If you're staying away from grains, drizzle this curry over cauliflower rice for a fantastic and healthy meal. Spritz on some lemon juice or lime juice for added yum. Veggies: 2 medium sweet potatoes, 2 medium red potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 green bell pepper and 2 cups green beans.

Garam masala or Curry Powder. Yeah, I know they are very different, but this is not a traditional Indian curry, just Indian inspired, and you can definitely use either spice blend in this recipe. Each will add different flavor and each version will be delicious. You don't need much to gild this lily. Serve the curry with a side of basmati rice or brown rice for a dinner to remember. And a weeknight dinner that you're family will be thrilled to welcome into the rotation. Garlic and ginger: This is a sauce of vinegar and garlic, so the garlic is quite key here. Add lots of it, at least six to eight cloves, crushed into a paste. As ginger is also present in this recipe you can use a ginger garlic paste if you have that around, but add at least 3-4 more cloves of garlic on top of it. Curry leaves. These add great flavor. If you absolutely can't find them, use 2 tablespoons of cilantro and add it at the same time as you would the curry leaves. Despite the changes, Goa's charm is hard to smother, as is the delightful nature of its diversity. The state has large populations of both Hindus and Christians who speak the same language, Konkani, with vastly different accents. Churches like the Basilica of Bom Jesus are as much at home here as the colorful domes of the Mangeshi temple. In fact, Hindus and Christians. as I remember, would cross-worship at both churches and temples with unbridled gusto. "The more gods to get blessed by, the merrier," my Goan aunt, Vilas maushi, an avid temple- and church-goer herself, once explained very logically.Spices: 4 green cardamom pods, which are the only whole spice added here and they add amazing flavor. ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon cayenne (use as much or as little as you like depending on your heat tolerance) and 1 ½ tablespoon curry powder. Use a really good curry powder, like my homemade recipe, because it will decide how delicious your curry is.

Cooking lentils in pressure cooker: Place the cleaned and washed lentils in the pressure cooker, add 3 cups water, and cook for three whistles. Add besan or garbanzo bean flour, and a couple of tablespoons of rice flour. The rice flour is optional, but it helps the koftas crisp up better. Form 18-20 balls and flatten them slightly so they'll be easier to shallow-fry. A delicious six-ingredient Mushroom Spinach Curry that goes from stovetop to table in less than 15 minutes. The creamy coconut sauce flavored with curry powder is out of the world. All you need to serve with it is rice. A vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe. Curry leaves(optional). Although you can skip these if you cannot find them, I recommend them highly in this curry as they add amazing flavor.Vegetable oil. Coconut oil would be great here, or use avocado or another flavorless oil, but not olive oil.

Garam masala: You don't absolutely need this, but a bit of garam masala stirred into the vindaloo toward the end of cooking adds more depth to the dish. Here's the recipe for the vegan Mango Curry, and trust me, it's fabulous. Better still, it comes together in no more than 20 minutes which, in my book, makes it an all-round winner. Serve it up with some bitter gourd subzi and rice for a delightful dance of flavors. Looking for curry recipes? You do want a really sweet mango for this vegan mango curry -- don't get tempted into throwing in a half-ripe fruit. It's the chemistry of the sweet mango with the spices that makes this curry so special. Grate the zucchini using the large holes on the grater. Sprinkle on half a teaspoon of salt and mix it in, then let the zucchini stand 10 minutes in a strainer or bowl. Place the zucchini in a cheesecloth after squeezing out as much moisture as you can by hand. Wring the cheesecloth to get any remaining moisture out. It is nourishing and vibrant. Despite the small ingredient list there are so many great flavors in this dish: salty, tangy, spicy and sweet. It will awaken every tastebud in your mouth.Curry leaves (kadi patta/karuveppilai). Curry leaves add amazing flavor so they are well worth using if you have them or can access them. Aromatics: 1 yellow onion, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste. If you don't have ginger-garlic paste, crush 4 cloves of garlic with a 1-inch knob of ginger. When the flower children went east, this is the land where many found the spiritual fulfillment they were seeking. Not surprising because not only is Goa indescribably gorgeous, but it was home to inclusive, diverse, happy people steeped in the intoxicating culture of "susegado" -- taking it easy. The locals joked that there were three things Goans do best: khavap, pivap, nidap. Or eat, drink, and sleep. Dal is a collective term for split legumes in many parts of India and in other south Asian countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is also the name of a lentil soup-like dish that's usually served with rice or a flatbread like roti or chapati.

The veggies I used for this Indian curry are onions, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers and turnips. Sweet potatoes, squashes, peas are all fine additions. Stay away from leafy veggies or others that will take longer to cook, like eggplant, unless you are willing to roast the eggplant first. Roasted eggplant would go really well with this keema curry. Mushrooms(button or crimini). You can use a meatier mushroom, like portobello, but I prefer the smaller varieties for this curry. Curry leaves (optional): Again, the curry powder has curry leaves so you can leave them out if you don't have them. Or use cilantro and add it at the same time as you would the curry leaves.In the context of Indian food, "mince" or "keema" refers, usually, to mutton or goat meat that's been ground. Before a politically motivated ban on beef was imposed on most Indian states, it also included ground beef. Thai food is always a crowd pleaser, and one of the reasons for this, perhaps, is the fact that it has evolved -- and continues to evolve -- as a fusion of many different cuisines from around the world. I once read someone describe Thai food as "living art that's constantly in motion." While that couldn't sound more syrupy, I think it's also a perfect description. This vegetable vindaloo is divine with laadi pav, a soft, fluffy bread roll sold fresh in Goa by pav-wallahs who make the rounds of neighborhoods each morning with slabs of fresh-baked bread rolls balanced on their bicycles. Any soft bread roll that is not sweet would work. Puree the tomatoes with the cashew nuts or pumpkin seeds and add that to the pan. Add the cayenne, turmeric and garam masala and let the tomatoes cook until they lose most of their moisture and darken. You can make this edamame curry with a minimal amount of chopping. Mince an onion and all you have left to do is cut open a bag of frozen edamame and a bag of frozen veggies. Oh, and open a can of coconut milk. It doesn't get any easier.