The Vu Lan season is approaching, and this is also an opportunity for you to showcase your skills in making delicious and nutritious vegetarian dishes for the whole family to enjoy. With easily accessible ingredients and simple cooking methods, you will successfully create this enticing dish. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN and learn 3 vegetarian curry dishes right away!
1. Vegetarian Curry
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
35 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Vegetarian Curry For 2 people
Sweet potatoes 2 tubers Carrots 1 tuber Potatoes 1 tuber Lemongrass 3 stalks Dried shiitake mushrooms 100 gr Straw mushrooms 100 gr Fried tofu 200 gr Garlic 1 bulb Red onions 1 bulb Fresh plant-based milk 200 ml (soy milk/ peanut milk/ walnut milk) Coconut cream 100 ml Fresh coconut water 1.5 liters Curry powder 1 tablespoon Annatto oil 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Vegetarian seasoning a little Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh straw mushrooms
- You should choose mushrooms that are whole, with a distinctive fragrant smell.
- Fresh straw mushrooms will have a round shape and still have buds, with a large cap and short stem. Straw mushrooms that are black usually have a stronger taste and aroma than the white ones.
- Avoid choosing mushrooms that have opened caps, are bruised, or have an unusual odor.
How to choose quality dried shiitake mushrooms
- You should choose mushrooms that are intact, not broken, and have a light brown color.
- Additionally, you need to pay attention to the smell of the mushrooms; if you detect an unpleasant odor and see white mold spots on the surface, do not buy them.
- It is best to choose dried shiitake mushrooms that are packaged with clear labels and have an expiration date to ensure health safety.
-800x450-10-1.jpg "3 ways to cook vegetarian curry for the upcoming Vu Lan season to add meaning and flavor 3")
How to prepare Vegetarian Curry
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Prepare the ingredients
First, peel 1 shallot, 1 garlic clove, wash them clean, and chop finely.
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 20 minutes until they swell, then cut off the stems, wash with straw mushrooms, and let them drain.
Next, peel the tough outer layers of 3 stalks of lemongrass, wash them well, chop 1 stalk finely, and crush the other 2 stalks.
Then, peel the carrot, potato, and sweet potato, wash them clean, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Heat a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it up, then add the carrot, potato, and sweet potato to fry on medium heat for about 5 – 7 minutes until both sides are golden and firm.
Next, mix the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of vegetarian seasoning, and a little ground pepper. Marinate for 15 minutes to let the ingredients absorb the seasoning.
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Cooking curry
Put a pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of annatto oil, minced onion, garlic, and lemongrass, then sauté until fragrant. Next, add the marinated vegetables and stir-fry for about 3 – 5 minutes.
Then, add 1.5 liters of fresh coconut water, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 200ml of fresh milk, 100ml of coconut milk, and 2 crushed lemongrass stalks, and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
Finally, add shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, and tofu, then season with vegetarian seasoning and salt to taste according to your family’s preferences.
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Final product
The vegetarian curry dish when completed is very fragrant with the creamy taste of coconut milk, fresh milk, and a bit of the sweetness of potatoes. You can enjoy this dish with vermicelli or rice, bread is also very delicious.
2. Vegetarian curry (recipe shared by a user)
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Vegetarian curry (recipe shared by a user) Serves 4
Carrot 1 piece Chayote 1 piece Sweet potato 1 piece Potato 2 pieces Straw mushrooms 70 gr Fried tofu 200 gr Lemongrass 4 stalks Chili 2 pieces Curry powder 1 packet (15gr) Coconut milk powder 50 gr (1 packet) Coconut cream 400 ml Nut milk 220 ml (soy milk/ walnut milk/ peanut milk) Green onions A little Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Vegetarian seasoning A little Common spices A little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh chayote
- You should choose young chayote because mature ones will have tough fibers and are very difficult to eat. To identify whether the chayote is young or mature, press it with your hand; if it’s easy to press, it’s young, otherwise, if it’s hard to press and feels a bit tough, it’s mature.
- Additionally, chayote will taste better when it has a shiny, bright skin, many spines, has a sting mark, and is not bruised.
- Furthermore, for convenience in preparation, you should choose those with fewer grooves on the body.
How to prepare Vegetarian Curry (recipe shared by users)
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Prepare vegetables
Peel the sweet potato, chayote, carrot, and potato, then wash them clean and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Next, cut off the ends of the straw mushrooms, soak them in salt water for 5 minutes, and rinse them under clean water. Remove the roots from the scallions, de-stem the chili peppers, wash them clean, and let them dry.
Peel off the outer old leaves of the lemongrass, wash it clean, then crush 2 stalks, and slice the remaining 2 stalks thinly to pound with the chili.
Then, rinse the tofu briefly with water, cut it horizontally into pieces about the thickness of a small finger.
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Marinate and Fry the Ingredients
Put the diced tofu, crushed lemongrass and chili mixture, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 packet of curry powder into a small bowl. Mix the ingredients well and let it sit for 15 minutes to allow the tofu to absorb the seasoning.
Place a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and heat it up. Then, lightly fry the prepared sweet potatoes, potatoes, chayote, and carrots over medium heat until both sides are golden, then turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables to a plate.
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Vegetarian Curry Cooking
Place a pot on the stove, add 400ml of coconut milk and bring it to a boil over high heat.
