Vegetarian curry sauce FAQs — Jaflong Tandoori Richmond

Question 1

Is curry sauce vegetarian?

Accepted Answer

Some curry sauces are vegetarian and some are not. A base sauce made from onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and spices is vegetarian, but many restaurant sauces are finished with ghee, cream, yoghurt or a meat or fish stock. Always ask the kitchen which base a dish uses.

Question 2

Is curry vegetarian?

Accepted Answer

Curry is a cooking style, not a single dish, so it can be vegetarian or not. Dishes such as chana masala, saag aloo, tarka dal and vegetable korma are vegetarian, while anything built on a meat, chicken or prawn base is not.

Question 3

Which Indian curry sauces are usually vegetarian?

Accepted Answer

Tomato and onion based sauces such as bhuna, jalfrezi, madras, dhansak and dopiaza are usually vegetarian when ordered with vegetables or paneer. Korma, tikka masala and pasanda are vegetarian only when they use dairy cream rather than a meat stock.

Question 4

Which curry sauces are usually not vegetarian?

Accepted Answer

Watch for sauces finished with non-vegetarian ghee, dishes cooked in the same base as meat, anything using fish sauce or shrimp paste, and Thai-style curries, which commonly contain fish sauce.

Question 5

Is curry sauce vegan?

Accepted Answer

A vegetarian curry sauce is not automatically vegan. Cream, yoghurt, butter, ghee and paneer are common. At Jaflong Tandoori we cook our vegan dishes with oil rather than ghee and mark them clearly on the menu.

Question 6

Do you cook vegetarian curries separately from meat?

Accepted Answer

We prepare vegetarian and vegan dishes with separate pans and utensils, and our vegetarian sauce bases are made without meat or fish stock. Tell us when you order if you need us to be strict about cross-contact.

Question 7

Is your curry sauce gluten-free?

Accepted Answer

Most of our curry sauces are naturally gluten-free because they are thickened with onion and tomato rather than flour. Naan and some starters contain gluten, so ask for rice instead and mention coeliac requirements when ordering.

Sauce or dish	Suitable for	Notes
Tarka dal	Vegetarian and vegan	Lentils tempered with cumin, garlic and oil. No dairy in our version.
Chana masala	Vegetarian and vegan	Chickpeas in a tomato and onion base with no cream.
Bhuna, jalfrezi, madras, dopiaza	Vegetarian when ordered with vegetables or paneer	Dry-fried onion and tomato bases. We cook the vegetarian version in oil.
Korma and pasanda	Vegetarian, not vegan	Cream, coconut and ground almond. Dairy is intrinsic to the sauce.
Tikka masala	Vegetarian with paneer or vegetables, not vegan	Tomato and cream base. Ask for the vegetarian base rather than the chicken pan.
Saag paneer	Vegetarian, not vegan	Spinach with Indian cheese and a little butter.
Vegan coconut curry	Vegan	Coconut milk, tomato, curry leaves and mustard seed. No dairy at any stage.

Jaflong navigation menu

Is curry sauce vegetarian?

Short answer

What goes into a curry base

The three things to check

Dish-by-dish guide

How we handle it at Jaflong Tandoori

Order vegetarian in Richmond