Head to India with a vegan who has been there, Vegan on the GO!
Vegan in India? How easy is it really to be Vegan in India? Vegan on the Go is here to share my stories of my adventures in this amazing country with you.
House boating in Kerala 
Saag ALoo 
Fresh vegetables come in each day from the farms and are sold to the locals to fill their carts and sell to the other locals
Complex, diverse, colorful, glorious, confusing, frustrating, friendly, beautiful India! India, one of a kind; it will change you, if you let it.
Our adventure took us from the Red Fort in Delhi, to the majestic Taj Mahal, into the Thar Desert, and on to the beaches of Goa and the backwaters of Kerala. India is a country of rules and no rules: a paradox of regional diversity that manifests itself in the fashion, food, spices, and unique culture of each region. The same — and yet different.
I’m so excited to share highlights of our adventure in India, including what we ate, where we ate, and what we created. Are you ready?
What We Ate
The Indian people are proud of their local dishes and how unique they are to the rest of India; that’s true in many ways. Historically, India was mostly rural, and people did not have cars, so they were fairly localized in their traditions, including what they ate and how they prepared the foods. This is still true today. You can have a simple dish like poha (flattened, flavored rice), and it will contain different spices depending on the region where you’re enjoying it.
The famous poha or pohe. The taste and spices are regionalized and always wonderful. 
Cooking lessons with Mukti 
Burrito at Bean me Up in Goa 
Typical vegan meal at a locally owned restaurant 
Millets of Mewar 
Farmer’s Cafe in Mumbai 
Bean Me UP Burrito 
Lots and lots of rice! 
Dosa (thin pancake) stuffed with Spicy Potatoes for Breakfast!
In India they have pure-veg restaurants and non-veg restaurants and some that serve both. Pure veg means vegetarian, plus no eggs. It’s designated with a green dot on products and on signs.
Here are some tips:
As a vegan, start with restaurants that are strictly pure veg. Then there’s less of a chance of cross-contamination and only a few ingredients to watch out for like dairy, which is widely used. Eat at popular pure-veg family-run restaurants. Let them know what you can eat. It will be delicious and cheap.
The kitchen in a houseboat in Kerala 
Stopping for lunch with Mr Singh 
When you order, be specific: If you are vegan, you still need to say “I do not eat anything from an animal”, no ghee (clarified butter), no cheese including curd and paneer, no dairy of any kind.
Keep away from street food just for health reasons. We were told by everyone, “Don’t do it,” I know! I wanted to eat street food so-o-o-o bad! OK, I went crazy once and bought some steamed veggie momos from a restaurant stand at the night market. (Obviously, I survived.)
I know, settle down, right?
Some dishes we enjoyed and ate frequently included pancakes called dosa, stuffed with subzi (potatoes in spicy red sauce); tofu scramble or chickpea omelet; vegetable samosa; chana masala; many types of curries, dals, and veggie stews; parantha (spicy flatbread filled with veggies); falafel; hummus; poha; chapatis; roti; coconut-influenced dishes (especially in Kerala); rice and more rice; and lots of fresh fruit.
Where We Ate — Top Recommendations
There were so many wonderful meals, each unique and flavorful. Here are our top eleven recommendations for eating in India:
Hotel Breakfast Buffets – Many hotels have an awesome breakfast buffet, worth every penny.
Homestays – Meet the locals and eat a traditional breakfast provided as part of your accommodation.
An amazing homestay breakfast in Mumbai 
Fabulous breakfast at our homestay in Jaipur – The Pink City
Farmer’s Café – A groovy little café in the Bandra neighborhood of Mumbai. The food was fantastic; we ate here a few times and took dessert home, too; try the chocolate mousse cake. https://www.facebook.com/farmerscafeindia/
If you are in Mumbai – you gotta eat here! 
Farmers Cafe Pizza
Anohki – The café is full of chatter and is a happening! Check out this deli-style café in Jaipur for some amazing dishes and sweets, eat in or to go.
Peacock Rooftop Café – A busy rooftop café with local music and a 360º view of Jaipur. Go for the sunset and the cool crowd as well as the food.
Millets of Mewar – A vegan-friendly rooftop restaurant with a great view of Udaipur. It’s across the footbridge; watch for signs. The Pad Thai rocked!
Pad Thai Millets of Mewar 
Vegan Pizza Millets of Mewar
Yummy Yoga – An Udaipur rooftop café, great for dinner. Be prepared to walk up a few flights of stairs. Across the footbridge.
Bean Me Up – The only all-vegan restaurant that we found in North Goa. Set in a beautiful outdoor space, and the service was awesome. Try the tofu scramble for breakfast with homemade bread and tahini. https://beanmeup.in/ or IG @beanmeup.goa
The only pure Vegan restaurant we found in India
Go With the Flow – Loved the name and the vibe of this vegan-friendly outdoor restaurant across the river from Baga Beach in Goa. http://gowiththeflowgoa.com/
Go with the Flow 
Cassava Restaurant Kochi Marriott Hotel – Treat yourself. Phone ahead, let them know you’re vegan, and they will create the most wonderful Kerala-influenced dishes you’ve ever experienced. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/cokmc-kochi-marriott-hotel/
Houseboat in Kerala – We highly recommend that you rent a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala! You will have your own private cook and driver. You specify what you like to eat, and they create unique dishes just for you — expect a lot of coconut! Absolutely wonderful!
The busy waterways and canels 
It was a special day and everyone was dressed up 
The most delicious coconut and rice 
Boats for tourists and the locals share the waters
What We Created
When you go to India, you gotta take some cooking classes. You will learn about Indian ingredients and local spices as well as how to prepare and cook local dishes, and the best part…you will eat the fabulous Indian dishes you created.
Before we went to class at Mukti’s Kitchen Cooking Classes, at http://www.muktikitchen.com/, we informed them we were vegan, and they said they could accommodate us. In fact, the whole class cooked vegan. How cool is that?!
We learned to make four dishes while learning to cook with Mukti, including mushroom curry, moon dal (green lentils), saag aloo (spinach and potatoes), and veggie pulav (spiced rice with veggies, similar to briryani). We loved the mushroom curry. I’m thrilled to be able to share that recipe with you in this recipe section of VEGWORLD.
Go to India, have your own adventure! It really is a life-changing experience! I’ll finish off my story by some of the amazing sights of India!
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