Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry
The original Zucchini Curry recipe adored by thousands! 12 simple ingredients are all you need to transform boring zucchini into this flavorful Indian & Pakistani-style Zucchini (Courgette) Curry, called Toriyan or ‘torai ki sabzi’ in Urdu. This is an easy, one-pot vegan curry recipe that will have you (and even your kids!) loving Zucchini.
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“…It blew my mind. I can’t stop thinking about it, weeks later! I had no idea courgette could taste so good, I will definitely be growing it again just to make this amazing curry.”
Kath
What’s so special about this recipe?
I originally published this zucchini recipe back in 2017. Since then, I’ve had hundreds of people reach out and share how much they love this curry. Here’s what I think makes this recipe special:
- The cooking process brings out the sweet and rich flavors of zucchini. This plays well with the earthy, spicier flavors of this vegetarian curry.
- An extra onion adds another layer of caramelization and complements the zucchini.
- The spices are subtle, which make the final dish pronounced in flavor, but not overwhelmingly spicy.
Notes on the Ingredients
I was tempted to give the onions and tomatoes in grams, but this dish allows for plenty of variance and I wanted the recipe to reflect that. Here’s what you need to know about the ingredients:
- Green Chili Pepper – You can use Serrano, Thai chilis, or other suitable green chili pepper. You need just a small amount to add adequate heat and flavor.
- Red Chili Powder – This is Pakistani and Indian style red chili powder. Substitute cayenne if you don’t have it. Since the spice level of red chili powder varies from brand to brand, start with the smaller amount and increase as desired.
- Onions – This recipe works well with sliced onions (similar to okra curry), which contribute to the overall flavor and texture. For large onions, you may prefer to quarter them before slicing. If you’d rather just finely chop them, that’s okay too.
- Zucchini (Courgettes) – Traditionally peeled but you can leave it unpeeled if you’d like. Just note that unpeeled zucchini may take a little longer to disintegrate into the curry.
How to Make Zucchini (Courgette) Curry
The method can be simplified into 4 Steps:
- Sauté the onions until golden. Don’t brown them too much because once you add the garlic and ginger, the onions will deepen even more in color.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, and spices. Once the tomatoes soften, add the zucchini along with a bit of water.
- Cover and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes. Once the zucchini is soft and the water has dried up, use a wooden spoon to break the zucchini into pieces.
- Lower the heat, cover, and allow the zucchini to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Uncover and sauté out any excess moisture, using your spoon to break up any remaining bits.
How to know when it’s done:
The final dish shouldn’t have water content from the zucchini floating around. When in doubt, sauté a little extra. Once the oil separates from the curry and the zucchini is very well cooked, you’re done!
A note: I’ve had several people share pictures of their finished product with a bit more ‘curry’ and not fully reduced down. If that’s how you prefer it, that’s okay too. Make it your own!
How to Serve
This dish pairs perfectly with just about anything, but roti, naan, paratha, or any other bread go exceptionally well with it. Rice is another reader-favorite pairing.
As for freezing the Zucchini Curry, freezing would most likely affect the texture because of the water content of zucchini. Although, I have heard many readers do freeze it! For best results, reheat the curry on stovetop.
More Popular Vegetarian Curry Recipes:
- Easy Spinach and Potato Curry (Aloo Palak)
- Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
- Potato & Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi)
- Baingan Bharta (Smoked Eggplant Curry)
- Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! If you have a photo of your dish, please feel free to upload it and share with others. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry | Toriyan (Torai ki Sabzi)
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (79 ml) grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger, crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium tomato, cubed
- 1 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red chili powder, or to taste
- 3 large (1 to 1 1/4 lb) (454-567 g) green zucchini squash (courgette), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch half-moons, (weighed after chopping)
- 1 small green chili pepper (such as Serrano), sliced
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 cup (4 g) chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a nonstick or heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the onions, and sauté until they are lightly golden (~8-10 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds. Sauté until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic disappears (~1 min). Add the tomato, salt, coriander powder, black pepper powder, and red chili powder. Sauté for a minute, then stir in the zucchini and 1/4 cup of water. Mix well, ensuring that the zucchini is well coated.
- Cover and let cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring once in between. Once most of the water has dried up, use a wooden spoon to break the zucchini into pieces. Add the sliced green chili pepper and turmeric and sauté for a few minutes.
- Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring half-way. If you’re afraid it will stick to the pan, add a splash of water. Uncover and stir well. If needed, raise the heat to high to sauté any extra moisture for 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
This is an update of a recipe that was originally published in 2017. Since then, it’s been updated with new pictures and video!
290 Comments on “Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry”
Salam alaikum Izzah, my kids and I have been making this weekly. Everyone in our home enjoys this recipe, Thank you for being my go to source for healthy and flavourful recipes,
W.S. Fatema. So wonderful to hear that your kids like it too. Thanks for sharing such nice reviews with me!
Dear Aunty ji,
I am a student trying to make this curry for the second time and although the taste is AMAZING I did encounter one problem: both times cooking I have struggled to get a lot of the water out even though I followed the recipe. Please can you give me tips on how to reduce the water (before I sauté and let it cook for the final 20 mins). I have tried leaving the lid off for the water to evaporate but I have been standing here for 30 mins now and its not reducing very much :/. Look forward to hearing from you and mastering this recipe and my cooking skills.
Thank you for providing this recipe you make us people happy 🙂
N
Hi Nadja! It could just be the zucchini has quite a bit of water content. I’d just saute it longer on higher heat without the lid. You could also lower the heat and cover and cook without adding any additional water. I hope this helps and you get a chance to try it again!
Hello Izzah, I’m English and my wife is Indian. She has been teaching me how to cook Indian style food for a while now and I’m beginning to try things on my own. Today I found your recipe and I cooked it by myself. We have just eaten it. We both loved it!! My wife actually said: ‘’it tastes brilliant – I didn’t even want any pickles with it!” (High praise)
And although I made it myself, I also thought it is delicious (I’m very self critical) so all in all, this was a great success and I will be cooking this again and we will be trying some of your other recipes too. Thank you very much for this truly scrumptious recipe!!
That’s high praise indeed! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment, Ian! I appreciate it very much!
This is fast becoming a family favourite for us in Edinburgh, Scotland. My husband’s family has an Indian heritage and I really didn’t think I could introduce him to a new dish that he would like so much. We have been eating it for months now and just love it. Thank you!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Claire! Thanks very much!
This recipe was insanely good. It tasted as if I was eating my Nani’s food but I really made it myself!
Aw thanks so much, Rahma! What a sweet comment. I’m so glad to hear it 🙂
I grew my own courgettes this year but I was so uninspired by them that I’d decided not to bother next year. Searching for recipes to use mine up and stumbled across this one and it blew my mind. I can’t stop thinking about it, weeks later! I had no idea courgette could taste so good, I will definitely be growing it again just to make this amazing curry. Thank you!!
What a wonderful comment. Made my day! Thank you so much, Kath!
Although I use a lot of on-line recipes, this is the first time I’ve been compelled to leave a comment, as I think this is a brilliant recipe! I’ve made it several times now, both for other people and just my partner & I. When I’ve made it as part of a big meal for guests where a lot of cooking is involved, I’ve made it in advance up to the end of step 3 the day before and then finished it off before the meal. I’ve also frozen leftovers and found that it doesn’t become too mushy when thawed and reheated – you might not want to serve it to guests but it’s perfectly presentable/edible for yourself/your family.
I’ve only ever really used courgettes in ratatouille because they can be quite a bland vegetable but definitely not in this case – so many thanks for converting myself and my partner to loving courgettes!
So nice to read your review, Brian! Thank you for taking the time to comment and for sharing the wonderful tips on prepping and freezing!
This has become a weekly family dinner. So easy to make and tastes extremely delicious. Ive also shared it with a few of my friends who also love it
So awesome to hear that, Saira! Thank you so much!
I stumbled upon this recipe when I had more zucchini than I know what to do with. I just wanted to pop in and tell you how much I enjoy this recipe.. I’ve been making it every week since. Thank you for sharing it.
So nice to hear that, Prabha. Thanks for sharing your review with me!
This is so, so very good. I did.not peel the zucchini so it did take longer for it to fall apart. Lesson learned. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Thanks, Karin!!
Thanks Izzah! It’s a sort of wonderful Pakistani version of ratatouille! Just followed your recipe and we are shortly to eat….it smells fabulous and I am sure it will taste even better!
What an interesting observation, Harvey! Thank you!