As someone with a family or even in the quest to eat wholesome, home-cooked meals on an everyday basis, it can be quite difficult to keep up with the struggles of meal planning or thinking of something innovative, for dinner. If you’re someone who follows meatless Mondays with a vengeance, or just enjoy skipping meat once in a while, this comforting vegan tempeh curry, dominated with flavours from coconut and lime, is a hearty meal.
While this recipe for the curry works just fine as it is, you could obviously make your own variations of the dish by adding veggies like broccoli, carrots, French beans or sugar snaps, for that extra dose of nutrition. The curry is a great mix of creamy, chewy and crunchy textures and is great, when paired with a bowl of rice and some salad on the side, if you wish to. Find a recipe that makes two servings, below.
Recipe:
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients
- 250 grams tempeh, steamed
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 Gondhoraj/Kaffir lime leaves
- 1.5 inch piece ginger, minced
- 4 tiny bird’s eye chillies
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
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Method
- Heat some oil in a kadhai and add the minced ginger and garlic. Cook until it turns aromatic. Pierce the bird’s eye chillies with a fork and add them to the aromatic mixture.
- Allow the chillies to infuse the oil with flavour for a minute or so, before throwing in the sliced onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to turn translucent. Meanwhile, cube the steamed tempeh into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Add the turmeric powder to the onions and mix well. Pour in the coconut milk and season with a bit of salt. Add the cubed tempeh and bring everything to a simmer.
- Crush the lime leaves between your fingers and twist them slightly, so that the fragrant oils infuse the coconut milk with a citric aroma and flavour. Cover and cook for 4 minutes and check for seasoning. Adjust, if necessary.
- Once you turn the heat off, add lots of crushed black pepper and mix it into the curry. Serve warm over some rice, with a salad on the side for a substantial meal.
Note: You could swap the tempeh for tofu if you want to make a vegan curry and with paneer, if you’re looking to make a vegetarian version of this dish. Both substitutes work equally well and can be paired with steamed rice or pulao.