Kosha mangsho – a Bengali curry with a rich, flavorful sauce – is a popular Eastern Indian Onion Cardamom Chili Sauce. I paired with tofu as meat substitute. It is super delicious with rice, naan, or luchi!

Kosha mangsho is a speciality meat curry from Bengali cuisine. Bengal is a state in the eastern part of India and it has its own cuisine and the cuisine has its set of special dishes. There is the kosha mangsho, which is a curry as well as dishes like puchka, which is sort of like pani puri. Bengali desserts include dishes like rasgulla and sandesh mishti.

There is a lot of seafood in Bengali cuisine, and the vegetable curries in this region are made differently. You can find some delicious Bengali curries already on the blog, like chapor ghonto(lentil stew with dumplings)and charchari (veggie stir fry).

The kosha mangsho we are making today is a vegan version of a meaty, Bengali mutton curry. Kosha means slow roasting and mangsho means meat, so for the traditional dish, you’d slow roast the sauce for a while, then add the meat to it and slow roast that as well, so the meat browns and picks up all of the amazing flavors from the sauce.

For the vegan version, we are going to brown our onions really well, so that we can use up all of that color and flavor of caramelization. Tofu is our meat substitute, but you can use other meat substitutes, as well, such as vegan chicken, vegan beef, vegan goat (if you can find it), and use those instead. You can also use chickpea flour tofu or just add some white beans or chickpeas to the sauce.

So much of the flavor is in the sauce that you won’t miss the meat!

Like many of the other regional Indian dishes, this one also uses a lot of whole spices, so use whichever spices you have on hand. If you are missing a spice here and there, it’s not going to take away from the dish. There’s plenty of flavor overall in this recipe.

This curry is a part of my Eastern Indian menu for Diwali! This year I am sharing 4 regional menus for your Indian dinner party. Regional Indian food often gets overlooked in the midst of the popular options, so try these recipes celebrating the many cuisines within Indian cuisine! You can find these fabulous recipes and menus on my YouTube channel here. Happy Diwali!

Why You’ll Love Kosha Mangsho

• flavorful Bengali curry cooks up in a single pan
• deep, authentic flavor without the meat!
• naturally gluten-free and easily made nut-free and soy-free

Continue reading: Kosha Mangsho (Bengali Mutton Curry with Onion Cardamom Chili sauce)

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Jalapeño popper pinwheels have the creamy-crunchy texture and spicy flavor of jalapeño poppers in crispy, pinwheel form! Perfect for parties, game day, holiday dinner!

I love crispy pinwheels as appetizers for parties or any get-together. They’re such a satisfying, handheld snack that’s quick to pick up and not too messy. And you can add whatever fillings you like to pinwheels, like the veggie filling in my spinach pinwheels, spiced lentils in my kachori pinwheels, or spiced potatoes in my samosa pinwheels. 

And today, we are making jalapeño popper pinwheels, which have a mix of pickled and fresh jalapeños along with non-dairy cream cheese, rolled into puff pastry sheets and topped with crispy breadcrumb and cheese mixture. This amazing appetizer is basically jalapeño popper dip rolled up in a crispy puff pastry sheet!! It’s spicy, creamy, cheesy, crispy and just addictive. They need few ingredients, and are also easy to make ahead.

Delicious, crispy-creamy-spicy jalapeño poppers pinwheels are perfect for a crowd! Serve them at your next dinner party, Diwali dinner or holiday party when you have vegetarian and vegan guests. They’re delicious on their own or with a dip, like vegan ranch, celery ranch, or garlic dressing.

Why You’ll Love Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels

• hand-held roll-ups are perfect for parties and holiday gatherings. No individual plates needed!
• creamy jalapeño popper dip rolled up in crisp puff pastry
• easy and fun to make! Can be made ahead.
• soy-free and nut-free with easy gluten-free option

Continue reading: Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels (vegan)

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This 6-ingredient toasted coconut ladoo is ready in about 20 minutes. Sweet, fudgy coconut balls are a simple dessert perfect for Diwali or any other holiday celebration! This post was originally published on October 14,2016.

