A creamy, aromatic, and flavorful curry loaded with mixed vegetables—this vegetable kurma recipe is a must-try! Whether you're pairing it with soft chapatis, flaky parottas, or fluffy idlis, this dish will quickly become a family favourite. With its South Indian hotel-style taste and versatility, it’s perfect for any meal of the day. Bonus? It's simple enough for beginners to nail on their first try!
This Tamil-style vegetable kurma recipe brings back a treasure trove of childhood memories. F introduced me to Arabic cuisine, while I spoiled him with Tamil Nadu’s finest—idli, dosa, vada, sambar, Pongal, and more. Tamil Nadu’s subtle twists give these South Indian staples a distinct charm, which you’ll discover in every bite.
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📝Mixed Veg Kurma Tamil Style
This recipe is a gem, and while some blogs call it a copycat “Saravana Bhavan Veg Kurma,” I can’t vouch for that since I haven’t had much experience with their menu. To me, this is the iconic kurma recipe for parotta. This pairs perfectly with chapathi or parotta in Tamil Nadu restaurants, whether upscale or humble roadside joints.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
This dish is deeply tied to my childhood memories, especially with my mom. While I was in 6th or 7th grade, I’d accompany my mom for her regular health checkups every couple of months. The highlight of those trips was our visit to Gowrishankar afterwards, where we’d indulge in a plate of parotta and veg kurma.
Honestly, that post-checkup treat was the only reason I happily tagged along! It’s a memory etched in my heart, tied to both the taste of this kurma and the joy of those moments with my mom.
My mom was an excellent cook, and the vegetable kurma recipe was one of the dishes she perfected during her catering venture with her friend.
This recipe isn’t just about food—it’s a gateway to memories, flavours, and the simple joys of a bygone era. Now it’s your turn to recreate this magic at home!
❤️Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavour: The creamy coconut paste, aromatic spices, and perfectly cooked vegetables come together to create a rich and flavorful dish.
- Versatile: This mixed vegetable kurma pairs wonderfully with chapati, parotta, or even plain rice. You can also adjust the spice level to suit your taste.
- Easy: With straightforward steps and readily available ingredients, this recipe ensures success even for a newbie cook!
- This is an easy veg kurma in an instant pot recipe!
🥘Ingredient List
Here is my list of key ingredients to make the hotel veg kurma:
- Thickening agents: You will need grated coconut, roasted channa dal (pottukadalai), cashews and white sesame seeds.
- Whole Spices: You will need black stone flowers, bay leaves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and green cardamom.
- Produce: You will need green chillies, red onion, fresh mint leaves, tomatoes and a mix of carrots, beans, potatoes, green peas or any quick-cooking veggies on hand. Frozen mixed veggies work great too!
- Ginger garlic paste
- Ground spices: You will need red chilli, turmeric and south-Indian garam masala and kasuri methi.
- Cooking oil: Ghee adds flavour. You can mix ghee with your regular cooking oil.
Kalpasi - Black Stone Flower
This recipe uses Black Stone Flowers / Shaiba leaves / Kalpasi / Dagaad ka Phool which I started using when I made Mofatah rice. It does make a difference and a little goes a long way! There is no close sub for this lichen, so do not omit it if you want the real taste. You should be able to find it in any Indian or Middle Eastern store.
🥣Types of Equipment Required
- Blender or food processor for grinding the paste.
- Pressure cooker or heavy-bottomed saucepot for cooking the kurma.
🔪Steps to Make Veg Kurma
Originally the recipe was shared using an Indian pressure cooker but I switched to Instant Pot so have updated this post with its details.
Prepare the Kurma Coconut Paste
Add the grated coconut, green chillies, fennel seeds, whole spices, roasted channa dal, cashews, and sesame seeds into a chutney maker or mini food processor.
Process into a fine paste with a little water. Set aside.
Saute
Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker or instant pot saute mode. Add bay leaf, black stone flower (kalpasi), and cumin seeds. Sauté until aromatic.
Add thinly sliced onions and cook until translucent. Stir in ginger-garlic paste and mint leaves, and sauté until fragrant.
