Simple Vegan Indian Curry Recipes

Learning to cook your own food is empowering. Because with a few simple ingredients, you can knock up tastier, cheaper and more nutritious meals than store-bought (and nobody can afford to eat out all the time).

We all like a good curry (and apparently it’s now England’s favourite meal, surpassing the roast dinner). So here are a few simple tips and recipes to start you off, and some good cookbooks.

This creamy parsnip curry with lentils (The Veg Space) uses the natural sweetness of root vegetables, for a delicious evening meal. And the lentils add extra taste and a protein punch.

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).

For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch tops closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

Indian vegan pantry ingredients

Indian food is very cheap to make, as the ingredients are nearly always natural (lentils over fake meats, and fresh produce).

• The only ‘expensive ingredient’ is likely coconut milk, so ensure you choose brands that are monkey-friendly (harvested by humans).
• Not all Indian food is spicy, but it does of course spices. Choose zero-waste brands (in glass jars) and only buy what you need (say in zero waste shops) to avoid a cupboard full of old spices that have no taste.
• The best alternative to ghee (clarified butter) is simply vegan butters with no palm oil (Flora and Lurpak are good brands).
• Indian food tends to use rice over pasta, so cook it properly, and don’t eat leftovers after 24 hours (a food poison hazard). Some brands (like Biona) are now sold in paper (not plastic) packaging, look for them in health stores.
• Tempeh is a high-protein Indonesian food that’s sold everywhere. Look in stores for good brands like Tiba and Better Nature that are pre-flavoured with curry spices. This makes it really easy to knock up a tasty Indian feast!

Chickpea tikka masala

Curries come in all types, from mild korma to spicy tikka masala. Just adjust the seasoning as you like, and try one of these simple recipes:

Chickpea Tikka Masala (The Simple Veganista) is made with chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk and aromatic spices. It’s also easy, as after putting the ingredients in the pan, you just leave it to simmer.

Spicy lentil dal

Spicy Lentil Dal (The Simple Veganista) uses a few ingredients, but they are all cheap and easy to find (vegetables, lentils, spices etc). Once you make this healthy tasty homemade version, you’ll never go back to ready-made.

Homemade naan bread

Most naan bread in shops contains dairy and/or palm oil, and is wrapped in plastic packaging. This homemade naan bread (The Simple Veganista) is easy to make, and you can also use it to soak up soups and stews, or use as a base for mini-pizzas and wraps.

To avoid plastic wrap when waiting for dough to rise, you can just use a cotton tea towel. Keep fresh bread dough away from children and pets.