Veg Kurma | Korma Recipe (Stovetop and Instant Pot)

Absolutely flavorsome and delish is this Veg Kurma – a warming, spiced and complexly flavored curry from the Indian Cuisine. With so many Korma recipe variations out there, I am sharing two super delicious South Indian korma recipes made with mixed veggies, coconut and spices.

1. A Hotel Style Veg Kurma made in a pressure cooker on the stovetop. You can also make it easily in pan.
2. An easy Instant Pot Korma recipe that is vegan.

Both my korma recipes are with step by step photos and taste awesome. Make any of them with the gadgets you have.

What is Korma?

Korma, also called as Kurma is an aromatic gravy or sauce based dish that is popular in India as well as in Central Asia. Korma is a specialty from the Mughlai cuisine.

The base gravy or sauce varies with the region the Korma recipe comes from. The North and Central Indian have their korma base sauce made with curd (yogurt), stock or water, cream, spices, nuts and seeds, onions and meat or vegetables.

The South Indian regions include coconut with the addition of yogurt, onion, tomatoes, spices, nuts and seeds with vegetables or meat.

So you see depending on the ingredient included, the taste and flavor will vary. Example a curd based korma will have a slight sour taste to it. While a kurma made with coconut, will have the mild sweetness of coconut in it.

About this recipe

After having tested plenty of vegetarian kurma recipes which lacked flavor, depth and taste, I am presenting to you this perfect Korma recipe which has the right balance of taste, flavor and aroma.

Testing and developing veg kurma recipes have made me an expert in them. My awesome tasting veg kurma is not sweet or mild but has lovely complex flavor coming from the nuts, seeds, coconut and spices.

It is spiced but not spicy. I include some green chillies to add some heat to the dish. If you do not have green chillies, you easily can add dry red chilies.

I also add coconut and yogurt in my veg kurma recipe. The slight sourness of the yogurt balances the sweetness of the coconut beautifully.

I have shown making this South Indian veg kurma in a stovetop pressure cooker as it saves time.

Fret not, if you do not have a pressure cooker. The recipe can easily be made in a pot or pan. I have included instructions in the recipe card below to cook veg kurma in a pan.

Which vegetables to add in Veg Kurma?

Kurma is generally made with a combination of vegetables like – carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, french beans, green peas.

Yet there is no limit, to the type of veggie you can add in a kurma. I often include button mushrooms – which by the way is not a veggie but an edible fungi. You can include paneer (cottage cheese) or tofu as well.

More ideas are including corn, baby corn, aubergines, broccoli, parsnips, zucchini.

My korma recipe is vegetarian. To make it vegan substitute dairy yogurt with vegan yogurt or skip yogurt.

You can choose to make kurma with a combination of mix vegetables that I have mentioned above or with just one or two veggies.

My veg kurma recipe is forgiving and highly adaptable, so you can simply make it with just one veggie, say cauliflower or a mix of the evergreen Indian combination – potato and green peas or your favorite veggie.

If like us, you like to have sumptuous and healthy curries on your dinner table, then do have a look at some of these kurma recipe variations

• Navratan Korma
• Potato Kurma
• Paneer Korma
• Cauliflower Kurma

I make this hotel style veg kurma as a weekend lunch on occasions. We like Vegetarian Curry Recipes a lot, so I make them often.

These are easy, healthy and nutritious. Steaming hot veg kurma with some soft roti or naan is such a satisfying meal.

How to make Veg Kurma

Before you begin making this delicious veg kurma, there is some prep work like soaking cashews and making coconut paste. When you have completed these, you only need to sauté and pressure cook.

Prepping cashews and veggies

1. Soak 12 to 15 cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain and set aside.

2. Rinse and soak 1 to 1.25 cups medium sized cauliflower florets in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

TIP: This step is optional and only to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower. After blanching the cauliflower, drain them and set aside.

3. Rinse, peel and chop the rest of the veggies – 1 medium potato, 7 to 8 french beans and 1 medium carrot. Chop 1 medium sized onion finely and 1 medium sized tomato. Set the chopped veggies aside.

Making kurma paste

4. Now we begin to grind spices, nuts and seeds to make an aromatic kurma paste. These ingredients add so much flavor. So try to include all of them and in the exact proportions.

TIP: I know you may not have a few of these like poppy seeds, kapok buds and stone flower. So simply omit adding these.

You will need:

• 5 tablespoons desiccated coconut or fresh or frozen coconut
• 2 teaspoons white poppy seeds (optional) (khus khus)
• ½ tablespoon roasted chana dal
• ½ tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 to 5 black peppercorns
• 1 marathi moggu or kapok bud (optional)
• 1 small tiny piece of stone flower (optional)

5. Take all the above ingredients in a good blender or mixer-grinder.

6. Add the soaked cashews, 2 green chilies (chopped), 3 to 4 medium sized garlic (chopped) and 1 inch ginger (chopped).

7. Add ½ cup water and grind to a smooth fine paste. Keep aside.

TIP: The korma paste consistency should be fine. You don’t want a chunky paste here.

Sautéing

8. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2-litre pressure cooker. Add the chopped onions.

9. Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent or a light golden. Add 7 to 8 curry leaves (medium to large sized) and mix.

10. Next add the chopped tomatoes.

11. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon red chili powder. Mix well and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.

12. Add the ground korma paste.

13. Mix thoroughly.

14. Sauté stirring often for 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium heat or until you see the oil releasing from the sides and the paste becoming glossy and thick.

15. Add 2 tablespoons fresh curd (yogurt). If you want, you can skip yogurt too.

TIP: Do not use sour yogurt as this may make the gravy taste sour.

