Vegan

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

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

close-up of kosha mangsho on a plate with rice

More Indian Curries

Salli Boti
Lentils Vindaloo
Goan Peri Peri Chicken
Konkani Curry Bake
Chataka Dal

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

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Vegan

Malvani Chicken Curry (Western Indian Coconut, Kashmiri Chili, Onion Curry) gluten-free, nut-free

Explore regional Indian cuisine with me and Try this fantastic Malvani Chikin curry! Western Indian spicy caramelized onion, toasted coconut and kashmiri chili sauce with crisp tofu! This sauce is flavor packed and has its own malvani masala spice blend! 1-pan meal meal that’s delicious served over rice or with flatbread or naan.

malvani chicken curry in the pan after cooking

Malvani cuisine originates from the western coastal region in India. It has overlap with Maharashtrian(cuisine of state of maharashtra in India) as well as Goan cuisines and includes a lot of fish and local meat dishes. The flavors are very specific to the cuisine, with its own spice mixes (malvani masala or malvani garam masala) and cooking techniques.

I’ve been exploring amazing regional flavors from various parts of India and brining you vegan versions, simplified or inspired dishes and today we are making vegan malvani chicken curry! For the sauce base, we use a blended roasted onion and coconut mixture, which is called vatan, making our own malvani spice blend with some spices, and using crisped up tofu in place of the meat. You can use other protein such as chickpea tofu, vegan chickin or beans as well. Traditionally, you don’t add any cream to this curry, but you can add some(it will also balance out the heat), add in some cashew cream or other non-dairy cream right at the end.

close-up of malvani chicken curry in the pan after cooking

The sauce and spice mix includes a lot of Kashmiri chili powder (I know right, you need some!) and black pepper, so it can get pretty hot. You can reduce these spices to suit your heat preferences, if needed.

Like I mentioned above, we make the flavorful Malvani masala spice blend from scratch. It is so delicious! If you have access to Malvani garam masala, I recommend using it in this recipe instead of the spice mix that I’m making below, to reduce active time. Just mix it with two teaspoons of Kashmiri chili powder and use. You can use this fragrant spicy blend over roasted veggies or with beans. It’s flavorful and can be used in many ways!

Key features of Malvani Curry

Malvani masala: this spice blend and the curry are known for the deep red color. It can be made with milder chilies with deeper color like byadagi chilies and Kashmiri chilies. I am using Kashmiri chili powder for a quicker version

Vatan: the sauce made with blended caramelized onion and toasted coconut makes the base of the curry. It adds a delicious sweet toasty flavor and some texture.

Slow long cooking: the longer cooking time helps the flavors meld and the colors to show up. The sauce when well cooked will get a glaze of the deep red color and a settled flavor. Before that state, the coconut might be a stronger flavor and the sauce might be lighter.