curry Archives - Feast of Plants

Restaurant Style Tofu Tikka Masala (Vegan & GF)

Feast of Plants — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:30:56 +0000

See the recipe I love Tikka Masala. There’s something about the creamy, rich sauce that is just so incredibly satisfying. I’m pretty sure I’m tried almost every recipe for Tofu Tikka Masala on the internet but none of them hit the same spot as the classic takeout version of Chicken Tikka Masala. A treasured favourite of our pre-vegan days, I deeply wanted to find a homemade version that was just as good. Lets get something straight, I’m not claiming this is an authentic Indian recipe. Instead, this is based on a British-Indian restaurant classic and is a damn delicious fakeaway copycat dish that has converted some tofu-haters in our family. What’s more, this isn’t a difficult curry to make once you know the trick to it. Just like my Restaurant Style Brinjal Bhaji recipe, a key part of this is my curry base. I tend to make large batches of this base sauce and always have some in my freezer so I can easily whip a great dish with very little prep. Once you get cooking, don’t rush it. You want a good char on your tofu when grilling it. Let your tomato puree roast in the pan before adding the sauce, and don’t be afraid to let the sauce caramelise before you add the tofu. This will give you the great depth of flavour that is the secret to a perfect restaurant style curry. This is a great dish for entertaining as it can be made in advance and then simply heated through when you are ready to eat. I like to serve it with plain basmati rice but you could also serve it with naan, chapati or paratha (flatbread). Leftovers? You have leftover tikka masala? You lucky, lucky duck. Almost all curries are better the next day and really benefit from time to let the flavours meld. Store your tikka masala in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it will happily sit in your freezer till your next takeaway craving hits. Charred Tofu in a creamy, rich, curry sauce. Make this your next go to when you're craving a take away!

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Beetroot & Coconut Curry (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:09:40 +0000

We get a veg box most weeks and it’s been great for encouraging me tto be creative with my cooking, as well as being more seasonal. What it’s not great for? Seasonal means that we sometime gets the same veggies over and over again. While that’s great for staple like carrots and potatoes, for some veg it can be a bit of a struggle. At this time of year, beetroot can be one of those problems – since we don’t tend to have the same things over and over again it’s been a struggle to make something new each time. I’ve turned it unto pancakes, vegan wellington, burgers, ravioli, pickled it and used it in stir fries. The one thing I haven’t done before is what I present you today, beetroot curry. Beetroot is the star of this dish with coconut and spices lifting the earthiness of beetroot to new exotic heights. Inspired by a combination of Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, this is actually on of easier recipes here. It’s not quick but, like most curries, it’s even better the next day so it that makes it perfect for meal prepping. So whip it together on the weekend or start it while working from home. There’s not much hands on time so what I do, begin the sauté while on a conference call – by the time the meeting’s over it’ll be happily simmering away and you can move on to the rest of your day job. Perfect if you love beetroot, it’s ideal served with rice or some of your favourite flatbreads. Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 1 Cinnamon Stick 1 tsp Coriander Seeds 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 Onion, finely diced 1 Green Chilli, finely diced 1 Red Chilli, finely diced 5 Lime Leaves 1 Bay leaf 2 Garlic cloves, minced 4 Large Beetroot, peeled & roughly chopped 300ml Coconut Milk 1 tsp Chilli Flakes 1 Tbsp Garam Masala 1 Tbsp Fenugreek Leaves 60ml Vegetable Stock 1 tsp Sugar (optional) 1 tbsp Cornflour (optional but great to thicken the sauce!) Salt & Pepper to taste Directions Place a large, heavy based pan on to a a medium heat with the coconut oil. Once the oil has heated through add in the cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds. Lightly toast until the seeds begin to darken and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add in the onion, chillies, and at least a tsp of salt. Gently sauté until the onion softens and turns translucent. Now add in the lime leaves, bay leaves, and garlic and continue to cook until the onions start to brown. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook, simmering constantly, until the beetroot softens and can be easily pieced by a fork. Depending on how small you’ve cut up the beetroot this can take between 30 and 50 minutes. Once cooked, taste and season, adding more sugar if needed. If the curry is a little thinner than you’d like, remove 2 tbsp and mix with the cornflour to make a thin paste. Carefully stir through the sauce and continue cooking until thickened. Serve with rice or you favourite flatbreads. Enjoy! Notes Allergy Notes; This dish is vegan, gluten free, soy free, and nut free – wohoo! If you struggle with any of these ingredients then let me know and I can suggest alternatives.

