Indian Dinner, Convenience-style

Here is a selection of what was on offer when we trawled supermarket websites. Remember, recipes and dishes are changed all the time – sometimes not in a good way – so always double check by reading the packets!

1-2 packs of ready-made chilled curry

• Asda: Vegetable Jalfrezi; Saag Aloo; Bombay Potatoes
• Sainsbury’s Channa Masala (Chickpeas in a tomato and coconut sauce – contains cashew nuts); Sainsbury’s Vegetable Jalfrezi
• Morrison’s: M Kitchen Aloo Gobi Saag; M Kitchen Takeaway Bombay Potato
• Tesco: Tesco Takeaway Vegetable Curry; The City Kitchen Veg, With Coconut Lentil; Tesco Bombay Potatoes
• Waitrose: Bombay Potatoes; Tarka Dhal

Ready-cooked rice
Most pilau rice is suitable for vegans – check the packets. These are sold in most supermarket branches, particularly the large ones

Indian snacks and accompaniments

• Most samosas, bhajis and similar snacks are vegan but always read the packs
• Poppadoms are usually vegan
• Chappatis are vegan, but most naan isn’t. However, Asda sell the Clay Oven Bakery range which seems to be fine
• Use plain dairy-free yoghurt to serve, eg Alpro, Provamel, Sojade, Tesco
• Dahl – if you love this with your Indian meal but can’t find a vegan version in your local supermarket, try the tinned variety – eg Asda, Biona, Tesco, Hodmedod’s are some of the best known brands