Today’s Sunday dinner recipes are designed for those who want an Indian-style meal without meat.
One dish was inspired by a past recipe I did for chicken tikka masala, which over the years has become so popular in Britain that some now considered it a national dish.
Lore suggests its rise in popularity started humbly a few decades ago when a customer in a Glaswegian curry house asked for gravy with his Indian-style chicken. The chef accommodated him by serving the chicken with a quickly prepared spicy tomato sauce, and chicken tikka masala was born.
Turns out that sauce also tastes great with vegetables, and in today’s recipe for vegetable tikka masala, I simmered in six different types. The sauce surrounding the vegetables is a tomatoey, coconut milk mixture infused with a range of spices, including cardamom, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon and turmeric.
Aromatic basmati rice is the perfect side dish for vegetable tikka masala. Rather than serve it plain, I decided to complement the rice’s taste with lime zest and juice, almonds, raisins and coconut flakes.
To round out the meal, you could serve the vegetable tikka masala and rice with chutney, lime pickle, yogurt and warm naan. Naan, an Indian-style flatbread, is sold at many supermarkets.
Vegetable Tikka Masala
This Indian-style vegetable dish sees vegetables simmered in a tomato/coconut sauce flavoured with eight spices. Serve it with the rice recipe below.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 30 minutes
Makes: Four servings
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
2 tsp garam masala (see Note)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (see Note)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and cut on the bias into 1/2-inch slices
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp peeled, chopped fresh ginger
1 (400 mL) can coconut milk
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch
18 small (about 1 1/2- inch wide) cauliflower florets
10 baby red-skinned potatoes, quartered
3/4 cup frozen green peas
• salt to taste
• coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or mint, or sliced green onion, to taste
Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl. Set this spice mixture aside for now.
Place the oil in a medium- to large-sized pot (mine was eight-inches wide) set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about five minutes. Mix in the spice mixture and cook one minute more.
Add the coconut milk, tomato sauce and vegetable stock/cornstarch mixture and stir well. Add cauliflower and potatoes (mixture will look thick, but will thin a bit as the vegetables cook).
Bring the vegetable tikka masala to a simmer, and then lower the heat to maintain that simmer (small bubbles should just break on the surface). Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the frozen peas and simmer a few minutes more, until the peas are heated through. Taste and season the tikka masala with salt, as needed. Sprinkle servings of the tikka masala with coarsely chopped cilantro, mint or sliced green onion.
Note: Garam masala is an Indian-style spice blend sold at some supermarkets and specialty food stores, Indian food stores and Asian markets.
A 1/4 tsp of cayenne will make the tikka masala mildly spicy. 1/2 tsp of it will make the dish a medium spice level.
Eric’s options: To make a less complex tasting, but still delicious curried vegetable dish, replace the eight spices called for in this recipe with 2 Tbsp mild or medium curry powder.
Basmati Rice with Coconut, Raisins and Almonds
The aromatic, long grain, basmati rice used in this recipe is sold in most supermarkets.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Makes: Four servings
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 cup basmati white rice
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/3 cup whole, skin-on almonds
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup medium or large, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or mint, or sliced green onion
Place the oil in a small- to medium-sized pot (mine was six-inches wide) set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about two minutes. Mix in the rice and cook and stir one minute more.
Add the remaining ingredients, except cilantro, mint or green onion, and bring to a boil. Cover the rice, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Fluff the rice with a fork and then mix in the cilantro, mint or green onion. Transfer to a serving bowl. Look at the bottom of the pot, if any coconut has stuck to the bottom, scrape it out and add it to the rice. It will be toasted and tasty.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