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Thai Green Curry (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 16:00:41 +0000

Thai green curry is one of Kenny’s favourite takeout choices so I’ve been working on my own version for quite some time. The key to this delightful dish relies is the green curry paste which offers a great oomph of flavours. Even though I know you can buy perfectly serviceable curry pastes in the supermarket, I make my own for that extra fresh taste and for the reassurance that it’ll match our dietary needs. It might seem like a lot of extra effort but believe me, the blender does all the work and it’s just so worth it. Now there’s one thing I want to point out, this is a vegan version using items I can easily pickup from my local supermarket. As such there are a few items I use because they make workable substitutes for the more authentic Thai ingredients. However, if you have access to an Asian supermarket in this pandemic then have a go at making a more authentic version. If you’ve been reading this blog for a little while now then you’ll know I’m all about little cheats, taking advantage of spare moments so dinner is as stress free as possible. This green curry is no different. You can make the curry paste or even the curry itself ahead of time, in fact it’s better if you do. The flavours will be enhanced from a day or two sitting in the fridge and I’ve been known to make a double batch so I can have some in the freezer for a quick dinner shortcut. The veggies in this dish that can’t be quickly stir fried are baked in the oven and can be cooked as early as a few days before as long as you store them in an airtight container in the fridge. With all these shortcuts, the curry itself takes less than 20 mins cooking at the stove. Perfect! Serve with an aromatic pile of coconut rice and enjoy. Makes: Serves 6 Ingredients For the Curry Paste: 70g Green Chillies, aprox 5 chillies 20g Garlic Cloves 1 Red Onion 10g Galangal* 30g Coriander Stems 1 Lime, zest only 2 Lemongrass Stalks 1 tsp White Pepper 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds 1/2 tsp Salt 2 Tbsp Vegan Fish Sauce 10 Lime Leaves For the Green Thai Curry: 600ml Coconut Milk, tinned 500ml Vegetable Stock 10 Lime Leaves 1/2 Butternut Squash, Peeled and diced into rough chunks 1 Large Aubergine, roughly diced 150g Tenderstem Broccoli 1 Onion, sliced 125g Baby Sweetcorn 2 Peppers, one green & one red 100g Sugar Snap Peas 100g Asparagus Handful of Thai Basil Soy Sauce substitute, to taste Lime Juice, to taste Brown Sugar, to taste Directions The paste is incredibly easy to make. Make sure to tailor the heat of your dish to your palate by removing (or not) the chilli seeds. We like it not too hot so I remove the seeds from all but one of the chillies but make sure to match to your tastes. Slice off the bottom of the lemongrass and remove any dried out layers. Crush with a rolling pin or the back of your knife before placing to the bowl of a blender or food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until finely chopped and a chunky paste has been formed. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (190 Fan/ 400 F). Toss the butternut squash with a touch of oil and roast for 45 minutes, or until soft in the centre and crisp edges. Place a large pan on a medium heat with a touch of oil. Gently stir fry the paste for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Pour in the stock, coconut milk, and lime leaves and bring up to a very gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes but be very careful not to boil the curry as you’ll loose the classic bright green and be left with a less appetising swamp green. If you’re meal prepping ahead of time, this is where you stop. The curry and roasted butternut squash should be stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge and used within 5 days. Make sure to bring the curry back up to temperature before continuing on. Dice up most of the vegetables for the curry into bitesize chunks. Put a wok on a high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Cook the aubergine, stirring often, until well browned and beginning to soften. Add in the broccoli, sweetcorn, and onion and stirfry until the onion starts to brown before adding the rest of the veg. Cook until the peas are bright green. Finally, tip the vegetables into the curry and stir through with the thai basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with the sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice as needed. I’ve really left these last amounts up to you as it vary depending on the potency of the paste ingredients and your own preference. Try it and see what works best for you. Serve with coconut rice and wedges of lime. Notes We like this with just vegetables but if you feel the need for extra protein then tempeh or tofu will work equally well here! * If you can’t find galangal (and it’s tricky) then substitute with ginger and double the amount of lime zest along with 1 tsp of lime juice. Allergy Notes; Making the curry paste from scratch ensures this recipe is vegan, gluten free, soy free (dependant of what soy sauce substitute you’ve gone for), and nut free. If you have any problems with any of the ingredients used here then let me know and I can suggest substitutes.