When the coconut milk is gently boiling, add in 2 crushed lemongrass stalks, the marinated tofu, 500ml of filtered water, the fried vegetables, and straw mushrooms, and continue to boil the mixture until it comes back to a boil.
Next, add 220ml of fresh milk, 1 packet of coconut milk powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of vegetarian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate into the pot. Stir well to combine the ingredients and taste the seasoning to adjust to your liking.
At this point, lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for an additional 15 – 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then turn off the stove.
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Finished Product
Serve the curry in a bowl, finely chop fresh onion and cilantro on top for decoration and enjoy with the family while it’s still hot!
The vegetarian curry has a bright yellow color and a light aroma, with a rich, sweet, and creamy broth complemented by the nutty flavor from the vegetables. This dish is even more delicious when served with fresh noodles or bread.
3. Vegetarian Curry (Recipe from the TikTok channel Bếp chay XANH)
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Vegetarian Curry (Recipe from the TikTok channel Bếp chay XANH) Serves 1 bowl
Carrot 1 piece Potato 1 piece Fried tofu 1 piece Shiitake mushrooms 4 pieces Curry powder 1 teaspoon Five-spice powder 1 teaspoon Seasoning a little (vegetarian fish sauce; brown sugar; vegetarian seasoning) Chili sauce 3 tablespoons Lemongrass 3 stalks Coconut milk 500 ml Onion 1/2 piece
Ingredients Images
How to Prepare Vegetarian Curry (Recipe from the TikTok channel Bếp chay XANH)
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Prepare Ingredients
You soak 4 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 20 minutes until they expand, then rinse them clean with water.
You peel the lemongrass, wash it clean, and crush it.
You peel and wash the carrots and potatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces; you can carve them into flowers if you want to make the dish more visually appealing.
You peel the onion and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
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Marinate Ingredients
You put 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar into a bowl, followed by 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of vegetarian fish sauce, and 3 tablespoons of chili sauce, stirring well until the mixture dissolves and blends together.
Next, you add the mixture to the vegetable ingredients and mix well to marinate for about 10 – 15 minutes.
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Make curry
Place a pan on the stove, add cooking oil and crushed lemongrass to sauté until fragrant. Next, add the vegetables to the pot, add 500 ml of coconut milk, 300 ml of water, and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Then season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt (you can add seasonings according to your family’s taste), add 1/2 onion, and cook for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat to finish.
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Finished product
The vegetarian curry is served with bread and a bowl of salt mixed with chili and lime is wonderful. The fragrant curry smells great, has a light creaminess, and sweetness from the vegetables, which is perfect for rainy days. Make this dish for the family right away!
How to choose delicious, quality fried tofu
- For fried tofu, you should choose pieces that are bright yellow, soft and smooth when pressed, with a light, characteristic scent of soybeans.
- Do not buy pieces of tofu that feel hard when pressed lightly and have a sour, foul smell as these are often old tofu that has been stored for too long.
- Avoid choosing fried tofu that has a dark yellow color as they may have been fried in dirty, old oil.
- To ensure hygiene and convenience, you can also make tofu at home according to the recipe from TasteVN.
See details:
How to choose fresh and delicious sweet potatoes
- Choose sweet potatoes that are heavy, firm, and not bruised. Also, buy those that are intact, without cracks or chips.
- Choose medium-sized sweet potatoes, as larger ones often have more fibers and do not taste good.
- If you see any sweet potatoes that are pitted or have black spots, that is a sign that the sweet potatoes have spoiled.
How to choose fresh and delicious carrots
- Choose those roots that have bright colors, dark orange, smooth skin, are still firm, and are not too large.
- The smaller the core in the middle of the carrot, the sweeter the root will be.
- Avoid choosing roots with leaves or stems at the base, and those with a thick, large shoulder, as these are usually roots with large cores, not sweet, and low in nutrients.
- Do not buy carrots that are bruised, misshapen, or have wilted, rotten leaves.
How to choose fresh and delicious potatoes
- Choose potatoes that feel heavy, firm in hand, and have a smooth, intact skin.
- Additionally, prioritize choosing potatoes with yellow skin, as they will be sweeter and tastier than those that are slightly white.
- Do not choose potatoes with black eyes, infested by pests, or with wrinkled skin, soft to the touch, or leaking water.
- Absolutely do not choose those with green skins or that have sprouted, as they are very dangerous to health.
How to choose fresh milk for vegetarian dishes
- Since this is a vegetarian dish, we will not use any animal milk such as regular cow’s milk.
- Instead, you can use nut milks such as: peanut milk, soy milk, walnut milk,… with a natural aroma while still ensuring creaminess for an appealing dish.
- Additionally, you can also make these nut milks at home following the recipes shared by TasteVN.
See details:
Where to buy the ingredients?
You can buy fresh milk, curry powder, coconut milk powder at traditional markets, supermarkets, or at stores in the TasteVN system. For more convenience, you can also order these products online at the website bachhoaxanh.com.
See more:
Vegetarian curry is a delicious and nutritious dish that is very suitable for making during the upcoming Vu Lan holiday. Let’s get started and treat your family! Wishing you success with this dish!
*Refer to many delicious vegetarian recipes from the Tiktok channel Green Vegetarian Kitchen!
