A Hearty Fusion of Aromatic Spices and Nutritious Ingredients in a Vegan Indian Curry

This nourishing and creamy curry has a base of coconut milk and a delightful combination of mild Indian spices to warm your day. The high-protein soya beans are paired with crunchy cauliflower florets that are naturally high in fibre and B vitamins. This dish will not only leave you feeling satisfied, it will provide your body with many healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants.

In my opinion, there’s nothing more warming and comforting than a hearty curry. Ever since I started cooking for myself as a teen and young adult, curry has been a staple meal. In my carnivorous days I would usually cook with chicken. I’d buy premade sauces of korma, jalfrezi or madras from the supermarket then simply add onion and meat, for a quick-to-prepare meal. These days, I cook fully plant-based curries from scratch with a fresh and colourful variety of vegetables, legumes and spices. The extra effort is worth every second in terms of taste as well as nutritional bonus. 

Curry is one of the easier meals to veganize as the focus of the traditional dishes is not on the meat but the combination of spices and flavours. The only excuse to miss your meaty madras is through pure habit. The possibilities are endless with so many wonderful vegetables, beans and legumes to choose and combine. You can easily find plant-based foods to sub those meaty textures you might be craving. 

Creative Twists: Exploring Variations for a Meaty Texture

Try adding these to your curry to add a meaty texture and volume:

• Mushrooms
• Any kind of beans (e.g. soya, black, kidney, white, pinto)
• Beluga or green lentils
• Jackfruit
• Aubergine
• Potatoes

For best results, the highest nutritional value and more tasty ingredients, use fresh, organic produce if you can. It is especially important to use organic soya beans because of potential health risks surrounding genetically modified (GM) soybeans. Concerns include potential allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance, increased pesticide residues, changes in nutritional content, environmental impacts indirectly affecting human health, and socio-economic issues related to seed sovereignty and farmer dependence. Although these concerns have not been conclusively proven, I recommend erring on the side of caution and simply avoiding using GM whenever possible.

The Nutritional Advantages of Plant-based Curry

A great advantage of cooking with Indian flavours is the health benefits of consuming spices such as turmeric. The active compound curcumin offers anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can aid in many common health conditions such as arthritis, stomach ailments, and skin health. Its antioxidant effects may also contribute to improved brain function, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and assistance in treating symptoms of depression and Alzheimer’s disease. I always make sure to combine turmeric with black pepper (containing piperine), which increases the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2,000%, increasing its effectiveness within the body.

The Recipe

Without further ado, let’s get stuck into the recipe:

Cauliflower and Soya Bean Indian Curry

This delightful curry blends the rich creaminess of coconut milk with a symphony of aromatic Indian spices, creating a comforting and flavorful meal. Packed with plant-based protein and fibre, this dish is a nutrient powerhouse offering both satisfaction and a wealth of health benefits.

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Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 day d 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 Pressure cooker
• 1 Large saucepan or pot

Ingredients

  

• 1 whole cauliflower rinsed and cut into small florets
• 100 g dried organic soya beans cooked
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 handful of curry leaves
• 1 inch fresh ginger peeled then grated
• 1 whole white onion chopped
• 1 fresh red chili pepper chopped (save ¼ of the chili for serving)
• 2 tbsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp dried coriander powder
• 1 tbsp hot chili powder optional, add if you want more heat
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 3 red tomatoes chopped
• 500 ml unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 bunch fresh coriander chopped

Pressure cooked beans

• 100 g dried organic soya beans soaked overnight in water
• 1 l water for soaking the beans
• 3 cloves of garlic peeled then chopped roughly into 3rds
• 1 small white onion chopped roughly
• 1 leaf laurel
• 1.5 l water for every cup of beans use at least double the water

Instructions

 

Instructions for cooking the beans

• Soak the beans overnight in a generous amount of water.
• Discard the soaking water and any shrivelled or discoloured beans.
• Rinse the beans very well and remove any hulls that come loose during rinsing.
• Add beans, garlic, onion, laurel leaf and fresh water to a pressure cooker and seal the lid.
• Heat up on high heat until pressurised, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurise naturally.

Preparing the curry

• Heat the oil up in a big saucepan on a high heat.
• Add the curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds to the hot oil, and fry for a couple of minutes. The oil should be hot enough so the mustard seeds start popping.
• Turn the heat down to medium, then add the chopped onion and chili peppers. Fry for a further 3 or 4 minutes until the onion is transparent.
• Mix in all the powdered spices, and add a splash of water to help combine everything together.
• Add the tomatoes, cauliflower florets and the coconut milk.
• Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Add the soya beans, cover with a lid (at a slight angle so the steam can still escape) and lightly simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes.
• Leave to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve on a bed of rice, topped with fresh coriander, red chili slices and salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Important safety warning! Soya beans create foam when cooking which can cause the loose hulls to move around your pressure cooker and potentially block the valve. For your safety, monitor the pot throughout cooking. If you see signs that the valve might be blocked (i.e. excess water escaping, or no steam coming out at all), remove the pot from the heat immediately. Cool the pot under the cold water tap to quickly depressurise. Declog, remove any loose hulls or excess foam, then bring back up to pressure again to continue cooking.