Just like dal, there are many variations of ladoos (sweet balls) depending on the region, family, festival, and preference. This toasted coconut ladoo is amazing with the cardamom as written, or you can add other flavors of choice, like vanilla, rose water, saffron or lemon zest, cocoa, peppermint for festive flavor.

Diwali — the big Hindu festival of lights– is just around the corner! Make these easy ladoos as part of your Diwali feast. If you want more Indian sweets to include, also make some besan burfi (chickpea flour fudge bars), kaju katli (cashew fudge), mango ladoo, dairy-free gulab jamun (doughnut holes), besan halwa (chickpea flour spoon fudge) or carrot halwa this Diwali. 

Toasted coconut ladoo is incredibly simple to make. Simply toast shredded coconut until it’s nicely golden brown. Add coconut milk or coconut cream and cook for a minute, then stir in cardamom and sugar and continue to mix and cook until the liquid dries out. Cool, shape and serve!

You can use dried or fresh shredded coconut for these ladoos. Fresh shredded coconut can be found in Indian stores in the frozen section. The dried shredded coconut often is not fine enough, so pulse it a few times in a food processor to reduce the shred size so that the coconut can absorb the liquid and flavor better and make less chewy ladoos.

Why You’ll Love Toasted Coconut Ladoo

• easy Indian dessert perfect for festival season
• fudgy, cardamom-scented sweet keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it ahead
• 6-ingredient, 20 minute recipe
• naturally gluten-free and soy-free as long as your vegan butter is soy-free.

Continue reading: Toasted Coconut Ladoo(Cardamom Coconut balls)

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Chickpea tikka masala puffs!! Chickpeas and veggies in a super delicious 1-bowl, No cook tikka masala sauce, stuffed into crisp puff pastry pockets. These are perfect for holiday parties!

These are another quick appetizer that will be a hit at your next dinner party or Diwali party! They use this one-bowl, no-cook tikka masala sauce that you mix with chickpeas and vegetables then stuff into a puff pastry sheet. Bake, and you’ve got these crisp, savory, super delicious tikka masala puff pastries that are party perfect!

For extra creaminess, you can even add some vegan cheese or cream cheese to the pastries before folding and baking.

Tikka masala puffs are super simple, super delicious and also really versatile. The sauce has a ton of flavor, so it will work with any protein you like. If you don’t like chickpeas, you can use some white beans, torn up tofu, or chickpea tofu. You can also use soaked and drained soy curls or vegan chicken instead, as well. 

If you make these into small hand pies, they’re easy to serve and you won’t have to dirty any extra dishes, because your party guests won’t even need a plate to enjoy these amazing appetizer. It’s a win-win in every which way!

You can also make these ahead. Simply roll out your puff pastry, add the filling, shape them, and then freeze until the day of serving. When you bake, you may just need to add a few minutes to the end of baking time to cook them through from frozen.

Why You’ll Love Tikka Masala Puffs

• easy, 1-bowl, no cook tikka masala sauce that’s full of flavor with any plant-based protein you like!
• simple and fun to make
• perfect for Diwali or any other holiday party
• naturally soy-free and nut-free with gluten-free option

Continue reading: Chickpea Tikka Masala Puffs (savory pastries with Tikka masala sauce)

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Rara chicken curry, a North Indian Smoky Onion Fennel Pepper Cardamom curry, that is absolutely bursting with amazing complex flavors! Prepare it as-is with tofu or use your protein of choice to make it your own! It is delicious served with flatbread, naan, or rice.

Today, we are making vegan chicken rara. The pronunciation of this has a D or an H in the second R, but you can pronounce it however you like.

I’ve been exploring meat-heavy and regional Indian dishes, and developing easier and vegan versions of those. And this rara chicken is my most recent adaptation in this series!

