With more and more people focusing on what they eat and trying to eat healthier, there has been a resurgence in people searching online for healthy, vegan Indian recipes. And, while there are many Indian dishes that are either vegan or vegan-friendly, some are much better than others. With the combination of flavourful Indian spices and fresh vegetables, Indian food is both healthy and delicious.

Keeping that in mind, there are some basic factors that combine to make a traditional Indian dish. These include:

• A Daal- the dal can be either ‘wet,’ meaning soupy, or ‘dry,’ or thicker.
• A Dry Subzi- a Subzi is a traditional Indian vegetable dish which has almost no sauce when served.
• A Wet Subzi- similar to the dry subzi, a wet subzi has more of a stew consistency.
• Rice- typically basmati rice, rice made with cumin, saffron rice, lentils, or vegetable.
• Flatbread- typically chapati, naan, puri, paratha, or roti.
• Yogurt- traditional Indian yogurt is fresh, thick, and tangy.

Now let’s take a look at two of our favourite healthy vegan Indian recipes:

Vegan Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry whole urad dal, soaked in water for at least 6 hours
• 946ml water
• 442ml can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 small bay leaf
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1-2 chiles, minced with seeds removed if desired
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (~1 cup)
• 1 cup tomato puree or strained tomatoes
• 354ml water (including water reserved from cooking urad dal)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne, optional & more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi, crushed (optional)
• 60ml coconut milk

To Serve

• Minced cilantro
• Basmati rice

Instructions:

• Add the soaked urad dal to a pot along with 4 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
• Cook covered for 30-40 minutes or until dal is very tender.
• In a large pot, heat the coconut oil or vegan butter over medium.
• Add the cumin and bay leaf and fry until they crackle and turn a shade darker.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles and cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the onion and fry until golden and soft, 4-6 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, the reserved dal cooking water + fresh water to equal 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, garam masala, coriander, cayenne if using, and turmeric. Crush the kasoori methi between your hands into the pot. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Add the urad dal and the kidney beans. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and adjust salt if desired.
• Stir in the coconut cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Garnish finished dish with a swirl of coconut milk and minced cilantro.
• Serve with basmati rice.

Vegan Malai Kofta: Indian Dumplings In Curry Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

Kofta

• 4-6 yukon gold potatoes
• 453g firm or extra firm tofu
• 113g corn starch or arrowroot starch, more if needed
• 2 tbsp minced cilantro, leaves and stems
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• oil for frying or baking

Curry Tomato Cream Sauce

• large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 946ml can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1″ piece fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 443ml can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), OR 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• Peel and cut the potatoes in half, then place them in a pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium and let boil for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the hot water from the potatoes, mash them until smooth, and set aside.
• In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add the onion, canned tomatoes, cashews, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and salt. Cover the pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer the onion and tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the creamy mixture back into the pot and add the coconut milk, reserving ~1/4 cup back to serve and crush the methi in your fingers and add to the pot. Mix together and cover the pot and set aside until the kofta are ready.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the tofu by blending it in a small food processor until smooth.
• Add the mashed potatoes to the mashed tofu along with the corn starch, minced cilantro, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt. Mix together and test the consistency by forming some into a ball. Mix in the frozen peas. Shape the kofta mixture into heaping 1 tablespoon portions and roll into balls or into a torpedo shape.

To fry the kofta:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Test the oil with a small piece of the kofta mixture: the oil should bubble/boil vigorously around it and the kofta should float to the surface fairly quickly after being dropped in.
• When the oil is heated fry the shaped kofta in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, until the kofta is a beautiful dark golden brown color, flipping halfway through for even cooking.
• When the kofta are cooked, transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a wire spider strainer.
• Repeat with remaining batched of kofta until all are cooked.
• When ready to serve, pour the sauce overtop the kofta.
• Pour the reserved coconut milk over top the kofta.
• Garnish with cilantro if desired.
• Enjoy with Indian flatbread and/or basmati rice.

*All recipes loosely adapted from Indian Healthy Recipes

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