Vegetarian Vindaloo?

Henry M. (Q&A ID 3437)

Hello Milk Street,

I made the Chicken Vindaloo and it was absolutely delicious (we have an absurdly large bag of kashmiri chili powder and this was a great addition to my repertoire of uses for it). My wife is a vegetarian and she was jealous, which made me wonder if there was a way to make a vegetarian version of this dish. I was thinking maybe an Eggplant Vindaloo? It feels like tofu wouldn't really stand up, and we have no easy source of jackfruit. What do you think?

Thanks!

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Hi Henry - I agree that tofu might not stand up since it already tends to stick and the chicken in this recipe is likely to stick to the pan. I think chunks of eggplant, winter vegetables (squash, carrots, etc.), or potatoes could work. You probably won't get as much depth of flavor as you would from the chicken, but with all of the spices in the dish - especially your Kashmiri chili powder - I still think it would be good. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Henry M. (Q&A ID 3437)

Thanks Lynn! We'll give this a shot and I'll let you know how it goes.

Henry M. (Q&A ID 3437)

We made this with eggplant, onions and potatoes, and it worked great. We salted the eggplant first; it ended up kind of blending into the rest of the dish, rather than staying as cubes, so next time I might also put it in a little later than the potatoes. Also next time I think we might throw some chickpeas in the mix.

Anyway, I think one could probably try this with a variety of vegetable combinations in place of the chicken. It's not quite as rich, but the flavors are fantastic and we will definitely make it again.

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Great to hear, Henry! Thanks for providing the group with some great alternatives. Best, Lynn