Category Archive

It’s no secret that I adore Indian food.  When I sojourned in India to practice with Gurji in Mysore, a friend of mine claimed that the true motive behind my trip was to eat Indian food for three straight months. Unfortunately, eating at Indian restaurants, whether they be on the beloved sub-continent or stateside, tends to leave me feeling disgustingly full, which invariably leads to self-loathing and swearing off Indian food.  Although many Indian dishes are vegetarian, they are often prepared with lots of ghee (clarified butter), heavy cream, and starchy thickening powders.  The all-you-can eat buffet lunches typical of American Indian restaurants only exacerbate the problem.  As I found out in Mysore, repeated exposure to Indian food has the undesirable effect of complicating certain poses … Marichyasana D, for example.

A veganizable version of vegetable korma in a recent Vegetarian Times issue caught my eye.  But I found VT’s recipe to be rather bland, so I modified it substantially, adding tofu and amping up the spice factor (among other alterations).  The most rewarding part of this experience was discovering that I can enjoy healthy Indian-inspired fare, minus the post-dinner sensation of a lead bowling ball residing in my stomach.  This makes for much happier yoga practices.

This recipe will yield about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) — see notes below
• about 4 oz. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
• about 3 cups mixed chopped vegetables (I used cauliflower, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots, but use whatever you like or have on hand — green beans, zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant would also work beautifully)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 very large tomatoes, or 3-4 smaller ones
• 1 small white or yellow onion.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a thumb sized chunk of ginger root, peeled
• 3 T raisins
• 1 T coconut oil (or some other cooking oil)
• 2 T sucanat, evaporated palm nectar, or brown sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• Indian spices: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp clove powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder  (see notes below)
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• rice for serving (I used brown jasmine, but basmati is more traditionally Indian)
• optional garnish: fresh cilantro and cashews

To make:

1. Prepare rice according to directions.
2. Puree in a blender the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger.
3. In a medium-large stir-fry or sauce pan, heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat.  Add the Indian spices and stir for about a minute, until they release their fragrances.
4. Add the tomato puree, chopped jalapeno pepper, and sucanat;  let the mixture reach a simmer, stirring.  Add salt, if desired.
5. Stir in the vegetables, chickpeas, and tofu, and raisins and stir thoroughly.  Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer about ten minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.  Stir occasionally.
6. Serve over rice, garnished with cashews and fresh chopped cilantro (or coriander leaves, as they say in India).

Notes:

• About the chickpeas . . . I’ve been trying to avoid canned foods whenever possible.  I draw the line of possibility right before breaking open coconuts to extract coconut milk, so I did use canned coconut milk for in this recipe.  My landlord in India showed me how to break coconuts open in the driveway, but I’m still a little intimidated by his technique.  Maybe someday.  However, while it’s undeniably convenient to reach for a can of chickpeas, it’s also not so hard to cook them yourself, and you’ll avoid the extra sodium and preservatives in the can.  Here’s how:  Cover dried (preferably organic) chickpeas over night, in water that rises about 3 inches above the beans.  When ready to cook, rinse the beans and remove any of the soft shells that may have floated to the top of the water.  Then put the soaked beans in a stockpot and cover with water again.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least an hour or until beans are tender and soft.  I used the leftover beans to make a batch of hummus – always a good staple to have on hand.  If you do use canned chickpeas, just makes sure to give them a solid rinse before adding them to the korma.

• About the spices . . . If your spice rack is a little sparse, don’t be intimidated by this long list of spices.  You can substitute more of one spice for something you don’t have, or you can just use curry powder and cinnamon.