The origins of rara chicken curry are disputed. It either comes from the Punjabi or Himachal region(north indian states), or it may come from Lucknowi cuisine(mid eastern state cuisine). There are different stories about it, but either way, it is an absolutely delicious North Indian curry! 

When you make these recipes with meat, it requires a lot more steps as well as cooking the meat in the sauce for a much longer time. But when we’re using plant-based protein — like tofu, beans, or chickpeas — they don’t need that much time in the sauce. If you’re using other vegan proteins, like seitan or soy curls, you can cook those in the sauce for a much longer time for a really good flavor infusion. This curry has both meaty tofu pieces and mince meat style tofu crumble. Substitute these to preference.

Rara chicken uses lots of umami-packed onion caramelized with whole spices, and then you add in a rara masala blend. The black cardamom, clove, and fennel seeds give an entirely different flavor to the dish, and also there’s quite a bit of Kashmiri chili powder to add a vibrant, red color and even more amazing flavor. If you don’t use Kashmiri chili powder and use paprika, the color payoff will be a little less. Different brands of Kashmiri chili powder will have different color payoffs and heat as well.

There are obviously many spices in this dish, but if you don’t have a spice or two, that’s fine. It’ll still turn out absolutely delicious, so definitely try it. 

We toast the spices for the rara masala blend before grinding them, because it is also used as a finishing spice. It is important that you roast the finishing spice beforehand to give the final blend a melded flavor profile. Otherwise, some of the spices, like fennel, will show up a lot more strongly in the spice blend, and some of the spices might make everything taste a bit too earthy if they’re not toasted. 

Rara chicken curry is a very thick-sauced dish. If you prefer more sauce, add in more water, stock, or non-dairy milk. The sauce is simmered for quite a bit of time to get all that flavor payoff out of the spices.

One of the main reasons I’m making vegan versions of these meaty dishes is that they tend to have a lot more spices, and decadent sauces compared to the vegetarian versions. This is either because the meat needs more seasoning, or because meat dishes are more pricey (in India). When you’re paying that much for a dish in a restaurant, you want something decadent and creamy with a complex flavor profile. 

But all of that flavor is actually in the sauce, so we’re using that same sauce and all of those spices with plant-based protein. You can also add roasted veggies to the sauce instead for a really flavor-packed veggie side.

Why You’ll Love Rara Chicken Curry

• simplified, plant-based version of a North Indian classic curry
• roasted whole spices give the tofu and sauce amazing flavors from cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, and more
• one-pan meal
• versatile! Bake or fry the tofu, or use protein of your choice. It’s even OK if you’re missing a few of the spices.
• gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free option

Continue reading: Rara Chicken Curry (North Indian Smoky Onion Pepper Cardamom curry)

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These Indian-inspired chilli tofu puff pastry parcels are the perfect fusion appetizer for a Diwali or Indian-themed party. Or really any other party, because they are just so delicious! You all will love these Indo-Chinese Chilli Garlic Tofu in crispy parcels! Options for gluten-free and Soyfree

The festive season is here and I am bringing some fantastic appetizers this year. Flaky puff pastry stuffed with spicy savory, Indochinese chilli garlic tofu stir fry makes a super delicious vegan holiday appetizer. These are amazingly delicious hand pies that will absolutely be a hit at your next holiday party.

We make the Indochinese chilli garlic tofu “paneer”, and then try not to eat it all before we get a chance to stuff it into that puff pastry. Because the tofu is just so tasty by itself! No one will blame you if you snack on it a bit while you fold these.

There are 3 kinds of chilies/heat in these. There’s Kashmiri chili powder, which is usually mild but can be moderately hot depending on the brand. There’s black pepper and there’s hot green chilies such as Serrano or Indian chilies. Green chilies also vary in heat. So adjust these to adjust the heat to preference. Use less of each for mild heat.

I use a mixture of non dairy milk and maple syrup as the pastry wash. This helps the pastries get nicely golden and also help them stick really well when shaping into whatever kind of parcels.

