Converting Indian Chicken Dishes To Vegetarian Dishes.

What makes "chicken" among all non-vegetarian foods so popular in India?

First, lets see why chicken is so popular:The most common non-veg food in the world would be beef, pork, mutton (goat/sheep), chicken and sea-food.Now, in India:Beef is not an option, since most non-veg Hindus have a taboo against it.Pork is taboo to Muslims. Also, pork's global consumption is mainly concentrated in East Asia (where it is the most common meat). It is relatively rare in other areas.Sea-food is popular, but only in the coastal states. Traditionally, it was hard to obtain in inland areas, as a result of which it never became a major part of the diet in those places.Finally, mutton is more expensive than chicken, and also less widely common (it is still the most popular after chicken though).Thus, chicken is the only remaining choice.Second, why do non-vegetarians eating out prefer chicken?Mainly because it is cheaper and more widely available.Mutton meat is very tough (meaning difficult to chew) while chicken is much softer.Beef & Pork are not very common in restaurants.Finally, while my favourite is fish, I find that the quality of sea-food is greatly variable, far more than other non-veg dishes. Fish also spoils easily (and faster) than other meat.There's also the fact that eating many non-veg dishes is a messy proposition. This especially applies to fish - I often pick bones out of my mouth. Chicken is the easiest and least messy to eat, which is why I would prefer to eat it outside.Third, why do "converts" prefer chicken? It is pretty similar to the second question:Most of them who do eat might do so after watching friends & acquaintances, who are more likely to be eating chicken.Coming from vegetarian homes, they are even more likely to eat nothing but chicken.And they are possibly intimidated by anything else, for any one of the reasons I mentioned above.

What are some excellent vegetarian dishes which can be prepared as easily as chicken curry?

If you have access to poppy seeds, you can try the following. Its one of the simplest dishes to make.Chop potatoes into small pieces. Wet grind poppy seeds to make a paste. The quantity should be enough to coat the potatoes you are using. Add mustard oil (preferable) in a pan and wait for it to change colour. Add panch phoron (five spices) to the oil. If you cannot get five spices you can make do with whole black cumin. Add the potatoes. Fry a little. Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Toss around. Add the poppy seed paste. Coat well. Add a little water. Simmer till the potatoes are cooked.You can do the same with okra, parval, toru, beans, onion plant. You can add potato to these vegetables too.The poppy seed paste has a unique taste and flavour which is very fulfilling.