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Roasted Pumpkin Satay Tacos (Vegan, GF)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 14:30:46 +0000

With our first batch of the season’s pumpkin I’ve been a little creative. As soon as i got my hands on the small, mottled beauties I knew I wanted to do something spiced but not a standard curry. I know, this is probably a corruption of several different cuisines but it really works! Freshly toasted corn tortillas pair unexpectedly well with the satay sauce while the roasted pumpkin and rainbow salad made this light while still filling. If you’re not in the mood for salad then some great multigrain rice will work equally well. This is a quick and easy dinner to make, everything will easily pull together while you wait for the pumpkin to cook. Enjoy! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Spiced Roasted Pumpkin: 750g Pumpkin, skinned, deseeded & roughly chopped 85g Pineapple 60ml Soy Sauce Substitute (see allergy note below) 1/4 cup Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Vegan Fish Sauce 1 Tbsp Lime Juice 2 tsp Sriracha 1 Garlic Clove 5g Fresh Ginger 1/2 tsp White Pepper 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Ground Coriander For the Satay Sauce: 1/2 Red Onion, Finely diced 1 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste 90g Natural Peanut Butter* 25g Brown Sugar 1 tsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See allergy note below) 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar 125ml Coconut Milk Water, as needed For the Rainbow Salad: 1 Small Courgette 1 Carrot 1 Red Pepper 1/2 Cucumber Handful of Coriander For the Tacos: Corn Tortillas, taco sized** Chopped Peanuts Spring Onions, chopped Directions We’ll start with the pumpkin as it’s best to give it time to marinade. Putting the pumpkin to one side for a moment, combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Toss the chopped pumpkin with the marinade in a large bowl and leave to soak in the flavours for at least 30 minutes or upto overnight. Drain the pumpkin and put the marinade to one side – you’ll need this later. Roast the pumpkin in a 200 degree oven (400 F/190 Fan), tossed in a little oil, until soft and crisped around the edges – 30 to 45 minutes. While to pumpkin roasts, pull together the salad. I like to use a spiraliser for the veg here but thin strips will work equally well. Toss the salad with a tablespoon or so of the marinade and put into the fridge till needed. Heat a small pan on a medium to high height with a touch of oil. Fry off the onion until soft and translucent before adding the curry paste and cook for another minute. Now add in the rest of the sauce ingredients along with the reserved marinade. Stir well, adding water as needed to thin out until the sauce is the consistency of double cream. It should be ready to serve when heated through. Before serving, toast the tortillas in a dry pan and toss the roasted pumpkin in a little satay sauce. Serve family style so everyone can build their tacos as preferred but i like to start with a handful of salad, top with pumpkin, and smear with sauce. Sprinkle over a few peanuts and spring onions for crunch. Enjoy! Notes * I like to use a 2:1 balance of brown lentils to red but this works equally well with just brown lentils. ** We use Gluten free pasta but this should work with normal pasta too Allergy Notes; To make this gluten free, just use GF pasta per the note above. It Cashew nuts are a problem for you then there are plenty of tofu based ricotta recipes

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South Indian Garlic Chilli Vegan Curry

Feast of Plants — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 12:00:49 +0000

