Vegan Curry

Although you can find the best Vegan Curry in India, it will be entirely accidental. There is no mainstream vegan tradition and today veganism is practically unknown outside of the main cultural centres. This is because dairy products have traditionally played a large part in the diet of the Indian poor, which makes up most of India's vegetarian community. Products made from cow's milk – ghee (clarified butter, used for cooking) and dahi (yoghurt), play a significant role in some Hindu religious ceremonies.
A few prominent Jain scholars are strongly supportive of veganism, saying that the production of dairy products involves significant violence (himsa) against cattle, but even the majority of Jains – usually seen by the rest of the population as agitprop-veggies – are lacto-vegetarians.

Although vegetable curry dishes may come with yoghurt as a side dish, most are cooked without the use of any animal product. Here is a very simple vegan curry you can prepare at home in minutes. How long it takes is governed by how long your ingredients take to cook. Once you add to the sauce, allow 15 minutes for potatoes and hard squash, 12 minutes for carrots and parsnip, 8 minutes for hard cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, 5 minutes for peas, less for spinach. All these times are approximate and depend on the varieties you use. Feel free to play around with the ingredients to suit your larder and taste.

Quick Vegan Curry with Vegetables and Love
Ingredients
500 gms (1 lb) of chopped vegetables (e.g. potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage and peas)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 cms (just under 1 inch) ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 chopped and skinned tomatoes (or half a medium-sized tin)
1-3 fresh green chillies, split with the seeds removed then roughly chopped (according to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Put a little oil in your pan over a low to medium heat and add the onions, sprinkle with a little salt (to draw out the juices and prevent burning), pop in the ginger and fry until the onions are soft and on the verge of turning golden. Add the garlic and chillies and stir, frying for another minute or so. Take the pan off the heat and drop in a small amount cold water and the ground spices.

Stir and return to the heat. Make sure the spices don't burn. When the oil starts to bubble through the spice mixture, they are ready for the tomatoes.

Give them the tomatoes and a little more water (say a half a pint), stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the liquid shows signs of forming a sauce. Start adding your vegetables in the order they will take to cook (longest first), tasting all the time. Add water as necessary to keep from burning. Taste frequently and add seasoning as required.

Serve with brown basmati rice and love.

Enjoy your vegan curry.