16. Mix the curd very well with the rest of the masala.

17. Add the chopped mix vegetables.

18. Mix the veggies with the rest of the masala and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

19. Add 1.25 cups of water. For slightly thin gravy you can add 1.5 cups water. If cooking in a pan, then add 1.5 to 2 cups of water. Mix well.

20. Add salt according to your taste preference.

Making Veg Kurma

21. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes on medium-high heat. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid. The consistency of veg kurma gravy is medium – neither thin nor thick.

TIP: If you find the gravy to be thin, then you can simmer for some more minutes. If the gravy looks thick, then add some water and simmer for a few more minutes.

22. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and give a stir.

23. Serve hotel style veg kurma hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

• Indian flat breads: Kurma pairs greatly with some soft roti. A chewy naan or a flaky paratha is also a great side. My favorite is to have it with kerala parotta that is soft and flaky.
• Indian fry bread: Poori which is the most popular Indian fried bread is again a best choice to have korma.
• Rice: Plain steamed rice or flavored rice like ghee rice, biryani rice make easy yet tasty sides with a kurma gravy.
• Dosa: Veg kurma tastes too good with a soft dosa like neer dosa, poha dosa or a lacy, soft appam.

Expert Tips

• Whole spices: I would recommend to keep the quantity of spices, nuts and seeds as mentioned in my recipe. Do not increase or decrease the amount as this would alter the taste greatly. Moreover blending whole spices add so much flavor that cannot be achieved by adding ground spice powders or curry powder or garam masala.
• Stone-flower: Include a tiny piece of stone flower (about 0.5 cm in size) as it is a highly aromatic spice.
• Consistency: You can alter the consistency of the kurma gravy by adding less or more water. But do not make it too thick or thin or runny.
• Cooking in a pan: Simply follow all the steps listed for the pressure cooker version. Only add 1.5 to 2 cups water. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat stirring occasionally until the veggies are fork tender.
• Vegan version: Dairy yogurt can be replaced with vegan yogurt to make vegan kurma. Or you can skip adding yogurt entirely.

Ingredient swaps

• Cashews: Replace with almonds.
• Roasted chana dal: If you do not have roasted chana dal, then skip it
• Poppy seeds: Use melon seeds or omit adding poppy seeds entirely.
• Stone flower: Adding stone flower is optional and skip if you do not have it.
• Kapok buds (marathi moggu): Skip this aromatic spice if you do not get it.
• Curry leaves: Replace curry leaves with 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf).

More Indian Vegetable Curries

Moderate • 30 mins

Brinjal Recipes

Brinjal Curry (Baingan Masala)

Easy • 25 mins

Potato Recipes

Potato Curry | Aloo Curry

Moderate • 45 mins

Palak Recipes (Spinach Recipes)

Aloo Palak (Spinach Curry with Potatoes)

Moderate • 30 mins

Potato Recipes

Aloo Matar | Aloo Mutter

About Instant Pot Korma

This Instant Pot Korma is an aromatic, delicious and lightly spiced red gravy. It is made with mixed vegetables, coconut, cashews, dry red chillies, herbs and spices.

Making korma in the instant pot saves cooking time and gets done quickly. This red korma recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Why this recipe works

1. Taste & flavor: This kurma recipe has a complex taste and flavor. It is not an overly sweet version but a spiced one. Dry Kashmiri red chillies impart a lovely red color to the korma. The addition of coconut also gives a nice subtle sweetness that gets balanced with the pungency and heat of the spices.
2. One pot cooking: The entire recipe has been cooked in the instant pot. If you have time then you can also cook the korma in a pan.
3. Vegetables: Can be of your choice (cauliflower, broccoli, corn, carrots, eggplant, green peas, baby corn, beans, potatoes). You can also add paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or tofu or white button mushrooms. I personally love the taste and texture of mushrooms in korma gravies.
4. Water proportion: When cooking thick gravy recipes like korma, it is important to add enough amount of water so that you do not get the burn sign. The amount of water added in this recipe is perfect and you do not get the burn sign when pressure cooking.

Step-by-step Instant Pot Korma

Preparation

1. Take all the following ingredients for making the spice paste or masala paste in a grinder jar.

• Nuts and seeds: 6 tablespoons grated fresh coconut or desiccated coconut, 6 whole cashews, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds.
• Spices: 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 3 to 4 Kashmiri red chillies and a tiny piece of stone flower (optional).
• Herbs: 3 to 4 medium-sized garlic (chopped) and 1-inch ginger (chopped).
• Lentils: 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal (roasted split and husked chickpeas).

2. Add ½ cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. You can add more water if required while grinding.

3. Rinse, peel and dice all the veggies. I added carrots, french beans, potatoes, cauliflower, peas and some white button mushrooms (optional).

Sautéing in instant pot

4. Switch on the instant pot. Press the sauté button on less mode or normal mode for 10 to 15 minutes. When the instant pot displays hot, add 3 tablespoons oil.

Add ⅓ cup chopped onions and 8 to 10 curry leaves. You can also add 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf) instead of curry leaves.

5. Sauté onions until they soften and turn translucent. No need to brown the onions.

6. Add ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.

7. Mix very well and sauté tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Add the ground coconut & spices paste.

9. Mix very well.

10. Sauté masala paste for 8 to 9 minutes on the low mode of the sauté option. Keep on stirring often so that the masala paste does not stick at the bottom of the steel insert. The masala paste will thicken and look glossy.

11. Add the diced vegetables. You can also add 2 tablespoons curd (yogurt) at this step. You can use either dairy yogurt or almond yogurt or cashew yogurt.

12. Stir and mix very well. Deglaze after adding vegetables. