- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 2 tbsp
- 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- ½ tsp
- 1 tsp
- 300 g
- 150 g
- 250 ml
- 2 tbsp
Process
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Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5–7 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the pot. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the spices are well combined.
Add the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower florets, and green beans to the pot. Stir well to coat the vegetables with the spice mixture.
Pour in the water and bring the curry to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if the curry becomes too dry.
Once the vegetables are cooked, taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is cutting the vegetables into uneven sizes; cut potatoes and carrots into 2 cm chunks and cauliflower into similar-sized florets so everything finishes cooking at the same time.
- The doneness marker is a knife sliding through the potato and carrot with no resistance, and the cauliflower stem yielding easily; check at 20 minutes because overcooked cauliflower turns mushy and falls apart.
- After adding the ground spices in step 3, cook them for the full 3-4 minutes until the oil starts to separate at the edges of the masala; skipping this leaves a raw, powdery taste in the finished curry.
- Add the water hot, not cold, and keep the pot covered during the simmer; lifting the lid repeatedly drops the temperature and can stretch the cooking time past 30 minutes, drying out the sauce.
Substitutions
- cauliflower 300 g→broccoli 300 g, cut into florets, added in the last 12 minutes of simmering
- green-beans 150 g→frozen peas 150 g, stirred in during the last 5 minutes
- fresh tomatoes 2 pcs→canned chopped tomatoes 200 g, cooked 1 minute longer in step 3
- vegetable-oil 2 tbsp→sunflower oil or light olive oil, same quantity
Storage & reheating
Cool the curry within 1 hour, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For freezing, portion into freezer-safe containers, leaving 2 cm headspace, and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or in the microwave covered at 700 W for 3-4 minutes, until piping hot throughout; add 2-3 tbsp water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Gallery
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my mixed vegetable curry turn out watery?
Too much water was added or the pot stayed covered with wet vegetables releasing steam. Simmer uncovered for the last 8-10 minutes after the vegetables are tender, stirring gently, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Next time start with 200 ml water and add the remaining 50 ml only if needed.
Can I use frozen mixed vegetables instead of fresh?
Yes, use 700 g of frozen mixed vegetables and add them straight to the pot without thawing. Reduce the water to 150 ml and simmer for 12-15 minutes instead of 20-25, since frozen vegetables are already blanched and soften faster.
How do I know when the vegetables are fully cooked?
Pierce the thickest potato chunk with a knife; it should slide in with no resistance, and the carrot should be tender but still hold its shape. Cauliflower should yield easily at the stem but not collapse. If the potato is still firm at 25 minutes, simmer 5 more minutes and check again.
Can I make this curry ahead of time?
Yes, it tastes better after a few hours as the spices meld. Cook it fully, cool within 1 hour, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water, as the potatoes absorb sauce overnight.
Why does my curry taste bland or raw?
The onions were not browned long enough or the ground spices were not cooked through. Brown the onions for the full 5-7 minutes until deep golden, then fry the spices with the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes until the oil separates. Also check that your ground spices are not older than 6 months, as stale cumin and coriander lose their punch.
Can I add coconut milk or yogurt to make it creamier?
Yes, stir in 150 ml coconut milk or 100 g plain yogurt at the end of step 5 and warm through for 2 minutes without boiling. If using yogurt, whisk it with 1 tsp flour first and add it off the heat to stop it from splitting. Both additions make the sauce richer but slightly milder, so taste and adjust the chili powder.
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