American-style Indian is a category of restaurant food that you can make at home and have it taste exactly like you want it to. Veganizing our favorite recipes was easy thanks in large part to cashew cream.
An easy, perfectly veganized recipe that we make all the time is tikka sauce. It’s that delicious, creamy reddish curry that you find in absolutely every Indian restaurant.
Cook up some onions, peas, potatoes, or cauliflower and then add this sauce. It’s a winner.
Simple Tikka Masala
1 can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash of cayenne for spice, if you wish
cashew cream (1/2 cup raw cashews blended with 1/2 cup vegan milk until totally smooth)
Combine everything but the cashew cream in a small sauce pan. Heat and stir until it’s hot. Stir in the cashew cream and remove from heat.
Mutter Masala
a spicy stir fry of peas, serrano peppers, onion, ginger & garlic, with tomato sauce and a touch of cashew cream
1 small red onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup water
cashew cream (1/2 cup cashews blended with 1/2 cup vegan milk until totally smooth)
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro if you’re feelin’ fancy
Finely chop the onion, ginger, garlic, and chillies.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Stir-fry the vegetable mixture until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Lower heat to medium and pour in the tomato sauce. Stir in the cumin, garam masala, and salt. Simmer the sauce, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until some oil appears around the edges, about 5 minutes.
Add the peas and water. Cook until peas are hot, about 8 minutes.
Add the cashew cream and continue cooking, stirring continuously, for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately.
Want to get fancy? Make samosas. Golden fried, flaky pastry puffs with pea and potato filling. Everyone loves samosas.
Samosas
dough
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp canola oil
warm water as required (about 6 tbsp)
filling
2 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced (omit if you don’t like spice)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
vegetable oil & cumin seeds for frying
First prepare the dough. Whisk together chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Add the oil. Add water a bit at a time until a soft, pliable dough forms. Knead briefly until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
While the dough cools, make the filling. In a sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Then add the onion and stir-fry until softened, about 5 minutes. Next add the ginger, jalapeño, ground cumin, turmeric, salt, and garam masala, and potatoes. Sauté until the potato pieces begin to fray at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add about 1 cup of hot water, enough to cover the potatoes, and then simmer on low heat until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Remove from heat and mash coarsely. Add the cilantro and stir to combine. Set filling aside to cool a bit before handling.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 6 equal sections. Using your hands, roll one section of dough into a ball. Place dough ball onto a very lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a thin, circular shape, about 8 inches across. Cut the dough in half - each half will make one samosa.
Fold the flat bottom of the half-circle of dough in half and pinch to seal that edge. Scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the cone of dough. Pinch-seal the remaining edge, creating a mohawk-like ridge.
Coat the bottom of a deep pan with 1/2 to 1 inch of oil and heat on high for a couple minutes, until very hot. Sprinkle in about a teaspoon of cumin seeds. Cook the samosas in the pan- 2 or 3 at a time- turning with a spatula until nicely browned on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. Remove from pan and place onto paper towels.
Serve immediately or store in a container in the fridge to be reheated in the oven later (about 10 mins at 225).
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