Vegetarian recipes, main courses


Stuffed  courgettes, South Indian style

Delicious, colourful and very easy to prepare

Serves 6

  • 3 large courgettes

  • 100 g grated coconut

  • 2 tablespoons chick pea flour

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 pinch ground cumin

  • 1 pinch turmeric

  • 1 pinch of salt

  • 1 or 2 small chilli peppers, finely chopped (optional, omit for Pitta)

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil

  • 1 cup organic yoghurt

Split the courgette and spoon out the soft flesh. Put aside.
Mix all the other ingredients with the flesh spooned out of the courgettes and stuff the courgettes. Steam the courgettes for 20 minutes. Serve with rice.

Bean Bourguignon

  • 300 g red kidney beans (dried)
  • 2 large onions, chopped finely
  • 300 g mushroom, washed and chopped finely
  • 2 tablespoon ghee or sunflower oil
  • 1/2 bottle red wine (no plonk please...)
  • 2 carrots, diced (optional)
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped very finely (optional)
  • Salt, pepper and thyme to taste

Serves 6

Soak the beans overnight, changing the water at least once.
Heat the ghee or oil in a large heavy bottom pot, fry the onions on medium heat until golden brown. Add the chopped mushrooms, the garlic, the carrot and the  spices. Keep cooking, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are soft. Add the wine, the beans and enough water to cover the beans. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 90 minutes are until the beans are soft. 

Baked tofu

Tofu (Soy bean curd) is rather bland, but easily takes the flacvour of the sauce it is cooked with.

Serves 6 - 8

  • 2 lb Tofu, cubed

  • 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped

  • 150 ml tamari (soy sauce)

  • 50 ml mapple syrup or a tablespoon of raw cane sugar

  • 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or the juice of 2 lemons

  • 1 small pinch chilli powder (optional, omit for Pitta)

  • a handfull of sesame seeds

  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Prepare the marinade by mixing the ginger, the tamari, the mapple syrup, the balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) and the chili powder with 150 ml hot water. Place the cubed tofu into a bowl and pour the marinade over it. Leave for an hour or two, turning one or twice.
Oil a large flat oven dish. Drain the marinade and keep it aside. Preheat the over to 200
Put the sesame seeds in a flat dish and coat the marinated tofu pieces with them, then place them in the oiled oven dish.  Bake for 45 mn, turning over once. Serve with rice, stir fry and the marinade as a sauce.

Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower curry)

A classic Indian dish.

Serves 6 - 8

  • 2 lb potatoes, diced

  • 1 large cauliflower, broken into small flowerettes the same size as the potato pieces

  • 1 onion

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

  • 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped

  • 1 pinch ground coriander

  • 1 small pinch chilli powder (optional, omit for Pitta)

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil

Heat up the ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping, add the onion and the ginger and stir fry for a minute on medium heat. Add the potatoes stir fry for five minutes, then add the cauliflower, 1 glass of water and the remaining spices and stir. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally. until the potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes). Serve with rice or chapatis.

Potato Curry /Aalu palya

  •  6 tsp Vegetable Oil

  • Black mustard seeds, just a few

  • 6 Onions, chopped finely

  • 7-8 chillies, chopped small

  • 1 cup of yellow split peas

  • 1 cup of urid dahl

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder

  • 1/3 teaspoon garam masala

  • 2 kg potatoes, cubed and pre-cooked

  • 6 tomatoes

  • 1½  teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon of sugar

 Heat up the oil and throw in a few mustard seeds.
Once they pop, this means the oil temperature is correct and you can add the yellow split peas and urid dahl, and fry till they are slightly brown.
Add the onions and chillies once the peas/lentils are coloured but not brown.
Add the turmeric. Fry for a while.
Add the tomatoes, garam masala and red chilli powder.
Add the potatoes and salt.
Add water depending on the consistency.
Add the sugar and fresh coriander.

Eat! You could add pine nuts in just before serving, or fresh monkey nuts (peanuts) at the same time as the dahl and peas.

Thanks fo Yogacharya Venkatesh, from Mysore, for the three previous recipes.

Kichari (Kicheri)

A very easily digested mix of rice and dhal recommended by ayurveda for all digestive complains. It is a complete meal in itself. There are many recipes for Kichari, this one was given to me by Sri O.P. Tewari, of the Kaivalaydham yoga centre.

