Veggie recipes with a bit of spice

Vegetarian food often gets accused of being boring and bland. However this accusation usually comes from meat eaters like Brad and Dan, stars of the Fosters good call ads, who aren’t very adventurous cooks and find the only way to get flavour on a plate is by putting a big piece of meat on it!

The thing that happens with most vegetarian diets – just as with meat eaters – is that people get stuck in a meal producing rut. They have a set of recipes that they produce on a regular basis and things can suddenly feel a bit same-y. If you feel you’ve reached a bit of creative impasse in the kitchen, then now’s the time to shake things up a bit.

If you’ve not tried Indian cooking yet, then you’ll find an absolute wealth of veggie recipes – many Indian people don’t eat any meat at all.

Pretty much all of the main curries that you’ll have seen down at the takeaway can be made with vegetables like sweet potato, potato and courgette and marrow replacing the meat element. Rogan Josh, Korma, Vindaloo and Buhna to name but a few.

When you begin to cook curries at home, you might need to start with a shopping trip to stock up on a few spices. Ones that you’ll use time and again include cumin, coriander, mustard seeds and cayenne. You’ll also need plenty of supplies of fresh ginger and garlic. Herbs like fresh coriander and fennel are also often called for.

As you get used to the recipes, you’ll find that it’s quite easy to adjust the level of piquancy in a dish the next time you make it.

As for drinks to go with Indian cooking, ice cold bottles of premium beer can go really well, as can crisp dry white wines. And if you want something really authentic, look up how to make a classic yoghurt-based lassi.