Kurma (also spelled Korma) is one of the Indian gravies that has takers all around the world. This Veg Kurma recipe is a delicious South Indian curry featuring a mix of vegetables cooked in a creamy gravy made from yogurt, cashews and coconut, enriched with a bevy of fragrant spices. Bursting with flavors this is a warming, spiced and complexly flavored curry from the Indian cuisine. This mildly spiced and creamy dish is commonly paired with poori, dosa, parotta or steamed rice, making it a comforting and versatile meal.
About Kurma or Korma
‘Korma (qorma),’ also referred to as ‘Kurma’ is an aromatic gravy or sauce-based dish that is popular in India as well as Central Asia. This rich and creamy curry dish is a specialty of the Mughlai cuisine.
There are numerous ways this dish is made. These taste good as well as you can make it with any equipment you have; be it a pan or pressure cooker on the stovetop or an Instant Pot.
The base gravy or sauce varies with the region the korma recipe comes from. The Northern and Central Indian cuisine has their base sauce made with curd (yogurt), a flavor-rich stock or water, cream, spices, nuts and seeds, onions and vegetables or meats.
The South Indian regions include coconut with the addition of curd, onion, tomatoes, spices, nuts and seeds with meats or veggies. My Veg Kurma is one such recipe that is typically a common preparation from South India and is often served with Poori, Dosa or Set Dosa.
Depending on the ingredients used, the flavors vary in each regional kurma preparation. For example, a curd-based korma will have a slight sour taste to it. While a kurma made with coconut, will have the mild sweetness from it.
About Veg Kurma Recipe
After having tested plenty of vegetarian kurma recipes which lacked flavor and depth, I am presenting to you this perfect Veg Kurma Recipe which has the right balance in terms of taste, aroma and depth.
Since I have been testing and developing a lot of korma recipes over a long period of time, I can actually say that I have now become an expert in them.
My incredibly delightful recipe of Vegetable Korma is not sweet or mild but has lovely complex flavors from the nuts, seeds, coconut and spices.
This recipe of Veg Kurma is spiced, but not really fiery. I include some green chilies to add some heat to the dish.
If you do not have green chilies, you easily can add dried red chilies instead. I also add coconut and yogurt in this recipe. The slight sourness of the curd balances the sweetness of the coconut beautifully.
Here, I have demonstrated making this South Indian style Vegetable Korma in a stovetop pressure cooker as it saves time.
Fret not, if you do not have a pressure cooker. This Veg Kurma Recipe can easily be made in a pot or pan too.
My Veg Kurma recipe is vegetarian. To make it vegan, substitute the dairy curd (yogurt) with vegan yogurt or skip yogurt at all.
This recipe of Vegetable Korma is forgiving and highly adaptable. So, you can simply make it with just one veggie, say cauliflower or a mix of the evergreen Indian combination – potato (aloo) and green peas (matar) or your favorite vegetable.
I make this Hotel Style Veg Kurma Recipe as a weekend lunch on occasions. We like Vegetarian Indian Curry Recipes a lot, so I make them often. These are easy, filling and nutritious. A piping hot kurma curry with some soft roti or naan is such a satisfying meal.
In addition to this korma made with mixed veggies, if like us, you like to have sumptuous and healthy curries on your dinner table, then do have a look at some of these other kurma recipe variations:
Choice Of Vegetables
Veg Kurma, as the name suggests, is generally made with a combination of vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, French beans and green peas.
Yet there is no limit to the type of vegetable you can add in this Veg Kurma Recipe. I often include button mushrooms, which by the way, is not a veggie but an edible fungus.
You can include paneer (Indian cottage cheese), tofu or other vegetables like corn, baby corn, aubergine/brinjal, broccoli, parsnips and zucchini.
You can choose to make the Vegetable Korma with a combination of mixed vegetables that I have mentioned above or with just one or two veggies too. It tastes fantastic, anyway you make it.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Hotel Style Veg Kurma
Prep Cashews & Vegetables
1. Soak 12 to 15 cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later, drain water and set soaked cashews aside.
2. Rinse and soak 1 to 1.25 cups medium cauliflower florets in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Tip: This step is optional and only to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower. After blanching the cauliflower, drain the water and set the blanched cauliflower florets aside.
