Baby Corn Masala | Baby Corn Curry
Baby Corn Masala recipe with step by step photos. This is a creamy and delicious Baby Corn Curry made in the classic North Indian style. A vegan recipe and makes for a comforting meal when paired with Indian flat breads or steamed rice.
There are a few dishes that I make with baby corn. I have already shared some Baby Corn Recipes on the blog. Baby corn blends well with any gravy or sauce or curry, be it North Indian, Indo Chinese or even world cuisine.
I usually add baby corn in pulao or rice dishes or in Chinese recipes. On some rare occasions, I make recipes with baby corn as the hero ingredient.
This baby corn masala recipe does not use any heavy ingredients like butter and cream. So is light and yet delicious. The creaminess comes from blending the cashews, melon seeds and tomatoes – which form the curry base in this recipe.
This baby corn curry goes well with roti, naan, steamed rice or jeera rice. You can also accompany some fresh vegetable salad by the side.
How to make Baby Corn Masala
1. In a blender or grinder, add the following ingredients:
- 1 medium sized onion or ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 3 medium sized tomatoes or 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes
- 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 green chili, chopped
- 1 black cardamom, optional
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 1 single, thin strand of mace, optional
- ¼ cup chopped or broken cashews
- 2 tablespoon magaz (melon seeds)
2. Blend or grind to a smooth paste with some water. Do not make a thin paste. Also ensure to make a finely ground paste without any chunks or small pieces.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pan or kadai. Keeping heat to a low, add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf).
4. Fry the leaf till fragrant and then add the ground masala paste.
5. Continue to sauté and stir pretty often. After 10to 12 mins add the ground spice powders:
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
6. Continue sauteing till the whole masala starts coming together.
7. This is how the consistency of the masala should be – well sautéed. This sautéing process takes approximate 20 to 25 mins on a low to medium heat.
So one needs patience and time when doing this method. Also the masala has to be stirred quite often.
You will see oil leaving the sides of the masala and it will gather together and also look glossy.
8. When the masala paste is sautéed well, add water and chopped baby corn (200 to 250 grams).
9. Bring the curry to a boil and then simmer for 10 to 12 minutes on a low to medium heat till the baby corn gravy thickens and you get a medium consistency gravy.
10. Lastly add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and salt as required. Stir and check the taste of baby corn curry.
Add more salt, red chilli powder or garam masala powder if required. Switch off the heat.
11. Serve Baby Corn Masala hot garnished with coriander leaves accompanied with roti, naan, phulka, paratha or steamed rice.
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Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
main ingredients for baby corn masala
- 200 to 250 grams baby corn
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), medium sized
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi crushed (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1.5 to 2 cups water * check notes
- 3 tablespoons oil
- salt as required
- few chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
grind to paste
- 1 onion – medium sized, or ⅓ cup chopped
- 3 omatoes – medium sized or 1.5 cups chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic – small to medium, peeled and chopped
- 1 inch ginger – peeled and chopped
- 1 green chili
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 1 single strand of mace
- ¼ cup cashews – chopped or broken
- 2 tablespoon magaz (melon seeds)
Instructions
preparation
- Rinse the baby corn first. Slice the base thinly.
- Then chop the baby corn either diagonally, vertically or into 1 inch slices.
- Take all the ingredients mentioned under the list “grind to paste” in a blender or grinder.
- Add little water and make a smooth paste. Don't add too much water as then the masala splutters while frying.
making baby corn masala
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai.
- Add bay leaf and fry till fragrant for 7-8 seconds.
- Add the masala paste. Saute and keep on stirring the masala paste.
- After 10-12 minutes add all the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder.
- Stir well. Continue to saute, stirring quite often till the oil separates from the masala.
- The masala has to really sauted very well.
- This takes approx 20-25 minutes on a low to medium flame.
cooking baby corn curry
- Next add water and baby corns.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer the gravy for 10-12 mins on a low to medium flame till you get a medium consistency gravy and the baby corn have cooked.
- Lastly add crushed kasuri methi and salt as required.
- Stir and check the taste of curry. add more salt, red chilli powder or garam masala powder if required.
- Serve the baby corn masala curry hot with some naan, rotis or jeera rice.
Notes
- * add more water if required and if the baby corn masala gravy is too thick.
- If the baby corn masala gravy becomes thin then simmer till the gravy thickens.
- In this baby corn masala recipe I have blended both the onions and tomatoes together. So sauteing this paste takes a lot of time. If you want to be quick, then add the onion paste first and saute till golden brown and then add the tomatoes-spice-nuts paste.
Nutrition
This Baby Corn Masala post from the blog archives first published in December 2013 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
This recipe is an absolute favourite with my family. I serve it with parathas at home, and everybody just doesn’t stop at one!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am really happy to hear that your family enjoys the baby corn masala. Serving it with parathas sounds perfect, and I agree, it’s hard to stop at just one.
I like most of your preparations. They taste really yummy.
Thanks a lot.
I skipped the melon seeds. It’s my favourite masala gravy that you do. Beautiful, and simple.
thanks 🙂
I don’t have melon seeds. Can I skip it or there any substitute for it
riya, skip the melon seeds. no need to add.
HI,
This sounds yummy. But i dont have melon seeds. I have seen in comments that we can instead use almonds. Will it taste the same with almonds??
If not i will try to find melon seeds
taste will change with almonds, but you can still make. it will still taste good.
Tried babycorn masala today n it turned out delicious.. I just shallow fried babycorn and capsicum to it.. Thank uu dassana
glad to know this thankyou navya 🙂 for trying them.
i love your recipes..i dnt hv badi elaichi and mace..can i make it without it? any substitutes which i can use?
yes you can skip badi elaichi and mace.
Baby corn.masala curry recipee is good. I had tried it. It was fabulous.. Baby corn manchurian recipee too looks tasty .
thanks sweety
Lovely dish
thanks praveen
I’m loving it :)..
This blog is amazing for starters.
thanks hima
sounds yummy
Really verry delicious recipe thanks for it
thanks.
hi.dassana, thanks for nice recipe,today,s my sweet daughters Bday n she likes baby corn curry most but i dont know how to cook.but today i ll give her surprise.when she come from school.thanks
so sweet shobhana. do let me know if the curry was well received.
Yummy recipe.tried it for today’s dinner,came out really gud.
Thnx dassana.
welcome vibha. glad to know that you liked the recipe.
thankx for the receipe i will try making…….:)
welcome tara
Can you skip melon seeds?
if you skip, there will be a slight difference in taste. so you can add about 1 tbsp of almonds instead.
hi Dassana,
The gravy looks so yummy, will definitely try this out.
Do you buy the melon seeds, or take it out of the melons that you use? If you do take out the seeds of melons, is there a simple way to clean and store them.. also, should one remove the hard cover of the seed, or can it be used as whole?
i buy the melon seeds. the seeds have to be sun dried first and then the outer shell has to be removed. once they are sun dried, the can be stored for some months. its a bit lengthy process, so i suggest buying them from shops.
Lovely pictures, Dassana.
Just wanted to know, can this be done in a pressure cooker? As in, sauteing the masala blend and then adding the baby corn and pressure cooking it? Will it make any difference to the taste?
you can make in a pressure cooker. but reduce the amount of water added, may be by 1/2 cup. there will be a slight difference in the taste.