Why You’ll Love Tofu Puff Pastry

• flaky puff pastry with sweet-spicy-savory filling
• 1-pan chilli garlic tofu filling is full of amazing Indochinese flavors!
• festive appetizer for Diwali, Indian dinner party, or any other holiday
• naturally nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options

Continue reading: Indo-Chinese Chilli Garlic Tofu Puff Pastry (nut-free)

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Salli Boti is a Parsi (western Indian) wedding meat curry made vegan with tofu. Crisped tofu is folded in a tangy spicy sauce and topped with airfried crispy potato strips! serve with rice, or roti. An Indian Poutine dish!

Salli Boti is a Parsi dish(western Indian) with this really fragrant, slow-cooked meat(tofu) curry that is topped with crispy potato strips and served with rice, roti, or pilau. Salli refers to the crispy potato strips topping, and boti is the mutton or meat.

Parsi’s, descended from Persians who migrated to the western party of India. The cuisine has influences from Persian, Indian, British cuisines. The cuisine has some signature dishes like lentil dhansak, and this Salli boti. Traditionally, a Parsi wedding dish, Salli boti has a very flavorful spicy tangy sauce and the crispy potatoes pair amazingly with it.

The stew is generally cooked for a long time . But This vegan version is simpler, since tofu doesn’t need to be slow-cooked like the meat.

We make the salli potatoes straws in this recipe, but you can skip that, if you want a simpler meal, and serve just the curry with some flatbread or rice instead.

For this vegan version of salli boti, we coat the tofu with spices and then either bake or pan fry to improve the texture, adding it to the sauce toward the end of cooking.

You can also use other proteins in place of tofu, such as chickpeas, chickpea tofu, vegan chicken, seitan, or other meat and chicken substitutes of your choice. If you’re using soy curls or seitan, make sure to simmer those in the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes so that they pick up a lot of the flavor. 

The potatoes are generally fried. But we air fry them for amazing crisp shredded potato Salli.

Why You’ll Love Salli Boti

• fragrant, flavorful stew topped with simple, crispy potato strips
• amazing combination of flavors and textures!
• ready in under an hour
• gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free options

Continue reading: Salli Boti (Western Indian Meat Curry with Crispy Potatoes)

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Harissa tofu bowls with herbed rice, crunchy veggies and a zesty dressing is an easy, flavor-packed weeknight meal that’s very flexible! Make it exactly as-is, or mix and match veggies to use what you have. Serve in a bowl, or make a wrap!

This is the type of bowl meal that I love to whip up on busy weeknights: lots of crunchy veggies; a delicious dressing; and protein, like marinated beans or crisp, seasoned tofu. You combine it all in a bowl with either cooked grains, such as rice or quinoa, or some pasta/noodles. This combination is so flexible and works really well! And the best part is that for most of them, there is little cooking time, so it comes together quickly and is absolutely delicious and satisfying. 

The flavor in these harissa tofu bowls comes from the delicious crisped tofu seasoned with harissa sauce and herbs, and the zesty garlic lime maple dressing. Plus, there’s all that flavor from the different herbs and crunchy veggies, as well.

You can convert this into a wrap or sandwich, too, if you like! Other flexible meals like this include my Vietnamese curry tofu bowl, chili garlic sandwich, gochujang sandwich, and curry banh mi. Or make into hummus bowls like my harissa cauliflower hummus bowl. Those can also be served as bowls or as sandwiches or wraps. 

You can change up the veggies in these harissa tofu bowls to use whichever veggies you like. You can also pair it with shredded lettuce or cabbage instead of rice, if you want it to be more like a salad. It’s just an incredibly flexible recipe, so have fun, and make it your own!

