Truscifi]

Archana's kitchen is a good resource. Manjula's kitchen is good too, and all her recipes are vegetarian. I don't have a recipe for it yet but I just tried eggplant bharta at a local place and came home and looked up recipes to try to make it myself because it was so delicious. This one is on my list to try next week.

[umsami]

Indian grocery stores sell wonderful spice mixes and pastes which make cooking Indian quite easy.  Honestly, I've had great luck asking the owner what s/he recommends…what's easy for a beginner, etc.  YOu could also ask if they know of any cooking classes or women who might be willing to give a class, barter for a lesson, etc.

 

Many years ago, I bought Lord Krishna's Cuisine.  It's a great book.  There was also a book called Five Spices? I think which simplified thing.   Madhur Jaffrey has books and videos online.  

 

 

[mommymonster]

Thanks so much, Lady Marmalade and Amira for the delicious looking recipes! Also, thanks for the recommendations for Manjula's kitchen and Archana's kitchen. I'm going to spend some quality time on those sites, but at first glance they seem amazing. I have two of the Julie Sahni cookbooks, but there aren't photos in the books that I have, so they seem a bit out of reach. 

[Amira]

I really love this potato curry too.

[mommymonster]

I'm loving Manjula's Kitchen, as she has a few "everyday menu suggestions" -- how to actually pull a meal together + recipes.  :drool5:

[Lady Marmalade]

Archana's kitchen is a good resource. Manjula's kitchen is good too, and all her recipes are vegetarian. I don't have a recipe for it yet but I just tried eggplant bharta at a local place and came home and looked up recipes to try to make it myself because it was so delicious. This one is on my list to try next week.

 

That looks delicious!  I've recently discovered how much I love eggplant.  I just added that to my recipe box, thanks.

[Lady Marmalade]

Indian grocery stores sell wonderful spice mixes and pastes which make cooking Indian quite easy.  Honestly, I've had great luck asking the owner what s/he recommends…what's easy for a beginner, etc.  YOu could also ask if they know of any cooking classes or women who might be willing to give a class, barter for a lesson, etc.

 

Many years ago, I bought Lord Krishna's Cuisine.  It's a great book.  There was also a book called Five Spices? I think which simplified thing.   Madhur Jaffrey has books and videos online.  

 

Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking by Neeta Saluia.  That's not strictly a vegetarian book, though.  The Kofte (meatballs)  from that cookbook are amazing! 

[momee]

I know you asked for Indian but I wanted to share a recipe on the stove right now...

so great!

 

http://www.theppk.com/2010/12/red-lentil-thai-chili/

[BrookValley.]

My friend has an AMAZING website called Archana's Kitchen.  The recipes are great and she often has videos so they are easy to follow.  Even though I live in India  we often will refer to the website to fine new or different recipes!

 

Seconding (or thirding) this website! I'm pretty sure I found it through Cammie linking here a few months ago (thanks, Cammie!).  It's a great site.

[ChristyB in TN]

We have a fabulous vegetarian Indian restaurant here and every time we go I have to run home and google something so I can fix it at home. I love the YouTube videos! I made Manchurian Veg Balls http://www.rakskitchen.net/2014/01/vegetable-manchurian-gravy-recipe-side.html and now they are a family favorite. We like iddly Manchurian, also. 

[friscomom]

Here are a few more blogs that have really good Indian recipes:

 

http://chefinyou.com/             - Step by step instructions and pictures

http://holycowvegan.net/        - Completely Vegan blog

http://litebite.in/                      - Lovely and easy recipes

 

Hope that helps!