Celebrity chef and restauranteur Karan Gokani shares three high-protein veggie recipes from his new book, Indian 101.
Karan Gokani is a name that echoes far beyond his London restaurants. Hoppers London — his take on Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine — has outlets in King’s Cross, Soho and Marylebone, and offers locals and tourists a taste of vibrant and varied cuisine. Karan’s Instagram (@karancooks) and his social media series, Indian 101, see him teach his followers how to make his favourite Indian dishes at home. The series has accumulated more than 600,000 followers. Now, he brings the name to a new kind of medium with his latest cookbook.
Speaking exclusively to Living360, Karan says the new book isn’t about the basics of Indian cooking, but it isn’t a masterclass either. “It’s exactly what it says: it’s Indian 101. Whether you’re new to Indian food or you’ve cooked it for years, hopefully you’ll find a lot in here that you’ll be able to incorporate into your meals.”
View this post on Instagram
Read more: Great British Bake Off star reveals her favourite simple recipes for autumn
When asked to choose his favourite recipe from the book, Karan likened the decision to having to select his favourite child.
“It’s taken me the best part of three years to come up with that index and select recipes that resonate with me personally,” he explains. “We’ve tested everything out on Instagram and have received great feedback. We’ve got a recipe to make a simple palak paneer, which is just four ingredients in one pot. There’s no fancy stuff to it.”
There’s even a family recipe included in the book, which is a home-style curry from Karan’s mother-in-law — perfect for recreating at home.
As someone who’s grown up on Indian cuisine, I’m all too aware that protein is rarely a priority in Indian vegetarian dishes. So, I asked Karan to suggest three recipes that prove you can enjoy meat-free dishes while still prioritising protein.
Read more: Is this new, healthy meal delivery service going to replace takeaways?
Okra Pachadi
This south Indian yoghurt-based side dish is one of Karan’s favourite ways to cook okra, something he says is a very underrated ingredient. If you can’t get hold of okra easily (though he tells me many of the grocers in Chinatown have veggies like okra and bitter gourd), this recipe can be made with cucumber, beetroot, pineapple or pumpkin. You’ll need to adapt the cooking times and methods to suit the vegetable you choose.
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
250g okra
1½ tsp fine salt, to taste
1 tbsp cumin seeds
50g desiccated coconut
1 green chilli
2½ tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp asafoetida
250g natural or Greek-style yoghurt
1 dried red chilli, stem and seeds removed
Recipe
- Wash the okra and dry thoroughly. Cut the tops off and slice them widthways into 1cm slices, then place in a bowl and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until you can begin to smell them and they turn a slightly darker brown. Be careful not to burn them. Set aside.
- Soak the desiccated coconut in 200ml of warm water for 2-3 minutes, then drain well, squeezing out any excess water with your hands. Transfer to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and coarsely grind along with the green chilli and cumin seeds.
- Heat 1½ tablespoons of the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat and add half the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the okra and half the curry leaves. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the turmeric and asafoetida and cook for a minute longer. Add the coconut mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Mix the yoghurt with 100ml of water and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and add it to the cooked okra. Remove from the heat and mix thoroughly. You can prepare this up to a day ahead and keep it refrigerated.
- Before serving, heat the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil in a small pan and add the rest of the mustard seeds, the remaining curry leaves and the dried chilli. Once the mustard seeds stop crackling, pour the contents of the small pan all over the pachadi and stir through. You can serve this chilled or at room temperature.
Parsi Eggs on Potatoes
One of Karan’s ambitions is to help people take simple ingredients like eggs or beans and transform them into something that you can’t quite believe you managed to cook at home. Eggs are a source of protein, and you can use this recipe for a weekend brunch with family or friends, piled up on a slice of buttered toast.
Serves 3-4 as a light meal
Ingredients
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-4mm slices
3 tbsp neutral oil
200g onions, thinly sliced
¾ tsp ground turmeric
2 green chillies, finely chopped
3-4 eggs
50g fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Recipe
- Soak the potatoes in salted water for 5-10 minutes, then drain and wipe them dry with a clean towel before cooking.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the onions along with ½ a teaspoon of salt and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the turmeric, green chillies, potatoes and another ½ a teaspoon of salt and cook over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes have fully cooked through, but aren’t mushy.
- Once the potatoes have cooked, spread them out evenly in the pan and use the bottom of an egg to make three or four shallow dents in them. Crack an egg into each dent and sprinkle some salt and pepper over each. Sprinkle over the chopped tomatoes, cover the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the egg whites are set, but the yolks are still runny. If you prefer firmer yolks, cook for a few minutes longer.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot, with generously buttered toast.
Read more: Five simple recipes using six ingredients or less
Palak Paneer
This is one of Karan’s favourite dishes, and with very few ingredients, it might be one of the easiest, too. He grew up eating this dish at home and is where his love of food began. ‘It’s one of the simplest recipes in the book; it’s very healthy and a family favourite, so it’s ideal to batch cook,’ he writes in Indian 101.
Serves 4 as a main
Ingredients
250g paneer, cut into batons
1½ tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
120g red onions, finely chopped
1½ tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp grated ginger
½ tsp grated garlic
100g fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (or 80g tinned chopped tomatoes)
½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
250g spinach leaves
1 green chilli, slit in half lengthways
1 tbsp fresh cream, to garnish
5cm ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks, to garnish
Recipe
- If you’re using store-bought paneer, you can cut and soak it in a bowl of boiling water while you prepare the gravy. Soaking the paneer helps to make it a lot softer when cooked. If you’re using homemade paneer, you can pan-fry it until golden brown before adding it to the curry, especially if it’s quite crumbly.
- Heat the ghee in a pan over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Once they crackle, tip in the red onions along with ½ teaspoon of salt. When the onions have softened, after about 3 minutes, add the ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Now, add the tomatoes and kasoori methi (if using) and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced by a third, adding a splash of water if required.
- Wash and add the spinach, then cover the pan. Cook the spinach for about 3 minutes, until it just wilts in its own steam and juices. Take the pan off the heat and blitz everything, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, the green chilli and 100ml of water.
- Once you have a smooth sauce, return it to the pan. Bring it back to a simmer and check the seasoning and consistency, adding water if you like it thinner.
- Add the paneer and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fully warmed through. Garnish with a drizzle of cream and the ginger before serving.
Recipes extracted from Indian 101 — Real Indian Recipes Made Simple by Karan Gokani. Published by Bluebird on 11 September 2025, £28. Photographs by Ola O Smit.
Feature image: Karan Gokani, Indian 101