3. Rinse, peel and chop the rest of the vegetables – 1 medium potato, 7 to 8 French beans and 1 medium carrot. Finely chop 1 medium onion and 1 medium tomato. Set aside.
Make Kurma Paste
4. Now, we begin to grind spices, nuts and seeds to make an aromatic kurma paste. These ingredients add so much flavor. So, try to include all of them and in the exact proportions.
Tip: I know you may not have a few of these like poppy seeds, kapok buds and stone flower. So, simply skip these.
You will need –
- 5 tablespoons desiccated coconut or fresh or frozen coconut
- 2 teaspoons white poppy seeds (khus khus) – optional
- ½ tablespoon roasted chana dal
- ½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 4 to 5 black peppercorns
- 1 marathi moggu or kapok bud – optional
- 1 small tiny piece of stone flower – optional
5. Take all the above ingredients in a blender or mixer-grinder.
6. Add the soaked cashews, 2 chopped green chilies, 3 to 4 medium chopped garlic cloves and 1 inch chopped ginger.
7. Add ½ cup water and grind to a smooth fine paste. Set this ground paste aside.
Tip: The kurma paste consistency should be fine. You don’t want a chunky paste here.
Sauté Onions & Tomatoes
8. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2-liter stovetop pressure cooker. Add the chopped onions.
9. Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent or light golden. Add 7 to 8 curry leaves and mix.
10. Next, add the chopped tomatoes.
11. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon red chili powder. Mix well and sauté on low to medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Sauté Korma Paste
12. Add the prepared kurma paste.
13. Mix thoroughly.
14. Sauté, stirring often, on low to medium-low heat for 6 to 7 minutes or until you see the oil releasing from the sides and the paste becoming glossy and thick.
15. Add 2 tablespoons fresh curd (yogurt).
Tip: If you want, you can skip curd too. Do not use sour curd as this may make the gravy sour.
16. Mix the curd very well with the rest of the masala.
Add Vegetables & Make Gravy
17. Add the chopped mixed vegetables.
18. Mix the vegetables with the rest of the masala and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
19. Add 1.25 cups water and mix well.
For slightly thin gravy, you can add 1.5 cups water. If cooking in a pan, add 1.5 to 2 cups water.
20. Add salt according to your taste preference.
Make Veg Kurma
21. Pressure cook on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes. When the pressure settles down naturally, open the lid. The consistency of the gravy should be medium, neither thin nor thick.
Tip: If you find the gravy is thin, then you can simmer for some more minutes. In case of a thick gravy, add some water and simmer for a few more minutes.
22. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and give a stir.
23. Serve Hotel Style Veg Kurma hot or warm.
Serving Suggestions
Below are some of the ways to relish a delectable korma curry made with veggies:
- Indian flatbreads or fried breads: Drizzle some lemon juice on top any of these korma curries before having them with Indian breads like roti, paratha, poori, rumali roti or naan. My personal favorite is to have these with Malabar Paratha that is soft and flaky.
- Steamed Delicacies: I also like to serve it with Idiyappam and Idli as these soak up the flavorful gravy beautifully.
- Rice: Kurma also taste lovely with a simple steamed rice, Ghee Rice, cumin rice, Biryani or Kashmiri Pulao. You can also have these curries with bread or dinner rolls.
- Dosa: It tastes too good with a soft dosa like Neer Dosa, Poha Dosa or a lacy, soft Appam.
Expert Tips
- Whole spices: I suggest to keep the quantity of spices, nuts and seeds as mentioned in the recipe. Do not alter the amount as this would change the taste. Moreover, blending in whole spices adds so much flavor that cannot be achieved by adding ground spice powders, curry powder or garam masala powder.
- Stone flower: Include a tiny piece of stone flower (about 0.5 cm in size) as it is a highly aromatic spice.
- Consistency: You can change the consistency of the kurma gravy by adding less or more water. But do not make it too thick, thin or runny.
