Last updated on February 13th, 2021 at 05:54 am
Recipe for vegetable kurma – step-by-step instructions to make this healthy restaurant-style rich curry loaded with vegetables, with or without Instant Pot.
Jump to RecipeI love my Instant Pot, seriously. (Note: This is not a sponsored post). I especially love making curries in it. I don’t have to wait in the kitchen to check if it has simmered down to the right consistency. All I have to do is pour the right amount of water and it gives the right me perfect consistency every single time.
That’s exactly why I love this making this recipe for Vegetable Kurma in Instant Pot these days. I don’t have to watch over the curry while it simmers until the point it gets to the right consistency and another important step I get to skip is cooking the vegetables separately.
Although this recipe for Vegetable Kurma can completely be made in Instant Pot, I like to use a sauté pan for just the dry roasting bit. This is because it is just not feasible for me or for anyone to use a deep pot such as the Instant Pot’s inner bowl to, well, sauté.
Above all, even the sauteing part takes only 5 minutes. Plus the prep work takes 10-15 minutes but that’s it. Everything can be done in the instant pot and this Kurma gets done in 30 minutes, give or take. Let’s see how to make it, but before that here are some other Instant Pot recipes on my blog:
- Butter Chickepeas / Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe
- South Indian Mushroom Curry in Instant Pot
- Instant Pot simple Chicken curry recipe
Recipe for Vegetable Kurma:
A korma (according to Wikipedia) is a thick curry loaded with vegetables or meat, thickened with yogurt or cream. But like most dishes, korma is a north Indian type curry whereas, in South India, Korma becomes Kurma or Kuruma. With changes in spices used and coconuts for thickeners in place of cream or yogurt, both these dishes vary both in method and taste.
This is a very orangish curry, a color imparted from dried red chill powder. I have this another vegetable curry recipe which is white based, probably a bit greenish-white. That White Vegetable Kurma is made with green chilies.
What goes into this Vegetable Kurma:
A handful of spices, some shredded coconut, and roasted garlic give this vegetable kurma an interesting medley of flavors.
This curry/kurma uses only 5 spices: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, and poppy seeds. Of these the whole spices cloves, cinnamon and cardamom can be skipped if you don’t have them at home; you can use garam masala in place of these. The fennel and poppy seeds, however, are very important if you want the authentic taste of this vegetable kurma.
Fennel seeds impart a unique flavor to this curry and poppy seeds are super subtle but adds a ton of flavor to any curry I make, like this White Vegetable Kurma. Love the poppy seed flavor in such dishes. The number of poppy seeds used in this recipe for vegetable kurma might be overwhelming for people who are used to just sprinkling them on poppy seeds.
But I am sure you won’t be able to notice any distinctive flavors, if not it will only be an acquired taste. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with poppy seeds.
Serving suggestions of this kurma:
This is a curry for flatbreads (not rice varieties), especially flatbreads with a bit of crispness to it; like crisp dosas (south Indian rice-based flatbreads/crepes), parottas (south Indian), chapatis. My favorite way to serve this curry is with chapatis/Rotis.
Storage instructions:
This curry is best when made fresh although I have some make-ahead ideas down below. This kurma stores well in the refrigerator for a day. Since this curry has vegetables like cauliflower and coconut, it tends to go bad when left out at room temperature for more than 3 hours. Of course, that won’t be the case if you live in colder climates.
However, to be safe, always store in the refrigerator and reheat it just before serving. And only if you really must like when you have a lot of leftovers, you can store in the deep freezer by transferring the vegetable kurma to an airtight container. To use it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it in the Instant Pot or a microwave oven.
Variations and Substitutions:
This recipe for vegetable kurma is somewhat versatile, you can skip any of these mentioned vegetables and use just what you have at home. You can use only cauliflower and make a wonderful Cauliflower Kurma. Or you can even use Soy Curls with the same curry base.
Increase or decrease the number of vegetables, you will only need 500 to 600 grams of mixed vegetables. Starchy and sweetish vegetables will be perfect, so go picking your favorite veggies.
Also, if you don’t have shredded coconut or whole coconuts, but got tins of coconut milk, substitute the shredded coconut with 100ml of thick (or first extract) coconut milk.
Make-Ahead Suggestions:
Although this curry isn’t the model dish for freezing, it can be split and some prep work can be made the day before. Like the masala paste and vegetables. Roast and grind the ingredients give for the masala paste and store it in the refrigerator. You can use this in the recipe for vegetable kurma the next day.
How to make this vegetable kurma:
Making this kurma will be the easiest thing you make next to drinking your coffee. The masala paste and chopping the vegetables are the only ones that will take a bit of your time, but once that’s done, the following steps are pretty straightforward and easy.
These are the ingredients you’ll need for making this recipe for vegetable kurma:
- A mix of chopped vegetables – 500-600 g (I’ve used 125g Carrots, 100g Green Beans, 200g Potatoes, 150 g Cauliflower Florets, 100g Green Peas)
- 1.5 tbsp Roasted Bengal Gram
- 3 tbsp White Poppy Seeds
- 10 whole Cashew Nuts
- 30 g Garlic Cloves
- 2 medium Green Chillies
- 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 tbsp Shredded Coconut , (50g)
- Water , or as required
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil , or any vegetable oil
- 4 Cloves*
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick*
- 2 green Cardamom Pods
- 30 g Garlic , chopped
- 1 large Red or Yellow Onion , diced, (200g)
- 2 medium-large Tomatoes , diced, (150g)
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder , or 1 tsp if using regular chilli powder
- 2 cups Water , (500ml)
Recipe Instructions:
- Heat up a sauté pan and add the fennel seeds. Wait until it gets hot (do not burn), remove from heat and transfer to a spice grinder. Add the shredded coconut to it.
