This Vegetable Korma is a delicious curry made with veggies cooked in a rich almond-based gravy, simmered in spices. It is Vegan, gluten-friendly, and so much better than the restaurant version!
What is Vegetable Korma?
Vegetable Korma or veg korma is such a classic Indian Recipe - a wholesome and flavourful curry made with veggies and cooked in a rich and creamy sauce made with almonds or cashews. Typically, the vegetable kormas you get at restaurants use cream to thicken the sauce for the curry, but I have made this recipe vegan, and use coconut milk instead of cream. The result is a lush, delicious, and aromatic curry that pairs so well with Naan or Basmati rice.
Traditional Korma is made with chicken or lamb - my Chicken Korma recipe and Lamb Korma recipe are both made for non-vegetarians. However, this vegetarian recipe for korma is made specifically for vegetarians.
Veg Korma Ingredients
To make this veg korma, you will need:
Assorted veggies - I used a combination of potatoes, green beans, carrots, and cauliflower. You can also add peas, broccoli, zucchini, squash, sweet potato or any other veggies of your choice. You can also use frozen pre-cut veggies for this recipe.
Almonds - Use almonds for the creamy vegetable korma base. You will need to soak the almonds and skin them before you blend them to make the paste. Alternatively, use cashews.
Ginger and garlic - Use freshly minced ginger and garlic or use ginger-garlic paste.
Spice Powders - For seasoning the vegetable korma, I have used garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Read my guide to Indian spices to know more about the different types of Indian spices and how to use them.
How to make Vegetable Korma
Start by prepping the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients. I have used 3 potatoes peeled and chopped, 1 small cauliflower cut into florets, 1 cup of chopped green beans, 3 medium-large carrots, chopped.
Begin by boiling the potatoes in a large pot, along with a teaspoon of salt. Let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. After 5 minutes, add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook for 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are par-boiled. Keep aside to cool.
In a blender, blend together the onion, ginger and garlic into a paste. In a heavy-bottom pot, add some oil, and add this blended onion paste. Saute the onion paste on medium heat.
As the onion paste is sautéing, add the spice powders. Use a spatula to saute, moving the ingredients around so that the spices do not burn.
Add the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the par-boiled vegetables and mix well.
Separately in a blender, blend the almonds with a little water to a fine paste. Add the blended almonds to the curry, along with the coconut milk. Let the vegetable korma simmer for 3-4 minutes, covered untill done. Add salt if needed.
Serve the vegan vegetable korma hot with rice or naan.
Frequently asked questions
I recommend using potatoes and any combination of veggies that you like. I have used cauliflower, carrots, and green beans in addition to the potatoes. You could also add broccoli, bell peppers, peas, zucchini, etc. You can also add spinach or kale for added nutrition.
Frozen vegetables are perfect for this recipe, you can add a bag of frozen vegetables instead of fresh veggies, without thawing them. Let the veggies cook until just done.
Yes, you can leave out the nuts in case of a nut allergy. You can opt for using Greek yogurt instead, which will make the curry creamy and rich.
More Indian Vegetarian Curries
Vegetable Korma Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 small cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 cup green beans chopped
- 3 medium-large carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¾ cup tomato puree
- ¾ cup almonds soaked in water for ½ hour and peeled (see notes)
- ½ cup coconut milk
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the potatoes in a large pot, along with a teaspoon of salt. Let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- After 5 minutes, add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook for 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are par-boiled. Keep the vegetables aside to cool. Ensure that you are not overcooking them, as they will cook with the sauce as well.
- In a blender, blend together the onion, ginger and garlic into a paste. In a heavy-bottom pot, add some oil, and sauté the onion paste on medium heat.
- As the onion-ginger-garlic paste is sautéing, add the gram masala, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder. Continue to sauté on low heat.
- Add the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the vegetables and mix well.
- Grind the soaked and peeled almonds to a fine paste and add the paste to the curry, along with the coconut milk. Let the korma simmer for 3-4 minutes, covered until done. Add salt if needed.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.
Notes
- With the exception of the potatoes, you can use any combination of vegetables that have a similar cooking time. I have used cauliflower, carrots and green beans in addition to the potatoes. You could also use broccoli, bell peppers and peas.
- Fresh vegetables can easily be replaced with frozen vegetables.
- Cashew nuts can be used as a replacement for almonds. Soak them for up to 30 minutes before grinding.
- Kashmiri chilli powder is ideal for most recipes that call for chilli powder. It has a vibrant red colour, but adds a very mild heat. Paprika would be a close substitute if you are unable to find Kashmiri red chili powder anywhere.
- Garam Masala can be store bought or made at home. Making small batches of your own spice blend at home is way better than buying a mix from the store. To make a small batch of garam masala, heat the following spices on a pan on the stovetop: ½ cup fennel seeds, 5-6 cardamoms, 6-7 cloves, a 2-inch piece cinnamon, 2-3 pieces of mace. Once the spices are heated and begin releasing their aromas, grind them in a high-power blender, or coffee grinder. Store the ground spice mix in an air-tight jar and use as needed.