Serves 4

  • 1 cup rice (washed 7 times in cold water)

  • 1 cup mung dhal (washed)

  • 2 carrots, washed and diced

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped

  • 1 very small pinch of asafoetida (if you don't like the very strong smell, and taste of asafoetida, or can't find it in an Indian store nearby, you can use garlic instead)

  • 1 pinch ground coriander

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil

Heat up the ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the cumin and ginger. Fry for a minute on medium heat. Add the rice and mung dhal, stir for a few seconds then add 4 cups boiling water and the remaining spices. Cook until all water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Kerala Vegetable stew

  • 2 large cups of chopped vegetables (carrots, beans, potatoes, zucchinis, marrows, onions, peas, but no vegetable with a strong colour as this would ruin the appearance of the dish)
  • 2 cups of coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil
  • 1 pod black cardamom
  • 3 pods green cardamom
  • a few peppercorns
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves, slightly crushed
  • 1 large piece of ginger cut into thin stripes

Parboil the vegetables and retain the stock.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add all spices, including the bay leaves and stir fry for a minute or so. Then add the ginger and continue frying for a few more minutes. Add the vegetables and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add two cups vegetable stock and one cup coconut milk and cook on high flame for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are done.
Pour into a serving bowl and add a cup of  undiluted coconut milk. Serve hot with doshas, rice or bread.

Thanks to Tina, of Mysore, for the recipe!

Sri Lankan beetroot and carrot curry

Serves 4

  • 1 pound carrot
  • 1 pound beetroot
  • 1 tsp whole coriander seed
  • 1 cm off a cinnamon quill
  • 1/2 tsp Sechuan red pepper (optional)
  • a pinch of chili powder
  • a pinch of curry leaves (if you can get them)
  • sunflower oil

Roughly grind all the spices together in a spice grinder or a mortar.
Dice the carrot and the beetroot.
Heat the sunflower in a heavy bottom pan and add the spices. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the carrot and beetroot together. Stir for 2 minutes, then add a cup of water and the curry leaves, cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with red rice.

Thai style potato curry

  • 2 pounds potatoes
  • 1 tin  coconut milk
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • amchoor (dry mango powder) or if not available, the juice of 2 limes or lemons
  • 1 or 2 fresh green chillies, chopped  or a pinch of chilli powder (optional)
  • one piece of fresh ginger root
  • one onion
  • Fresh lemongrass (if available)

Serves 6

Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into dices.
Chop the onion finely and fry in sunflower oil on medium heat until golden brown. Add the grated ginger, the lemon grass, chopped finely and the chopped chillies and fry for another minutes, stirring constantly, then add the potatoes, the coconut milk, the amchoor or lime juice, the tin of tomatoes and if needed water to cover. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and leave to stew for 35 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve with freshly cooked rice.

Thai style butter beans curry

In the recipe above, the potatoes can be replaced with 1 lb butter beans, soaked overnight then cooked for one hour in water.

Green Lentils with Spinach and Ginger

Bring to a boil in a pan of water with 8 oz green lentils (Puy lentils preferably), picked over, washed and drained. Cook for 40 minutes, then strain
In a large wok or pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil, put in 2 tablespoons of grated ginger and 2 or more squashed cloves of garlic and (if you like it hot) one or two chopped small green chillies.
Stir fry for a few seconds, then add one pound of fresh or frozen leaf spinach. Stir and cook until spinach is wilted.
Add lentils and 2 tablespoons of salt and cook gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Add black pepper, lemon or lime juice to taste, and serve immediately on a bed of brown rice.

Aubergine Stir Fry, Japanese style

  • 2 aubergines (egg plants), peeled, cut in four and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Tamari (that the best, and most expensive type of soy sauce)
  • 1/2 cup hijiki ( a special Japanese seaweed, which tastes like fish and looks like worms. It has to be soaked for half an hour in a cup of warm water. Don't throw the water away)
  • 2 chopped spring onions
  • 1 or 2 fresh green chillies, chopped (optional)
  • one piece of fresh ginger root or three cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Heat the sunflower oil in the wok, and then throw in, in this order the chopped spring onions, the grated ginger, the aubergines. Stir for a few minutes, until the aubergines start to soften, then add the hijiki with its soaking water (there a delicious variations with dried shitake mushrooms, used in the same way) and the tamari.
Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionnaly, until the aubergines are tender. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving if you wish. Serve with rice.

More recipes:

Soups    Salads and starters    Grains    Breads    Ghee  Deserts   Bread   Herbal teas  Porridge

Back to the Clare Island retreat centre's site