Kurma's Vegetarian & Vegan Indian & International Recipes
Delicious vegetarian dishes by Kurma fomrer chiief of Melbourne's Gopal's, Cookbook Author, and TV Cooking Class Personality View Kurma's Site
View Kurma's Cooking Classes
Ask Kurma a Cooking Question

!! DVD Kurma Great Vegetarian Dsihes Cooking Videos Set for just $49. Individually each video costs $14.95.for a savings of over $100

Kurma Dasa was born in England, moving to Australia with his parents in 1964. He started his cooking career in the Sydney kitchens of the Hare Krishna movement, where he began by cutting vegetables, grinding fresh herbs and spices, and assisting in the preparation of their famous Sunday Feasts (see Early Days).

Since those humble beginnings, Kurma has gone on to teach his special brand of elegant and eclectic gourmet vegetarian cuisine throughout Australia and around the world.

Kurma was head chef at Melbourne's most popular Vegetarian Restaurant, Gopal's, for many years and is the author of Great Vegetarian Dishes which is in its seventh print run, Cooking With Kurma, Quick Vegetarian Dishes and most recently Vegetarian World Food. All books have received wide acclaim for their professional, clearly written and richly illustrated presentation of vegetarian cuisine.

Kurma has hosted three internationally broadcast television cooking series seen in over 46 countries. His third and latest 26-part TV series "Cooking with Kurma - More Great Vegetarian Dishes" recently screened throughout Australia on SBS and Foxtel.

Kurma's light-hearted presentation of healthy, delicious, attractive and innovative cuisine continues to shake off the outdated notion that vegetarian food is dull and lack-lustre.

Currently, Kurma is presenting gourmet vegetarian cooking masterclasses overseas and Australia-wide, writing columns for various magazines and working on more cookbooks. Kurma and his two sons Caitanya and Nitai

"Kurma .. has a gentle style that is a happy contrast to the frantic and frenzied style of most television cooks. His subtle wit and enthusiasm, combined with his fabulous-looking dishes, can renew your culinary excitement and creativity."
(Vegetarian Times)

"Meat-eaters and vegetarians alike will certainly find something to fit the bill in More Great Vegetarian
Dishes of the World on SBS with Kurma Dasa"
(Screen Watch, The Australian, May 2000)

"Kurma’s likeable personality makes it a totally fun experience."
(Hinduism Today)

"Cooking With Kurma .. is an excellent and welcomed addition to our cooking program line-up."
(Jeff Clarke, Houston PBS)

"We really enjoy Kurma's no-frills, no gimmicks television show. His enthusiasm for vegetarian food is infectious. ... Highly recommended."
(Brisbane Courier Mail, December 2000)

"While Kurma may be the high priest of vegetarian cuisine, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy his cooking. It's fresh, original and delicious!"
(The Canberra Chronicle, December 2000)

"Our rating: simply delectable"
(Canberra Times, March 1999)

"The great cuisines of the world, many of which are largely vegetarian, are the basis for Kurma Dasa's latest collection of recipes, presented in a clear, concise style and appealingly illustrated with lots of colour photography. Quick Vegetarian Dishes is colourful, healthy (and easy-to-prepare) food that's perfect for everyday cooking - even if you're not a vegetarian."
(Australian Gourmet Traveller, February 2001)

"Not only are the pictures fantastic, but even if you are a devout carnivore, there's something to entice. Split into seven chapters, each chapter boasts a huge veriety of dishes, from entree and mains to breads and sauces. There's also jams, chutneys, pate, savoury pancakes and rich gateaux. Tuck into Stuffed Italian Flat Bread, North Indian Potato Salad, Vegetarian Cornish Pasties and more. Find new inspiration for dinner from Kurma Dasa's Vegetarian World Food."..
(Voyeur, Virgin Airlines' in-flight magazine, October 2002)

"Vegetarians often complain that cookbooks - and restaurants - for that matter - just don't cater for them. Kurma Dasa's latest book does so brilliantly, as do his previous three. In Vegetarian World Food, vegie fans will find recipes from South-East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Mediterranean and the Americas. Italian Pumpkin Dumplings with Sage-scented Butter and Guatemalan Chilled Papaya Refresher are among them. The English-born author, who migrated to Australia in 1964, learnt to cook while a full-time monk at a Hare Krishna temple in Sydney. Highly recommended."
(15/05/02 Brisbane Courier Mail)

