Brimful of Asha on the 45

[cyrano]

So I made a vegetarian curry, in my continuing efforts to reduce the amount of flesh in my diet.
And I found that it was pretty unsatisfying in my mouth. But when I added a little fat, the spices grabbed onto that and did a little dance. So, my vegetable eating friends, with out rendering it from the beasts of the field, how do you get a little bit of fat in your food commonly?

Comments

[mnarra.livejournal.com]

Olive oil, my favorite. Avocado, walnut, and so forth are good, as well.

[moonlightnrain.livejournal.com]

I have no problem getting fat in my diet, I tell you. But then again I prefer curries made with things that soak up the spiciness, like potatoes, peas and garbanzo and kidney beans.

Damn, that sounds good.

[yukonsally]

junk food. Just because I don't eat meat doesn't make me healthy!

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Exactly what mnarra said. Not to mention that oils, especially unsaturated plant or nut oils, are good for you. You just have to moderate how much you use. :)

I was actually reading a food blog recently talking specifically about curry spices, and it mentioned that one of them (cumin? tumeric? I forget which) has a chemical-that's-good-for-you that's oil soluble.

So without a little bit of fat to cook the spice in, it won't release that chemical.

[yami-mcmoots.livejournal.com]

Butter! And in curries, coconut milk.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

O damn. That was stupid of me, especially since I bought a tin of coconut milk specifically to add it to curries.

[evilmagnus]

Olive oil, avocado, butter.

Avoid vegetable oil (nee soy oil), because it's really not good for you.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

Oils and beans would be my thought.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Are beans likely to bring fats to the mix? I had figured them for protein sources at least.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

Yep. Different beans have different fat content, but garbanzos are the fattiest. Also, nuts.

In my cupboard I have 4 kinds of beans packed in water:
red kidneys: 1g fat per 1/2 cup serving
great northern: 0 g fat per 1/2 cup serving
black: 0.5 g fat per 1/2 cup serving
garbanzo: 2 g fat per 1/2 cup serving

OK, not as much as I thought, but still some, and particularly in the garbanzos.

[miss-electra.livejournal.com]

I like to go with coconut milk or yoghurt if you can do dairy.

[irismoonlight.livejournal.com]

In curry? Half unflavored yogurt and half coconut milk. In fact, I have a recipe that calls for cooking the curry spices in the thick part of the coconut milk (the cream) before adding it to the rest of the dish. I skipped that step until the last time I made it... and it makes a HUGE difference.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Oooo.
I may have to try that.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

In fact, one of the basic techniques for curries is to heat the spices in a little oil before adding the rest of the ingredients, to bring out the flavor. Probably ghee in the original, but you could go with olive oil.