I have to be honest. I did not stumble upon Indian Vegetarian cuisine all by myself. First, I was introduced to it by my Hare Krishna friend Navin. Then, also thanks to my friend, I started eating at the fantastic Govinda's Indian Vegetarian restaurant in Culver City, California, just west of Los Angeles. From there, I determined that this was a route to eating healthier at least some of the time, as each ingredient serves a positive purpose for the body (another hub in and of itself). I was then introduced to the Indian Vegetarian equivalent of the Joy of Cooking... the apparent 'bible' of Indian Vegetarian cooking, Lord Krishna's Kitchen: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking as well as Kurma, a famous vegetarian chef with an Indian slant. A few notes on the following recipe:

• It can take several forms
• The order of things is incredibly important
• It will take a few iterations to get at something right for you
• But it is easier to do than it sounds and than others make it out to be

Indian Vegetarian Curry

For an introduction to some of the ingredients used here, see my first hub on Indian Vegetarian cooking.

Step One: In a large sauce pan, heat about three tablespoons of Ghee until hot, but not smoking. Next add one teaspoon of Brown Mustard Seeds and fry them until they turn gray and begin to pop. None of the standard recipes say this, but at this stage I have found it useful to bring the heat down at bit (from medium to medium low perhaps on a gas stove) and add up to a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger root after adding a dash of hing, aka asafoetida powder. Add the ginger root one bit at a time and after you sense a wonderful aroma coming from this mixture, add two diced tomatoes and stir constantly until they break down. If you wish you can add a teaspoon of cumin seeds here before the tomatoes and fry until they darken a shade or two. Adds a nice extra flavor and helps with digestion.

Step Two: Here is where the variations can come in. If you are going to end this curry with a cream/milk-based gravy, simply add your vegetables to the tomatoe mixture at this point. If you prefer a more or less dry curry, you can add a teaspoon or two of garam masala now and with the tomato mix it will form a sort of paste that you can add your veggies to.

As for the veggies... you can be creative, but a standard combo is one cup each of cauliflower (or broccoli), carrots, and potatoes.

Step Three: After adding the vegetables, cover them with a teaspoon each of turmeric and coriander powder. While the ginger root I suggest provides the zing, at this point I usually add either one teaspoon of black pepper or 1/8-1/4 of a teaspoon of chili powder. It's all about how much spice you like, but note that this style of Indian cooking is meant to be flavorful, not spicy.

Now add just a small amount of water, enough to cook the vegetables and after stirring well, cover and allow to simmer until the vegetables are cooked.

Step Four: For a dry curry, simply add a cup of frozen peas, mix, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. For a curry with a sauce, there are many variations, my most successful is using 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sour cream OR yogurt OR coconut milk. They each give a different taste. The sour cream handles the heat well so you can let it go a bit more. The yogurt is a bit more sensitive. And the coconut milk is more fattening. Do not use low-fat coconut milk, as it is not creamy enough. Add the peas and cilantro and serve with some Naan!

Indian Vegetarian Curry is incredibly versatile.  You can use a wide variety of vegetables and gravys.  Experiment with it.  It's easy to become an 'expert!'