Spice up your life: Top 8 vegan curries to try during Veganuary
These vegan curries and sauces are perfect for busy days
Veganuary was established in 2014 to encourage us to go without meat or fish, dairy, eggs for a month. Now with half a million followers worldwide, there is less gimmick and more thoughtfulness about what we eat and its consequences.
To protect ourselves from depending on imported processed vegan foods and ingredients, and to avoid the dangers of dependence on other countries to feed us, we can make the best of home-grown vegetables, using imported spices and jars and tins of tomatoes and pulses to add flavour. We need to think fresh and seasonal as much as possible.
Vegan food can be simple and tasty, though it may take a bit of work to ring the changes as we might do with the addition of meat or dairy. Once Veganuary is over, we can still use plenty of local vegetables and add an egg or two and some dairy produce to meals.
There are lots of Irish-produced vegan treats to pick and choose from. Leamhain has just launched a range of vegan ice-creams, including ice-cream sandwiches. Available in Cork at Three Fools Coffee, Grand Parade.
This week we looked at companies producing good vegan curries and sauces to enjoy on busy or treat days.
In easy to store, transport and open, these pouches are ideal for desk dining or trekking, cycling, a day out. They really are good cold. From a wide range in different sizes, this one has peas, carrots, red bell peppers, onions, with substance coming from lentils, chickpeas, creaminess from coconut yoghurt, and extra flavour from tomato purée. Spices are warm, slightly sweet and salt is low. A good Irish product to encourage vegan conversion.
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While not ready-made, the jars of tomato-based sauces – Jalfrezi, Tikka and medium curry – are vegan and all it takes is the addition of vegetables to make a superb meal. Lentils and/or chickpeas are transformed, while leftover roasted vegetables come to life. It’s one of the best store-cupboard range of jars around and makes a fulsome addition to vegetable soups, poured over rice or added to stir-fries.
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Sweet potato, butternut squash, spinach, onion, garlic, spices, red peppers, coconut milk, lime, blend very well here in a favourite of the selection. Sweet, full, complex, well balanced were offered as reasons to buy. Good value for a lazy day meal.
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Mild spicing is rich and plenty of vegetables brought this to the top of the selection. One taster would have liked the sweet potato and onion to have been roasted first to bring out their flavours and added texture, though the beans had good bite and flavour.
8.75
Tasters liked this for its texture and flavour. Tender-stem broccoli was deliciously fresh. Edamame (soya beans), sweet potato and water chestnuts provided substance. Plenty of deep, complex flavours generated cries of “I’d buy that”, especially when they heard the price. One thought the chilli a bit harsh.
8.25
A hearty mix of sweet potato with tomatoes, spinach, carrots, celery and lentils worked well with warm spices of turmeric, cumin and coriander as well as black pepper and ginger for interesting balance, and the chilli was not overdone. Went down well with tasters. Good price. From Dunnes Stores.
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In a jar, this appealed to all tasters who liked the substantial chunks of pumpkin, peppers, courgettes, carrots, green beans and peas. Rich flavouring comes from ginger, galangal, lemongrass, garam masala, curry powder, mustard, turmeric tempered with peanut butter, coconut milk and tamari. The Roast Aubergine & Chickpea Curry was also delicious.
8.75
Easy on the palate, acceptable, not extraordinary, was the general consensus here for this chunky vegetable curry. Brown and wild rice form the base, the latter not adding to the taste, but made its appearance interesting. Fresh broccoli, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions provided interest. We bought in SuperValu.
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