Indian Vegetarian BBQ Recipes for Your Next Cookout!

BBQ or grilling at your backyard parties can be fun & entertaining! Even for vegetarians, there’s a plethora of options! Menus at several popular fast food restaurants have come a long way and offer plenty of choices besides the basic salad and bread. Taco Bell has a modifiable vegetarian menu that claims to have more than 8 million vegetarian and vegan combinations.  Burger King has the classic Whopper which can now be ordered a burger patty made entirely of plant-based protein. 

It’s now a well-established fact that grilling and barbecues aren’t just for meat-eaters. Put that fresh summer produce to the best use possible and please your plant-based partygoers with these creative, flavorful, and filling vegetarian recipes.

Here’s 2 of our favorite recipes:

Paneer & Vegetable Skewers

Paneer is a fresh Indian cheese. It’s very simple to make at home with milk, lemon juice and salt. Alternately, it can be bought in any grocery store.

Ingredients

• Paneer
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida(optional)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares
• 2 medium green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch cubes and separated into 3-layer segments
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to use

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Method:

1. To make the seasoning: Combine salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and asafoetida in a small bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan until just simmering. Add in spice mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Slice paneer into 1-inch cubes and transfer to bowl with potatoes along with peppers and onions. Pour in seasoning mixture and toss to thoroughly coat contents of bowl.
3. Alternately thread peppers, paneer and onions onto skewers.
4. Place skewers on cool side of grill, cover, and cook until edges of onions and peppers begin to caramelize, 12-15 minutes. Transfer skewers to a large platter and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining skewers.

Spicy Masala Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

for 6 servings

• 2 red potatoes, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, finely chopped
• ½ bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup corn(90 g)
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seed
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil

Method:

1. Finely chop two red potatoes, and two large carrots. Sauté in a little oil for a few minutes.
2. Add the bell pepper, corn, and edamame. Continue to cook until the potatoes are soft.
3. In a food processor, grind the oats until they are a grainy powder.
4. Add the veggies, olive oil, and spices. Blend.
5. Shape the mixture into patties, and fry, grill, bake, or freeze them for later!
6. Serve with toppings of choice!
7. Enjoy!