What’s your favourite Indian curry dish? When asking the same question to British people, the national favourite curry dishes are chicken tikka masala, chicken korma or rogan josh (lamb curry), which all involve cooking meat. However, I believe vegan curry can be tasty, too.
Even if you aren’t ready to become a full-time vegan, simply cooking vegan dishes as much as possible shows your caring for the planet, the only place we can call home. So in this post, I want to share a vegan tikka masala curry recipe with you. It’s creamy and healthy, too!
Why go vegan?
There are many benefits of going vegan. To me, it’s more about the environment than anything else. According to a study from the University of Oxford, dietary change, i.e. from a meat/dairy-based diet to a plant-based diet, can deliver significant environmental benefits, such as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, reducing meat and dairy consumption can prevent deforestation as we won’t need to destroy forests to raise livestock.
What is ‘curry’?
The word ‘curry’ was a British invention when India was a colony of Britain in the 17th century. Back then, the British couldn’t remember all the names of each Indian dish, so they invented the term ‘curry’ and used it as a generic term to refer to dishes with Indian spices.
Although the curry powder originated in India, nowadays, there are more than hundreds of types of curry powder around the world, each with its distinctive mixture of curry powder. Check out the video below to learn more about the origin of the curry powder and how it’s made.
How many different types of curry are around the world?
There are hundreds of types of curry around the world, such as:
| Types of curry | Spices/paste used | Example dishes |
|---|---|---|
| Cambodian curry | Kroeung, prahok paste | fish amok, Khmer curry |
| Filipino curry | coriander powder, patis, peanut butter, soy sauce, turmeric | Kare-kare, beef Kulma |
| Indian curry | cumin, curry leaves, fresh ginger, tamarind, turmeric | aloo gobi, Goan prawn curry |
| Jamaican curry | garlic powder, onion powder, pimento berries, turmeric, dried thyme | curry goat, curried Jamaican patties |
| Japanese curry | coriander, cardamom, cumin, grated apples, sautéed onion, turmeric (see *note 1) | katsu curry, kare pan (curry bun) |
| Korean curry | coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric (see *note 1) | bulgogi curry (Korean BBQ curry) |
| Malaysian curry | garlic, Kashmiri chill, lemongrass, onion | curry laksa, Kari Ikan (fish curry) |
| Thai curry | fenugreek seeds, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, shrimp paste | Choo Chee Goong (prawns in red sauce), Kaeng Kiew Waan Gai (Thai green curry) |
*note 1: Instead of curry powder, Japanese and Korean curry spices often come in curry blocks, also called curry roux.
How does curry get its colour?
It depends on the spices and types of chillies used in the dish. Curry can come in three different colours: yellow, red and green. Turmeric gives the curry dish a golden-yellow colour. On the other hand, tomato-based curry and red chillies give the vibrate red colour. As for the green curry, the colour comes from green chilli and fresh herbs, such as basil or coriander.
Is curry a healthy dish?
The mixed spices in the curry give several health benefits. Take turmeric powder for example, a spice used in many different types of curry, it can:
- lessen inflammation
- regulate blood pressure levels
- lower cholesterol
Cumin, another commonly used spice, promotes gut health and helps fight diabetes. A study also shows that curry spices may fight Alzheimer’s disease. So, just cooking 1 to 2 tablespoons of curry powder with other ingredients can help us obtain those benefits when consumed regularly.
However, curry can also be unhealthy if one adds too much oil or full-fat cream when cooking. Also, if the person consumes too much rice or bread together with curry, the whole meal will become high in carbohydrates, which generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. In addition, some ready-made curry sauces can be unhealthy, as they can contain a surprising amount of salt, sugar and fat. So make sure you check the ingredients when getting store-bought curry sauces.
What side-dishes go well with curry?
Possible side dishes for curry dishes are:
Bread
chapati, dosa, naan, roti, baguette
Rice
basmati rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, jeera rice, short-grain white rice, cauliflower rice
Noodles
rice noodles, udon noodles (or any Asian noodles)
Salad
carrot salad, cucumber salad, mango salad, tomato coriander salad, potato salad
Others
poppadom, couscous, potato (mashed, roast or boiled), spring roll, chutney
Regarding personal preference, I’d say either short-grain white rice or udon noodles for Japanese curry. As for Indian curry, warm naan would be my go-to. And I like having jasmine rice that gives a fragrant aroma to the Thai curry.
How to cook vegan tikka masala curry?
Let me show you how to cook an easy, quick, tasty vegan tikka masala curry. I’m using curry powder instead of ready-made curry sauce because I believe it’s a healthier way to cook a curry dish.
When it comes to ingredients for the dish, I am quite flexible. I believe as long as we have the essential ones, such as curry spices, garlic, onion, and chopped tomatoes, the rest of the ingredients can be flexible. Cooking a curry dish is a good way to use the vegetables that need to be used up soon. So, be experimental and use different vegetables if you don’t have the ones listed below.
Vegan tikka masala curry
Ingredients
Essential
- 1 medium onion (yellow or red onion)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 tin tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
- 1 tin cooked chickpeas
- 1 tin light coconut milk (you can use the full-fat one if you prefer)
- 3 garlic cloves (or use garlic granules if you don't have the fresh ones)
- 2 tbsp tikka curry powder
- 2 – 3 tbsp cooking oil
Optional (or just use whatever vegetables need to be used up in your fridge)
- 1 medium potato (you can substitute this with sweet potatoes)
- 2 carrots (you can replace this with courgettes)
- 2 stalks of celery (you can swap this with red/yellow pepper)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs, such as basil, coriander or spring onion
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes if you like your dish to be spicier)
Instructions
- Soak the red lentils for half an hour
- Drain the water from the tinned chickpeas
- Save the chickpea water for making a vegan mayo (optional).
- Drain the water from the lentils
- Gather the rest of the ingredients
- Finely chop all the vegetables, including onion and garlic.
- Heat the oil in the saucepan, add chopped onions, and fry until the onion is soft.
- Add tikka curry powder, and continue cooking for another minute. (see *note 2)
- Add carrots and mix them with what’s in the pan.
- Add a bit of water if you feel there isn't enough liquid in the pan.
- Add garlic and then celery.
- Add cayenne pepper (optional).
- Add diced potatoes (make sure they aren’t chunky so they won’t require long cooking time).
- Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
- Add drained lentils, and mix them well with all the ingredients in the pan.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat up. Once the liquid starts boiling in the pan, add chickpeas and set the heat at mid-low. Put the lid on and let it cook another 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Taste the dish before serving.
Video
Notes
What side dishes go well with vegan tikka masala curry?
You can choose any side dishes as suggested above. I went for spring rolls because I like the contrasting texture between them and creamy tikka masala curry. I also added a few slices of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a splash of lime juice to bring more freshness to the dish. Now, time to dig in! Cooking a vegan curry from scratch is a great way to have a tasty and healthy meal!
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