"Yum, Kurma takes us on a trip around the world with Vegetarian World Food. This great looking cookbook is perfect for the vegetarian in your life. Featuring some great and tasty recipes (I've eaten my way through a few of them), each chapter covers a different style of vegetarian food, from The Mediterranean, India, Europe, The Middle East, South East Asia, The Americas, and the rest of The World. Easy to follow recipes along with very enticing pictures really make you want to sample each treat. The South East Asian section is pretty good, with a tasty Laksa and very nice Malaysian Mie Goreng. I did wish the book covered more of Asia, with Japanese food being touched on briefly. A tasty and enjoyable trip around the world vegetarian style."
(31/05/02 Q News)

"Vegetarian World Food is probably not for the beginner but if you're happy with your ability with herbs and spices . . . well this is your book. These are really Kurma Dasa's favourite meals, globally speaking. Listed geographically there are meals from The Mediterranean, India, Europe, The Middle East, South East Asia, the Americas and finally The World. Recipes covered? From America, Hash Browns, Tostadas (Cheesy Bean and Tortilla Stacks), Amish Apple Dumplings or Pumpkin Pie. Recommended."
(10/06/02 Noosa Daily News)

"Australia's own guru of vegetarian cuisine Kurma Dasa has released a new cookbook featuring his favourite dishes from around the world. Dasa's third 26-part series More Great Vegetarian Dishes recently screened on SBS and Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel. Vegetarian World Food, the best of cooking with Kurma Dasa is published by Chakra Press, Pan Macmillan Australia."
(19/06/02 The Daily Telegraph)

"Kurma Dasa is one of the world's most high profile vegetarians. . . In Vegetarian World Food, by Kurma Dasa, vegie fans will find recipes from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Mediterranean and the Americas."
(04/08/02 Sunday Territorian)

"Through his classes at Drysdale Tafe Tasmania I've formed a much greater appreciation of Kurma Dasa than I ever did on TV (must be something to do with actually tasting the food). Best known for his Indian cooking, in Vegetarian World Food Kurma collects favourites from all over the world - the Mediterranean, Middle East, South-East Asia, the Americas and some from the rest, with India most represented. The flavours are strong and varied. In a Kurma Dasa spread, there's no sense of something lacking. I've tried the Panir, home-made cheese (use Pyengana Real milk for best results) and the Deep-fried Milk Fudge Balls in Rose Syrup, so feel safe in assuming the rest are as good as they look. Confirmed vegetarians will love this, and so will those trying to have more meat-free days or to eat more vegetables."
(28/08/02 The Mercury)

"...delicious, healthy & innovative vegetarian cuisine. Highly recommended."
(The Sunday Tasmanian, December 2000)
"While Kurma may be the high priest of vegetarian cuisine, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy his cooking. Quick Vegetarian Dishes is fresh, original and delicious! This book, Kurma's third, offers an eclectic and exotic assortment of inspiring, easy to prepare vegetarian dishes, as well as some scrumptious fruit-based recipes and desserts. A delight for the gourmet."
(The Canberra Chronicle, December 2000)

"I really enjoy Kurma's no-frills, no gimmicks television show. His enthusiasm for vegetarian food is infectious. He has already written many successful books, but, as the name implies, the emphasis here is on making quick and easy meals. Quick Vegetarian Dishes is packed with colour photographs of virtually every dish. Highly recommended."
(Brisbane Courier Mail, December 2000)

"Anyone who still thinks vegetarian food is dull and lacklustre should have a gander through Quick Vegetarian Dishes. Suddenly vegetarian food has shaken off it's shackles! Dasa, best known for his TV cooking shows and his dinner time cry of "Kurm and get it" has sought inspiration from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South East Asia and South America for this great collection of appetising, meat-free meals.
Lavishly illustrated by Melbourne-based photographer Peter Bailey, Quick Vegetarian Dishes is a cheerful, colourful and inspirational cookbook for anyone who is looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous dhal and vegetable curry"
(Sydney City Weekly, December 2000)