- Cooking in a pan: Follow all the steps as listed for the pressure cooker version. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are fork tender.
- Vegan version: Replace dairy yogurt with vegan yogurt to make vegan korma. Or you can skip completely skip the yogurt.
Ingredient swaps
- Cashews: Replace with almonds.
- Roasted chana dal: If you do not have roasted chana dal, then skip it.
- Poppy seeds: Use melon seeds or omit adding poppy seeds entirely.
- Stone flower: Adding stone flower is optional and skip if you do not have it.
- Kapok buds (marathi moggu): Skip this aromatic spice if you do not get it.
- Curry leaves: Replace curry leaves with 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf).
More Kurma Variations To Try!
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Veg Kurma Recipe (Hotel Style Vegetable Korma)
This Veg Kurma recipe is a delicious South Indian curry featuring a mix of vegetables cooked in a creamy gravy made from yogurt, cashews, edible seeds, coconut and enriched with a bevy of fragrant spices. This warming, mildly spiced and complexly flavored dish is commonly paired with poori, dosa, parotta or steamed rice, making it a comforting and versatile meal.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe
Preparation
Soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain and set aside.
Rinse and soak cauliflower florets in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. This step is optional and only to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower. After blanching the cauliflower, strain them and set aside.
Rinse, peel and chop the rest of the vegetables.
Add the the ingredients mentioned under ‘for kurma paste’ in a blender or mixer-grinder.
Pour ½ cup water or as required and grind to a smooth fine paste. Set aside.
Sautéing
Heat oil in a 2-litre stovetop pressure cooker or a pan. Add the chopped onions.
Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent or light golden. Add curry leaves and mix.
Next add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Stir and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the prepared ground kurma paste. Stir and mix well.
Sauté stirring often for 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium heat or until you see the oil releasing from the sides and the paste becoming glossy and thick.
- Then add fresh curd (yogurt). If you prefer, you can skip yogurt too.
Mix the curd very well with the rest of the masala paste.
Add the chopped mix vegetables. Stir and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Next add 1.25 cups water. Mix well.For slightly thin gravy you can add 1.5 cups water. If cooking in a pan or pot, then add 1.5 to 2 cups of water or as needed.
Season with salt according to your taste preferences.
Serving suggestions
Indian flat breads: Korma tastes great with some soft roti or a chewy naan or a flaky paratha.
Indian fry bread: Poori which is the most popular Indian fried bread is again a best choice to have korma.
Rice: Plain steamed rice or flavored rice like ghee rice, biryani rice make easy and tasty sides with korma.
Dosa: Soft dosa like neer dosa or poha dosa or a lacy, soft appam tastes nice with korma gravy.
- Cashews: Add almonds instead.
- Roasted chana dal: Omit adding roasted chana dal if you do not have them.
- Poppy seeds: Replace with melon seeds or skip adding them.
- Stone flower: Skip if you do not have stone flower.
- Kapok buds (marathi moggu): Omit this spice if you do not get it.
- Curry leaves: Add 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf) instead of curry leaves.
- Whole spices: I suggest to keep the quantity of spices, nuts and seeds as mentioned in the recipe. Do not alter the amount as this would change the taste.
- Stone-flower: Include a tiny piece of stone flower (about 0.5 cm in size) as it is a highly aromatic spice.
- Consistency: You can change the consistency of the kurma gravy by adding less or more water. But do not make it too thick or thin or runny.
- Cooking in a pan: Follow all the steps as listed for the pressure cooker version. Simply add 1.5 to 2 cups water. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat stirring occasionally until the veggies are fork tender.
- Vegan version: Replace dairy yogurt with vegan yogurt to make vegan korma. Or you can skip adding yogurt.
Nutrition Facts
Veg Kurma Recipe (Hotel Style Vegetable Korma)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 155 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 271mg12%
Potassium 256mg7%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 2456IU49%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 17mg85%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 46mg56%
Vitamin E 3mg20%
Vitamin K 11µg10%
Calcium 62mg6%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 192µg48%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 36mg9%
Phosphorus 83mg8%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Veg Kurma recipe from the archives was first published on December 2015
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