Must-Try Indian Plant-Based Food

Plant-based living is becoming increasingly popular as we learn the benefits of eating more plants and less animal meat (especially red meat) for both the environment and our health. Going plant-based doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources. Browse some of these must-try plant-based Indian dishes for your meatless Mondays!

Chana Masala

Chana means "chickpea" and masala means "spice". By definition, this dish is a chickpea curry made with plenty of spices and chickpeas (obviously) along with tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onion. It's usually plant-based by default. The only non-plant-based ingredient that you might find in this dish is ghee. Ghee is a type of clarified butter, sometimes used as cooking fat in India. Be that as it may, you can replace the ghee with plant-based oil. Chana masala can be eaten with rice or with bread such as chapati or naan, or even both!

Dal Tadka

This one is mostly prepared with yellow lentils (arhar or toor dal). It is possible that the restaurant staff might add butter or ghee to your serving without consulting you, so be sure to let them know you want a plant-based meal. Complete this meal with rice as an accompaniment to make it a proper dal chaawal (lentils and rice).

Kofta

Kofta actually means “meatball”. However, it’s not uncommon to see vegetarian and vegan varieties of kofta in India. Plant-based versions often include kofta made with lentils or potatoes or mixed vegetables. What you need to be aware of is that kofta is usually served with spicy curry or gravy. If you are familiar with Indian cuisine, then you probably know that there are different kinds of gravies in India. Some gravies may contain butter or cream as an essential ingredient, so confirm with your server which gravy they serve with the kofta. If it’s a creamy gravy, ask if they can swap it out for a plant-based or vegan one.

Dum Aloo

Dum aloo is a traditional dish from Kashmir made with small deep-fried potatoes cooked slowly in spicy gravy. It’s very popular in the rest of India despite its origin state of Kashmir. You can easily find it in most Indian restaurants, both in India and other countries. Keep in mind that some restaurants serve it in a gravy that contains cream or curd (yogurt). Confirm with your server whether they can offer a plant-based or vegan version of this dish.

Vegetable Biryani

Calling all the rice lovers out there! No matter where you are travelling in India, you're never far away from a hearty plate of vegetable biryani. It’s basically the Indian version of vegetable fried rice. Cooked with succulent vegetables, this fried rice is incredibly fragrant. A heaping mix of aromatic spices included in the dish are nutmeg, pepper mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander and mint. Prepare to have your senses go wild! You’ll end up coming back for more.

Rajma

A popular vegetarian Indian dish that is made of red kidney beans and cooked with many Indian whole spices in a thick gravy. It’s usually served with roti (an Indian flatbread) and steaming hot rice. It’s an integral part of the typical diet in Northern India even though kidney beans are not of Indian origin.

Masala Dosa

This one is a super-thin, crispy, savoury pancake made from fermented rice and dal (lentils). The pancake is wrapped around a mix of curried potatoes, onions and plenty of spices. It's popular mainly in South India and in neighbouring Sri Lanka. Best suited for breakfast or lunch, this tasty dish is served with chutney and sambar. The southern city of Bangalore is particularly famous for its many dosa joints. In fact, it was also recently dubbed as India’s most vegan-friendly city. Keep in mind that some chefs will use yogurt (curd) in the fermentation process when making the batter.

Chole Bathure

Chole is enjoyed by people of all ages. As such it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser of Indian dishes. A chickpea-based curry, this dish does not only taste good but is also packed with lots of healthy ingredients. The spicy, delicious dish is accompanied by puris or bhature (fried Indian bread). Try some of these plant-based Indian dishes from us! Head now to The Yarra Indian Restaurant to order. Source: TheNomadicVegan