"Bright and Breezy, with great pics"
(News Weekly, January 2001)
"It's not easy being green. But help is on hand, thanks to Kurma Dasa, Australia's vegetarian guru and prolific author, who will be familiar to many from his television cooking shows. Kurma's message in his latest book, Quick Vegetarian Dishes, is that life in the fast lane doesn't have to mean life in the fast-food line. To be in-and-out of the kitchen in record time, try his Spinach Risotto or Feta & Potato Spring Rolls with Green Pea Chutney. Yum!"
(Brisbane Weekly, Feb 2001)

"The test of a good cookbook in our house can be judged by the groans of delight as the pages are being flicked over. Remember that the first bite of any meal is taken with the eyes; I can just imagine the calorie intake from going through the pages of this beautifully ilustrated book.
The recipes in Quick Vegetarian Dishes were collected with busy people in mind, and they really are dishes that can be prepared in a hurry. And the selection - and presentation - is enough to sway any meat-lover."
(Noosa Daily News, Feb 2001)

"Those of us who enjoy good food have to zealously safegaurd the home-dining experience. Life can certainly be busy and stressful, but cooking is a great antidote. Life in the fast lane doesn't necessarily mean life in the fast food line, according to Australia's vegetarian guru Kurma Dasa, who is well known for his books and cooking shows.

Kurma, who began his career in the Sydney kitchens of the Hare Krishna Movement, recently produced Quick Vegetarian Dishes. Lavishly illustrated, the recipes have an international flavour, from Sushi Rice in Tofu Pouches, to Tortilla Triangles with Smoky Avocado Salsa, and Pumpkin Ravioli with Baby Spinach and Brown Butter. Kurma's books are a quick solution for the feeding frenzy"
(Canberra Times Food & Wine, Feb 2001)

"Kurma Dasa, Australia's vegetarian guru, has done it again. His first two highly successful books, Great Vegetarian Dishes and Cooking with Kurma, along with their entertaining television series, made him a culinary celebrity worldwide. His latest, Quick Vegetarian Dishes, is sure to add to his reputation as the high priest of vegetarian cooking."

"Kurma's message in Quick Vegetarian Dishes is refreshingly simple: life in the fast lane doesn't necessarily mean life in the fast food line. Even if your life is moving at web speed, you can, with Kurma's expert guidance, quickly prepare something hot and fresh, and stunningly original and tasty, for yourself, or yourself and another, or a few others, almost as quickly as you can order out."

"In Quick Vegetarian Dishes, you'll find the gastronomical equivalent of sound bites - taste bites, essential gourmet vegetarian delights that deliver the most palatable results with the least amount of time and effort. If you're the type of person that jumps on a plane with only carry-on luggage, this is the cookbook for you. You'll be in and out of the kitchen in record time."

"Like life today, the fare in Quick Vegetarian Dishes is fast, stylish, variegated, and multicultural. Kurma has chosen a tantalizing array of international dishes to showcase your speed cooking talents. Just reading over the recipe list for each chapter is enough to make you cancel the restaurant reservations and pick up a saucepan."
"When I called Kurma a vegetarian guru and high priest, I was not just using some interesting figures of speech. Kurma's vegetarian cooking is deeply rooted in his spiritual practice. Back in 1971, Kurma became the disciple of one of India's most respected gurus, His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In addition to being an accomplished scholar of Vedic literature and the world's leading teacher of bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion, Srila Prabhupada was also an expert cook who delighted his disciples with his samosas, pakoras, and other exotic Indian preparations."
(Michael A. Cremo, Co-author of The Higher Taste: A Guide to Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet, Divine Nature: A Spiritual Perspective on the Environmental Crisis, and Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race.)

ooking With Kurma - More Great Vegetarian Cooking by Kurma Dasa
Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa
Quick Vegetarian Cards by Kurma Dasa
Quick Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa
Vegetarian World Food by Kurma Dasa
Vegi Cards by Kurma Dasa
Vegetarian World Food by Kurma Dasa

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides