Vegetable side dishes

Credit: Janette Watson

 

 

Because vegetarians and vegans don’t have ‘meat and two veg’, there is a large crossover between what is intended for a main course and what is intended for a side dish. The addition of beans turns an insubstantial stew of tomatoes and peppers into a filling, meal when eaten with bread or pasta. A lot of the following recipes will be cross-referenced to main courses, but they are essentially meals that don’t incorporate a filling element like seitan, beans or nuts. The addition of any of these, generally transforms them into a solid main course. Equally, if you are hot and tired you may well not fancy a plate of ‘rib-sticking tack’, in which case on of the following recipes might be just what you need, accompanied by some fresh bread or a little pasta, perfectly cooked brown basmati rice or two or three small potatoes might just be enough to turn them into a light meal. And of course, serving any of them with quinoa will ensure your protein requirements, should you be concerned about this issu

Courgette curry

I find it hard to get excited about courgettes. Baby ones, fried in good olive oil and garlic are delicious, but that’s largely because of the olive oil and the garlic. They sop up the flavours well.    They are also good in ratatouille, especially with cannellini beans, for the same reason and indeed, can be used in all sorts of soups and stews; however when there’s a glut of them, it isn’t usually the time of year that you want to eat soup and stew.  Now I realise, that to many people, curry is not only similar to a stew, but because of the chilli and warming spices, might seem even less appealing in hot weather, but I adore curry and can eat it any time and in any weather. so to me it is a perfect way of using a bounty of courgettes.  I already have a recipe for courgette with chana dal, however this recipe is is quite different and more of a side dish than a main one, althoughI have some suggestions for using it as a main course.  This is a pretty straightforward recipe and I think most people would be happy to tackle it, but because it uses non-standard ingredients, I'll call it a Curry for Cooks.

This recipe is based on one of Swasthi's recipes and I think it’s a great way to cook courgettes.    The coconut milk makes it rich and substantial and all it needs is some rice to go with it, but of course a pan of dal would turn it into a generous meal. Alternatively, you can serve it with quinoa, whose protein will turn this into a fully-nutritious meal. I confess to finding quinoa worthy, but dull, particularly compared to brown basmati rice. However, if you're concerned about your protein intake, it's a good choice.

Even though this is made with Kashmiri chilli powder, rather than chilli flakes or cayenne, it packs quite a zing. If you don’t like too much heat in your curry, reduce the amount of chilli powder.

Courgette curry