- Now add the roasted Bengal gram, poppy seeds, cashew nuts, garlic, green chillies to the pan. Reduce flame to low-medium and let all the ingredients get hot. Stir occasionally.
- Once done, transfer to a plate and let it all cool down. Then, transfer the toasted ingredients to the spice grinder.
- Pulse it together once to break it down, add few tablespoons of water and grind it down to a smooth paste. Set it aside until needed.
- Place the Instant Pot inner pot in place. Heat it up by setting it to SAUTÉ mode for 15 minutes. Add the oil to the Instant Pot.
- Once the oil is hot enough (when you notice some smoke), add the whole spices: cloves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Wait until the cloves swell up.
- Next, add the chopped garlic and saute until it turns into nice golden brown bits.
- Add the diced onions on top of the garlic. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
- Add in the diced tomatoes followed by the salt. Let the tomatoes get sauteed until it becomes mushy.
- Now, add the turmeric powder and the chili powder. Mix it once and immediately* add the water.
- Finally, add the vegetables. Cover the Instant Pot with its lid and SEAL it. Set it to PRESSURE COOK mode for 10 minutes.
- After the cooking time, Quick Release and open the Instant Pot. Serve this Vegetable Kurma with Parottas / rotis!
Recipe Source: this recipe was adapted and modified from a cooking show.
Notes:
- Vegetables: This is a very versatile curry. So you can add any amount of vegetables you like or skip some of the vegetables. You can add anywhere between 500-600 grams of vegetables for this curry.
- Cauliflower: Blanching cauliflower is an additional step to remove the worms (if any ) from it. To blanch, bring some water enough to cover the cauliflower florets to a boil. Add the florets and turn off the heat. Leave it be for 5 minutes, then drain the water and set it aside.
- Quantity of vegetables: The quantities of vegetables are only guidance; increase or decrease the quantities of each vegetable as per your liking. In the end, you need about 550g of mixed vegetables.
- Whole Spices: You can substitute cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon with garam masala if you don’t have the whole spices.
- Storage: This curry/kurma is best made fresh. But if you really need to, you can keep in the refrigerator for up to a day and freeze for up to a week.
- Serve this vegetable kurma with Chappati/Rotis or South Indian Parottas
Recipe for Vegetable Kurma (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 3/4 cup Carrots* , diced, (125g)
- 1/2 cup Green Beans* , chopped, (100g)
- 1 cup Potatoes* , peeled and diced, (200g)
- 1 cup Cauliflower* , split into small florets and blanched in hot water, (150g)
- 1/2 cup Green Peas* , frozen or fresh, (100g)
For the Masala Paste:
- 1.5 tbsp Roasted Bengal Gram
- 3 tbsp White Poppy Seeds
- 10 whole Cashew Nuts
- 30 g Garlic Cloves
- 2 medium Green Chillies
- 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 tbsp Shredded Coconut , (50g)
- Water , or as required
For the kurma:
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil , or any vegetable oil
- 4 Cloves*
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick*
- 2 green Cardamom Pods
- 30 g Garlic , chopped
- 1 large Red or Yellow Onion , diced, (200g)
- 2 medium-large Tomatoes , diced, (150g)
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder , or 1 tsp if using regular chilli powder
- 2 cups Water , (500ml)
Instructions
Masala Paste:
- Heat up a sauté pan and add the fennel seeds. Wait until it gets hot (do not burn), remove from heat and transfer to a spice grinder. Add the shredded coconut to it.
- Now add the roasted bengal gram, poppy seeds, cashew nuts, garlic, green chillies to the pan. Reduce flame to low-medium and let all the ingredients get hot. Stir occasionally.
- Once done, transfer to a plate and let it all cool down. Then, transfer the toasted ingredients to the spice grinder.
- Pulse it together once to break it down, add few tablespoons of water and grind it down to a smooth paste. Set it aside until needed.
Making the Kurma:
- Place the Instant Pot inner pot in place. Heat it up by setting it to SAUTÉ mode for 15 minutes. Add the oil to the Instant Pot.
- Once the oil is hot enough (when you notice some smoke), add the whole spices: cloves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Wait until the cloves swell up.
- Next, add the chopped garlic and saute until it turns into nice golden brown bits.
- Add the diced onions on top of the garlic. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
- Add in the diced tomatoes followed by the salt. Let the tomatoes get sauteed until it becomes mushy.
- Now, add the turmeric powder and the chili powder. Mix it once and immediately* add the water.
- Finally, add the vegetables. Cover the Instant Pot with its lid and SEAL it. Set it to PRESSURE COOK mode for 10 minutes.
- After the cooking time, Quick Release and open the Instant Pot. Serve this Vegetable Kurma with Parottas / rotis!
Notes
- Vegetables: This is a very versatile curry. So you can add any amount of vegetables you like or skip some of the vegetables. You can add anywhere between 500-600 grams of vegetables for this curry.
- Cauliflower: Blanching cauliflower is an additional step to remove the worms (if any ) from it. To blanch, bring some water enough to cover the cauliflower florets to a boil. Add the florets and turn off the heat. Leave it be for 5 minutes, then drain the water and set it aside.
- Quantity of vegetables: The quantities of vegetables are only guidance; increase or decrease the quantities of each vegetable as per your liking. In the end, you need about 550g of mixed vegetables.
- Whole Spices: You can substitute cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon with garam masala if you don’t have the whole spices.
- Storage: This curry/kurma is best made fresh. But if you really need to, you can keep in the refrigerator for up to a day and freeze for upto a week.
- Serve this vegetable kurma with Chappati/Rotis or South Indian Parottas
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Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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