Why You’ll Love Harissa Tofu Bowls

• super flexible, 30-minute meal
• crunchy veggies make this dish so FRESH and reduce cooking time!
• crisp, flavorful harissa tofu is so delicious!
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free options

Continue reading: Harissa Tofu Bowls (30 minutes, gluten-free, nut-free with soy-free option)

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Cozy, hearty spinach cheese stuffed Mushroom Parmesan, is a one-pan dinner that your family is going to love! Even the orzo pasta bakes up in the pan with the cheesy mushrooms and marinara sauce! 1 pan, 1 baking Step!

I wanted to make a simple mushroom parmesan pasta bake, because I had plenty of mushrooms on hand. And I wanted to reduce the pans and time in the kitchen. Enter this cozy 1 Pan Orzo bake!

The mushrooms are stuffed with this delicious spinach-tofu-cheese mixture that I often use to make stuffed shells, then I top it with a cruncy breadcrumb topping and pair it with a pasta, I use orzo, but other shapes will work too! The pasta and the sauce at the bottom, topped with cheesy stuffed mushrooms, and a crisp breadcrumb topping. Everything cooks in just one pan and one baking step!

The prep is very simple. Just make your spinach-tofu-cheese mixture by adding everything to a bowl and mixing it. Prep your mushrooms by removing the stems, and that’s it!  

It’s an easy recipe that’s pretty flexible, too. You can add some veggie grounds or vegan ground meat substitute in with the pasta sauce to add extra protein to the meal. The recipe is already nut-free, and it’s easy to make soy-free and gluten-free, too.

You want to use about two- to three-inch mushrooms. Larger mushrooms take longer to cook, and pasta will overcook in that much time, so medium-sized works best here. I also use the mushroom stems in the recipe, so don’t discard them. Just trim away the tough end of the stem and discard that, but save the rest of the stem to chop up into the pasta sauce.

I paired this mushroom parmesan with orzo pasta, because it cooks up really easily in the baking dish and it works out just amazing. You can add a different pasta of choice, as well, just bake a few minutes longer until the pasta is cooked to preference. 

Why You’ll Love Mushroom Parmesan

• hearty mushrooms with marinara sauce and pasta
• cheesy spinach and tofu topping with crunchy breadcrumbs on top
• easy to make in 1 pan in under an hour
• naturally nut-free with easy gluten-free and soy-free options

Continue reading: Mushroom Parmesan Pasta Bake (1-pan, nut-free, with soy-free and gluten-free options)

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This is a super delicious tofu tray bake with tofu and vegetables tossed in a delicious jerk inspired marinade and roasted. Just marinate and spread on a pan and bake! Serve just as-is or in a wrap, over a bed of rice or quinoa, or over salad greens. Easy 1 Pan weeknight meal. Soyfree option

This tray bake dinner is super easy and it’s super flavorful. I make an easy blender marinade with lots of herbs and spices. Then the tofu and veggies are tossed in the marinade, spread on a baking sheet and baked! And that’s it. This tray bake can be served as is or over cooked grains or over a salad, or a wrap. The caramelized herbed veggies and the crisped up flavorful tofu are heavenly.

The marinade is inspired by Jamaican jerk marinade, but I changed it a bit, omitting some of the spices you find in jerk seasoning, like allspice and cinnamon. You can add those for even more flavor.  

This goes well with any kind of protein that you’re want to use. If you don’t want to use tofu, just add some chickpeas, chickpea tofu, soaked and drained soy curls, or your favorite vegan chicken substitute. 

You can add more veggies to your tofu tray bake, and you definitely want to double or triple the marinade to keep on hand, so you can toss it in whatever veggies and proteins you want, whether you want to bake or or pan fry them. The marinade is just amazing either which way, so let’s make it!

Why You’ll Love this Tofu Tray Bake

• easy 1-pan meal with almost no active cooking time
• flavorful jerk seasoning-inspired marinade is amazing on the tofu and the veggies
• versatile! Use your plant-based protein and veggies of choice.
• make-ahead up to 2 days
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free options

Continue reading: Tofu Tray Bake (gluten-free, nut-free)

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