In the last few months, Kenny has taken some time to meditate on his views and from an omnivore to a vegetarian. He was never a big meat eater so it wasn’t a huge change. But this leaves him with a slight problem, what does he eat if we go out for dinner or gets takeout? With his wheat allergy his choices are already limited but add in his new vegetarian dietary choice and getting takeout has become a little tricky. This isn’t a new problem in some respects, he hasn’t been able to get his favourite curry since he moved to London. The Glasgow food scene has a lot of it’s own dishes and he misses them alot. I’ve talked about this before (find that recipe here) but today’s recipe was a little more challenging. The Glasgow interpretation of South Indian Garlic Chilli Chicken is very different to what you might find in the rest of the UK. With a thick, tomato based sauce, tandoori cooked chicken, and plenty of green chillies. It’s not a curry that’s hot just for the sake of it, instead it builds on the flavours of the garlic and green chillies to make a dish that’s layers of flavour. I’ve used a combination of tofu and jackfruit to replace the chicken. Cooked in a style reminiscent of tandoori chicken, this adds an extra layer of flavour with the the right texture. Did you make the Brinjal Bhaji recipe I posted a few weeks ago? (If not you can find the recipe here) Because I hope you followed my suggestion of making a bulk batch of the base sauce as it’s the key to making many takeout style curries – including this one! Make sure you have a few batches in the freezer and it’s your key to so many tasty curries in the future. Enjoy and let me know how it goes for you! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the Marinade: 400g Firm Tofu 400g tin Young Green Jackfruit, drained & rinsed 250g Dairy Free Yogurt 1 Tbsp Garlic Ginger Puree 3 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander 1/2 Tbsp Ground White Powder 1 tsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Paprika 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar For the Curry: 60 ml Oil 15 Garlic cloves, peeled & sliced 1 large Onion, chopped 2 Tbsp Garlic Ginger Paste 2 Green Chillies, halved & sliced* 1 tsp Chilli Powder 2 Tbsp Curry Powder 2 tbsp Tandoori Masala 80ml Tomato Puree 500ml Base Sauce, heated 125ml Vegetable Stock 1 tsp Fenugreek Leaves Salt & Pepper, to taste Fresh Coriander, to garnish Directions If you have time, it’s best to press the tofu so its less fragile and more able to absorb the marinade. Wrap the block of tofu in a clean tea towel and put it on a large plate with a lip. Put something heavy on top, and leave for 30 mins. Dice the tofu and jackfruit into large, bitesized chinks. Mix together the rest of the marinade ingredients in a nonreactive bowl (it’s a tad acidic so avoid metal if possible) before gently mixing through the tofu and jackfruit. Cover and leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes and no longer than 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (190 Fan/400 F). Place the jackfruit and tofu on a tray, coat with any excess marinade and place into the oven for 40mins. Halfway through, spritz with oil to help them brown. Put to one side once cooked. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant before adding the garlic ginger paste and diced chillies. Fry until the water from the paste has been cooked off. Toss in the spices and tomato puree and cook, stirring constantly until well combined and any excess fluid has cooked off. Deglaze the pan with half the base sauce before adding the tofu, jackfruit and the rest of the base sauce. Stirring occasionally, simmer until the sauce has reduced by half before add the fenugreek. Taste and add salt as needed. Serve with rice, garnished with fresh coriander leaves as needed. Notes * I’m a bit of a whimp when it comes to chilli so I tend to deseed the green chillies before using. If you’re a bit fan of heat, leave the seeds in and you can even add a third to the curry. Allergy Notes; This should be vegan, gluten free and nut free. If you want to avoid using soy then you can substitute in Burmese tofu or omit it entirely and add another tin of jackfruit. If you have any allergy issues with this recipe, let me know and I can suggest substitutions.

