Vegetable Masala

Vegetable Masala is bursting with flavor! This creamy, comforting, and hearty curry is packed with a variety of vegetables and rich spices.

Try our original Chicken Tikka Masala recipe next time or for a creamy coconut-milk-based masala with chickpeas, you’ll love this Vegetarian Tikka Masala!

Vegetable Masala

When my husband and I visited the Maldives, we took an Indian cooking class at a restaurant on the island. Cooking in actual tandoor ovens was a unique highlight! I’m still trying to convince my husband we need one in our backyard! 🙂

We made several dishes, including two types of naan. The garlic naan was my favorite. (Would you like that recipe?!)

While we made and sampled many stand-out dishes, I couldn’t get enough of the Vegetable Masala. This recipe is adapted from that class, with a few tweaks I made at home. I’ve swapped out some ingredients for ones more readily available in the US and changed a few veggies.

This recipe uses a good amount of oil and ghee (or butter), which is typical in Indian cooking for rich, indulgent curries. Reducing the oil or butter will affect the flavor, but remember, this dish makes a lot, so the amount per serving isn’t as much as it seems.

Ingredients

Even though this dish sounds exotic, you can easily find the ingredients at your local grocery store—no need for specialty stores or online orders.

• Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: These tomatoes add a rich, smoky flavor, so I recommend good-quality brands like Cento Marzano®, Carmelina Marzano Italian®, or Muir Glen®. The tomatoes are charred over a flame before being crushed, bringing out their sweetness without any extra effort.
• Fresh ginger and garlic: While I often use jarred garlic, fresh garlic makes a big difference in this Vegetable Masala. For the best flavor, stick with fresh ginger and garlic.
• Spice blend: This recipe uses several spices, which you might already have if you cook Indian dishes often. The key spice is garam masala, a blend of toasted spices like cinnamon, peppercorns, and cumin seeds, ground into a powder. It adds a huge burst of flavor.
• Ghee: Once a specialty ingredient, ghee is now widely available in grocery stores. It’s a type of clarified butter that’s richer and more flavorful than regular butter. Grass-fed ghee has the best taste, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. Look for ghee in the baking aisle or ethnic food section.

Vegetable Masala Tips

• Play around with spice: If you want a spicier meal, add in more cayenne pepper (to your preference; start slowly and increase as desired) and/or some red pepper flakes. The recipe we made in the class called for chilli powder — not to be confused with American chili powder. In India, chilli powder refers to unadulterated ground chilies which is similar to American cayenne powder. I call for cayenne in this recipe because it’s more accessible, but I do list this amount as optional. My kids like this dish best without the cayenne and I do like the cayenne added in (even a little more if it’s just for me!).
• A lot of salt: With so many strong flavors, we also need a good amount of salt. Don’t be afraid to add more until the flavors sing. We add a good amount to this Vegetable Masala — 1 and 1/2 teaspoons, but feel free to scale up or down to personal preference.
• Take the time to develop the flavors: While it may seem tedious to add just a few ingredients at a time (sauté, add a few more, sauté, etc.), we do this to layer the flavors in this meal. The spices get so much more flavorful by sautéing with the veggies, the tomatoes’ sweetness is accentuated, and the veggies will become tender quicker.
• Swap out veggies: I’ve added similar vegetables to the masala we made but changed out a few. The recipe we made had green beans and baby corn in it which you could certainly add in (near the end) or swap out another veggie for.

Vegetable Masala is amazing right off the stove, but adding a few finishing touches makes the flavors sing! We love a good squeeze of lemon and some more fresh herbs added right before eating. Below are our other favorite accompaniments to serve with this masala:

• Cucumber raita: The contrast of the warm spiced veggies and sauce with a cooling yogurt is unbelievable! In fact, we made cucumber raita and served it with the vegetable masala in the class! My recipe for cucumber raita is in the “quick tip” section below.
• Basmati rice: We love basmati rice with this dish and it whips up so quickly! Check out the notes section of my recipe card for a quick, fool-proof way to cook it.
• Naan: If serving naan alongside this meal, I recommend warming it before serving. Either char the naan over the stovetop, heat it in the toaster oven, or warm it in the microwave.

