[MisterBastahrd]

Modern meat substitutes exist because texture is a huge part of eating and also people tend to go with the cuisine they're familiar with. Stocking a kitchen for the first time to cook Indian food is also a bit pricy. There are a lot of spices that you need to buy if you want to do it right, and they aren't cheap.

[selimthegrim]

They aren’t cheap because you’re not buying them at an ethnic store.

[MisterBastahrd]

Nobody is selling tiny bottles of spices at the ethnic store. They tend to sell in bulk, so you're really not saving much if you want to have the ingredients to make the dishes.