Add tomatoes with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and pulpy.
Add the ground paste, red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt. Clean the mixie jar with a little water and pour into the pot. No wastage here.
Pressure Cook
Add and stir in the chopped vegetables. Add water, whisked curd, and dried fenugreek leaves.
Close the cooker and cook for one whistle on high flame and one on medium flame. Switch off. Instant Pot, cook for 4 to 5 mins and quick release after 8 to 10 mins.
💡Serving Ideas
This mixed vegetable kurma recipe is a perfect side dish for soft, flaky parottas—a match made in culinary heaven! It’s also a classic pairing with chapathi or pooris for a wholesome, comforting meal. If you're in a South Indian mood, serve it alongside idli, dosa, or even appams.
For rice lovers, this creamy kurma pairs beautifully with steamed jeera rice or a bowl of mildly spiced ghee rice. Have leftovers? Scoop it up with toasted bread for a quick and satisfying snack!
💡Recipe Tips
- Always cook the onions thoroughly to enhance the curry’s depth.
- Use fresh spices for maximum flavour.
- Adjust water consistency based on what you're pairing the kurma with—thicker for bread, and thinner for rice.
❄️Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water to adjust the consistency. This easy veg kurma recipe also freezes well for up to a month.
☝️FAQs
Absolutely! The flavours deepen over time, making it taste even better the next day.
You can skip it or use a small pinch of nutmeg for a similar earthy touch.
For a shortcut, use store-bought coconut milk and spice powders, but grinding fresh ingredients makes all the difference.
🍲More Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes that use kalpasi (black stone flower)? Try these:
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📖 Recipe Card
Vegetable Kurma for Chapathi
Ingredients
Grind to Paste
- ⅓ cup grated coconut
- 2 to 3 green chillies, chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 1 green cardamom
- 2 teaspoon pottukadalai, roasted channa dal
- 4 whole cashews
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup water
Prepare Veg Kurma
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 black stone flower, aka shaiba in Arabic or kalpasi in Tamil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion, sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- Fistful fresh mint leaves
- 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
- prepared coconut paste
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 to 2 cups mixed veggies, carrots, beans, potato, cauliflower and green peas
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon yoghurt, whisked (curd)
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi, (dried fenugreek leaves)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the paste into a mixie or processor and grind the mixture to a fine paste.⅓ cup grated coconut2 to 3 green chillies½ teaspoon fennel seeds1 inch cinnamon stick2 cloves1 green cardamom2 teaspoon pottukadalai4 whole cashews½ teaspoon sesame seeds¼ cup water
- Heat oil and ghee together in a pressure cooker or a saucepot.1 tablespoon ghee2 tablespoon cooking oil
- Add the bay leaf, black stone flower, and cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds until fragrant.1 bay leaf1 black stone flower½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Add the chopped onions and saute till it turns transparent.1 large onion
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- Stir in the mint leaves.Fistful fresh mint leaves
- Add the chopped tomato and saute with a dash of salt and stir until pulpy.1 medium-sized tomato
- Reduce the flame to low and add the ground paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix well.prepared coconut paste½ teaspoon red chilli powder¼ teaspoon turmeric powder½ teaspoon garam masala
- Fold in the finely chopped vegetables and green peas.1 to 2 cups mixed veggies
- Stir in the water and add a pinch of kasoori methi and whisked curd.1½ cups water1 tablespoon yoghurt½ teaspoon kasuri methisalt to taste
- Mix well and close the cooker with the weight on.
- Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high flame and 1 on medium flame or for a total of 10 to 12 mins. If using pot, cover and cook until all vegetables are cooked through. You may need more water for pot cooking. For Instant Pot - refer notes.
- Serve this mix veg kurma with Porotta, chapati, idli etc.
Notes
- Instant Pot: Start on saute and follow the same process. Make sure you add splashes of water if it starts to stick. Add enough water to ensure ingredients are submerged. Cancel saute and Pressure cook for 5 mins, and quick release only after 8 or 10 mins.
Nutrition Info
Recipe adapted from Chitra's Food Book
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