More Curry Recipes

• Chicken Curry with coconut milk
• Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup with chickpeas
• Curry Lentil Soup with red lentils
• Butter Chicken Meatballs over basmati rice
• Curry Chicken Salad with golden raisins

SaveSaved Pin Print

4.86 from 7 votes

Vegetable Masala

By Chelsea Lords

Vegetable Masala is packed with rich spices and a variety of veggies, making it a creamy, hearty, and flavor-packed curry!

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Large cast-iron pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• ▢ 5 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter, divided
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups finely diced red onion 1 large onion
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots 4 large carrots
• ▢ 1 cup diced red pepper 1 pepper
• ▢ 3 cups diced Yukon gold potatoes 4 potatoes
• ▢ 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 2-1/2 tablespoons finely minced garlic 4 to 5 cloves
• ▢ 2 tablespoons peeled and finely minced ginger 1-1/2 inch piece
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1-2/3 cups vegetable stock or broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup frozen sweet peas
• ▢ 1/3 cup finely diced cilantro or parsley
• ▢ Serving suggestions see note 1

Seasonings

• ▢ 2 teaspoons turmeric
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coriander
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Finely dice red onion and red pepper or add to a food processor to quickly chop. Wash (no need to peel) and thinly slice carrots (cut thick carrots in half lengthwise first, then cut to create thin half moons). Wash and dice (no need to peel) potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Coarsely chop cauliflower into small pieces. Finely mince garlic and ginger (or add to a food processor).
• Add coconut oil and 2 tablespoons ghee to a large cast-iron pot, heated to medium-high heat. (A nonstick pot doesn’t hold heat the same, so you may need to cook a bit longer.) Once oil and ghee are melted, add onion, carrot, red pepper, potatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté 8–10 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add ginger, garlic, and sugar; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, add seasonings, salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper), and tomato paste into pot. Cook, stirring constantly, 2–3 minutes. Everything should be very fragrant, and tomato paste should darken (reduce heat if needed; nothing should be smoking/burning).
• Add cauliflower and crushed tomatoes. Sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in vegetable stock and press veggies down below the liquid. Bring to a simmer (should be bubbling at the edges), then reduce heat to a few notches above low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 15–20 minutes or until veggies are fork-tender and liquid has significantly thickened (if it isn’t thickening/veggies aren’t getting tender, slightly increase heat).
• Turn to lowest heat and add heavy cream and remaining 3 tablespoons ghee. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peas and cilantro and mix through. Taste for any additional seasoning/salt. Depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need another 1–2 teaspoons sugar to balance the acidity.
• Set out rice, top with the vegetable masala, and add any additional toppings like a spoonful of cucumber raita, additional cilantro sprigs, and a good drizzle of lemon juice (I like a good squeeze of lemon on each bowl!) Enjoy with warmed naan.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Optionally serve with cooked basmati rice (note 2), cucumber raita (note 3), lemon wedges, additional cilantro or parsley, and warmed naan (note 4).

Note 2: Here’s how I cook basmati rice, which is my favorite base for this recipe. Note that these directions do not work for other rice varieties (long grain, short grain, jasmine).

• Measure rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until water runs clear.
• Place rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5–10 minutes.
• While rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set it to boil.
• Once water is at a rolling boil, drain rice and add it to the pot.
• Cook without reducing heat for 5 minutes, then drain and fluff with a fork.

Note 3: I love the cooling contrast of cucumber raita on this masala. Add the following ingredients to a medium bowl: 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup finely chopped English or Persian cucumber, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 2 teaspoons chopped green onions, 1/4 teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, and fine sea salt. Stir until combined, then refrigerate. Stir before adding to the vegetable masala.

Note 4: Warmed naan is the best with this masala! Lightly spray both sides of the naan with cooking spray. “Grill” the naan on a gas stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred, about 10–20 seconds per side. Don’t have a gas stove? Preheat oven to 200°F. Stack the naan in a pile and wrap in foil. Heat in oven until warm, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information does not include rice or naan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 1261mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 6197IU | Vitamin C: 123mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!