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Instant Pot Cauliflower and Black Bean Masala

Feast of Plants — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

My mother has always had this vast, Aladdin’s cave of herbs and spices that she viewed as essential in food and equally essential in our cooking education. An old coffee grinder, that is likely older than me, serves as a spice grinder for an array of whole spices that live on the top shelf before being toasted, ground and decanted into the jars for the ground spices on the bottom shelf. In my childhood memories I can still remember being taken to the Bangladeshi food shops in Yorkshire, so that she could get spices you couldn’t find in supermarkets in those days, bulk bags of rice, beans, pulses and the occasional trip the butcher – As welcoming as my parents have been my diets, my parents have never been vegan. Thanks to this, my education in spices and flavour started in those spice shops in Yorkshire. On one memorable occasion I wandered off while my mother was paying and started to play in the chilies section so a glowing woman in a sari taught me why that was a bad idea and why each shiny fruit was different. On special occasions we would make biriyani, which could take all day, as the center piece of the table. Other days, we would be challenged to see just how creative we could be in the kitchen and I have one memory of one of my siblings making a parsnip pie with garam masala and chilli (possibly other things as well). I, being the horrible child that I was, refused to eat it as it both had parsnips in it, which I hated, and was too spicy. Everyone else loved it. In traditional Indian households pressure cookers often play a central role in the cooking as they can enhance the spices and push in flavours, so it is in this dish. There’s no need for cream or yoghurt substitutes as the cashews add the same smoothness of those additives and they also act to thicken the sauce. I would suggest to pay attention to the instructions to turn off the pot after sauteing as the pot may need to cool down before coming up to pressure. As you’re working on minimum liquid these suggestions are in place to avoid the burn error message (or overheat on older models). Even now I tend to be somewhat of a whimp when it comes to heat in my food so I would encourage you to spice yours to suit you. If you want a touch more heat maybe add another Kashmiri chillie, if you want a lot more heat then I’d add a green chillie at the garlic and ginger stage. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 60ml Oil* 300g Onions, Sliced 4-5 Whole Cloves 4 Green Cardamon 1 Black Cardamon 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 Star Anise 2 Kashmiri Dried Red Chilies 5 Garlic Cloves, sliced 6g of Ginger (aprox), peeled & chopped 2 Tins of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each) 1/2 Cup cashews 1/2 Tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Oil 1 Large Cauliflower 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander 1 Tsp Paprika 1/2 Tsp Tumeric 2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves 1/4 Tsp Cayenne 1 Large Onion, chopped into large chunks 1 Tsp Garam Masala 250g Cooked Black Beans** Handful of fresh chopped Coriander Directions Press saute on the instant pot and add the oil, reserving a tablespoon or so for later on. You can prep the onions while you wait for it to heat, adding them when the oil is hot. Cook the onions till they start to brown, stirring very occasionally this should take a little over 10 minutes. Add the whole spices and saute for a few moments until fragrant. Now throw in the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or so. Turn off the instant pot at this stage and add one of the tins of tomatoes, the cashews, salt and aprox 1/2 a cup of water. Use the liquid to deglaze the pot and stir well, make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Seal the pot and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. This sauce should now be blended till completely smooth and then set to one side. When prepping your cauliflower I would suggest cutting the florets into small to medium pieces, putting the leaves to one side for another day, while trimming the stem and cutting it into at least bite size chunks. Clean out your instant pot liner, put it back into your instant pot and turn on the saute setting while adding the tablespoon of oil you reserved earlier. When heated, add the onion and cauliflower and briefly saute until the cauliflower starts to take on a little colour. Now, apart from the garam masala, add all your ground spices, including the fenugreek leaves and stir well. Turn off the instant pot before adding the last tin of tomatoes along with 1/2 a cup of water and stir well. Seal the lid and set to cook at on high for 1 minute. Its important that the pressure is quick released as soon as it is ready otherwise you’ll end up loosing some of the texture of the cauliflower. At this point stir in the sauce we prepared earlier, the garam masala, black beans, and coriander leaves. Simmer gently for a minute or so until fully heated though and all the flavours have gotten to know each other. Taste to check for seasoning, add more salt if needed and serve with rice. Notes * I like groundnut oil for its high smoke point but it can be fairly pricey so feel free to go with what you have on hand. ** I batch cook my beans in the instant cooker from dried as I prefer the texture and find it cheaper but if you want to use tinned, this is about the same as one tin of black beans, drained and rinsed. Allergy Notes; this recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan but nuts are an issue here. I’m afraid this is another one of those recipes where a substitute for the cashews just won’t work as they’re quite key to the dish. Sorry about that!

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