Comforting One Pot Kadhi
Flavourful Punjabi weeknight meal
Curry isn’t an Indian dish. In Indian cuisine, there is no single dish known by the name “curry.” Instead, the term “curry” in the West was coined by British colonists in an effort to simplify the diverse and rich variety of Indian food into one flavour profile. Curry powder emerged from this same generalization, attempting to create one single spice blend to mimic Indian flavours. In reality, Indian cuisine doesn’t rely on complicated spices or blends, and is crafted from easy to find pantry stapes. It’s the unique combination of ingredients and techniques that make Indian food authentically Indian.
Many Indian recipes are popular throughout the subcontinent, with regional variations that add distinct flavours and characteristics. As someone with Punjabi heritage, I share recipes from that tradition. Vegetarian Punjabi dishes typically fall into two distinct categories, those that have a gravy, which are perfect with rice, and those that are without, which pair well with roti.
Punjabi food has a plethora of vegetarian options, often more so than non-vegetarian options, making it an excellent example of “anything you can cook, I can cook vegan.” However, some dishes that are inherently dairy-based and not as easy to re-create in vegan versions. This is the case with the Punjabi dish known as kadhi (not to be confused with “curry”). Punjabi kadhi is a yoghurt-based gravy dish, typically containing vegetable pakoras. This version of vegan kadhi uses coconut milk to replace the yoghurt, and staying true to the way I grew up eating it, potatoes to replace the pakoras, making the dish far simpler to make on a weeknight. I recommend using a coconut milk with a milder flavour, like Cha’s brand.
This recipe is:
- Simple
- Weeknight meal
- One pot
- Comforting
- Flavourful
- Punjabi
If you love this recipe, try our Rajma Chawal next and read our blog post to learn more about choosing the best plant-based milk for your needs.
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Classic Hearty Lasagna
Ingredients
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion finely diced (200g)
- 2 cups mushrooms diced (273g)
- 4 cups spinach either baby spinach or roughly chopped (180g)
- 3 carrots diced (274g)
- 2 bell peppers diced (368g)
- 2 jars pasta sauce or diced tomatoes anywhere from 700mL-800mL each
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
Roasted Garlic Cashew Bechamel Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews soaked in boiling water (120g)
- 1 head roasted garlic optional
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Roasted Garlic Cashew Bechamel Sauce
- Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water. Set aside while prepping the rest of the components.
- Next, cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with ½ tsp olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 375°F for 20 mins.
- Drain the water from the soaked cashews and add to a blender, along with the full head of roasted garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, water, and salt.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
Hearty Vegetable Sauce
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onions and cook for 3-4 mins.
- Add the mushrooms and spinach and cook until the water evaporates, about 10 mins.
- Add the carrots and bell peppers and cook for another 5-10 mins, until slightly soft.
- Pour in the pasta sauce (or diced tomatoes), along with enough water to rinse out the jars/cans.
- Season with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes, and cook until the sauce begins to boil, about 10 mins.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Assembly
- To assemble the lasagna, use a 9×13 inch pan and start with a thin layer of sauce at the bottom. Then, layer the following 3 times: noodles, sauce, roasted garlic cashew bechamel (or vegan mozzarella shreds).
- Cover with foil and bake at 450° F for 45 mins.
- Uncover and broil for 4-5 mins.
- Serve alone or with garlic bread and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Cost Breakdown
| Ingredients | Quantity | Measure | Cost (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 2 tsp + 2 tbsp | tsp, tbsp | $0.40 |
| Yellow onion | 1 cup | cup (200g) | $0.60 |
| Mushrooms | 2 cups | cup (273g) | $2.50 |
| Spinach | 4 cups | cup (180g) | $2.00 |
| Carrots | 3 | pcs (274g) | $0.80 |
| Bell peppers | 2 | pcs (368g) | $2.00 |
| Pasta sauce or diced tomatoes | 2 jars | jar (700-800mL each) | $4.00 |
| Salt | 1.5 tsp | tsp | $0.03 |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | tsp | $0.05 |
| Chilli flakes | 1 tsp | tsp | $0.05 |
| Raw unsalted cashews | 1 cup | cup (120g) | $2.00 |
| Garlic (for roasting) | 1 head | head | $0.50 |
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | tbsp | $0.10 |
| Water | ½ cup + 1 tbsp | cup, tbsp | $0.00 |
| No-boil lasagna noodles | 9 | pcs | $2.50 |
| Total | $17.53 | ||
| Cost per serving (5 servings) | $3.51 |