Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Here’s a quick and easy Mixed Vegetable Curry recipe that’s perfect as a healthy weeknight dinner or simple vegetable side dish. This is an Indian and Pakistani style curry that’s naturally vegan and absolutely delicious!
“I am so pleased with your recipe, it blew me away, I have been trying for 45yrs+ to cook curries, this was special, thank you.”
Gilbert
Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Mixed Vegetable Curry is called “Aloo Matar Gajar” in Urdu & Hindi, which directly translates to “Potatoes, Peas, and Carrots”.
Often, Indian and Pakistani dishes are creatively named after the ingredient list. So Aloo Palak is Potatoes and Spinach, Aloo Gobi is Potatoes and Cauliflower, Aloo Keema is Potatoes and Ground Meat, and so on.
There seems to be a trend here.
I’ve called it Mixed Vegetable Curry, but it’s essentially curried vegetables, as it’s a dry vegan curry with no “curry” per se.
A Note on the Ingredients
This is a humble, flexible dish that requires simple ingredients:
- Basic pantry staples like onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chili peppers, and a handful of spices.
- Potatoes, peas, and carrots (Aloo Matar Gajar) – The trifecta I grew up eating but you can use any vegetables you like or have on hand.
- Potatoes – How you cube them will affect the cooking time. If you cube them smaller, decrease the cooking time accordingly.
- Peas – I use frozen peas and add them along with the rest of the vegetables. If you’d like them a little less overdone, add right before covering to cook.
- Carrots – Carrots add a beautiful taste to this dish. Depending on the size, I either slice them or halve, then slice them.
- Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi). This is the “finishing-touch” ingredient that elevates this recipe from ‘delicious curry’ to ‘Wow – my children won’t stop eating their vegetables.” Make a run to your local South Asian store or order it online. It lasts for eternity almost and you can also use it in my Sarson Ka Saag, Red Lentil Curry, Authentic Chicken Korma, or Instant Pot Butter Chicken!
How to make Mixed Vegetable Curry
To make mixed vegetable curry, start by sautéing the onions until lightly golden. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for a minute.
Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry for a few minutes. Lower the heat and cover to allow the veggies steam in their own juices.
That’s really all there is to it. Garnish with dried fenugreek (methi) and cilantro if desired. Stir, serve, & eat!
3 Tips To Help Your Veggies Shine
I truly believe the humblest of dishes can be made memorable if the right techniques and fresh ingredients are used. Here are my straightforward tips on making this curry:
- The vegetables are best left to cook in their own juices. That means we’re not adding any water here unless absolutely necessary.
- Use a nonstick skillet or pan to prevent any possibility of scorching.
- The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity, and simplicity often relies on quality. Try to find organic vegetables, especially carrots. I find them to be juicier and sweeter compared to conventional ones.
What to Serve with Mixed Vegetable Curry
‘Dry’ curries are typically served with any type of bread while ‘wet’ curries can be served with rice or bread. Since this doesn’t have much curry, it pairs perfectly with roti, paratha, naan, or any other bread. Try brushing your roti or naan with a little butter to make the meal extra delightful.
More Vegan Curry recipes:
- Chana Masala – (Authentic Chickpea Curry)
- Aloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower Curry)
- Aloo Palak (Spinach & Potato Curry)
- Zucchini/Courgette Curry (Toriyan)
- Okra Curry (Bhindi)
- Smoked Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta)
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment & star rating telling me how it was! If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you! Thank you!
This post is an update of a recipe that was originally published in July, 2018.
Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
Curry:
- 3 tbsp (44 ml) olive oil
- 1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ inch piece ginger, crushed
- 1 (~120 g) medium tomato, chopped
- 1 small green chili pepper, chopped
- 3-4 (~1 cup) small carrots, peeled (if necessary) and sliced ~1/3" thick
- 1 cup (145 g) frozen peas
- 1 (~250-280 g) medium to large russet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder, or to taste
- 3/4 tsp table salt or sea salt, or to taste
Garnishing:
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), lightly crushed between your hands
- 1 tbsp cilantro leaves (optional, for garnish), chopped
Equipment
- Nonstick pan with lid
Instructions
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown (~7-8 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until the raw smell disappears, about a minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients listed under curry and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat to low or a little higher than the lowest setting (depending on your stove) and cover the pan with the lid. Let the vegetables cook for 24-25 minutes or until they are well done. Check once or twice in between and stir to ensure even cooking. Taste and add salt, if needed. If you’re afraid the vegetables will stick to the bottom of the pan, add a splash of water. But the goal is to let the vegetables steam in their own juices.
- Garnish with crushed fenugreek leaves and cilantro and mix gently to combine. Serve with roti, naan, or any type of bread.
55 Comments on “Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry”
This is a really great recipe!
Thanks, Rosemary. Glad you liked it!
Made last night and was delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Lindsey!
I’ve been trying for a while to find a vegetarian dish that both my husband & I enjoy, mainly so that we can have at least one meat-free day during the week. THIS is that dish! I’ve cooked this three times now and it’s absolutely delicious. We don’t miss meat at all!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So nice to hear that. Thanks so much, Susan!
Hi Izzah, just love your recipes. This one turned out lovely and I make it a lot.
One question, though. Should the cumin seeds not go in the pan first, before the onions? Every recipe I ever made so far did so.
I did it with this one (habit, you know) and it was so good!
Thank you again for your delicious recipes!
Hi Christine! Thank you so much!! You certainly could add earlier. Frying in the beginning gives a deeper flavor to the seeds. You could do it either way depending on how intense you want the flavor.
Made this curry this evening Izzah, and it was absolutely delicious! So simple and healthy and VEGAN! Fantastic. Hubby loved it too. Thank you so much for sharing! I look forward to trying more vegan recipes.
Thank you, Anna! Happy you both enjoyed. Hope you get to try more!
Plan to try this week. Do you think I could substitute cauliflower for the potato? Or please recommend a good substitute.
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried it in this case but you can totally try cauliflower in place as it’ll take around the same time to cook. Hope you enjoy it!
Had to use frozen mixed vegetables instead of fresh, along with the potato, and swapped green chili for bell pepper and a splash of siracha. Outstanding!!!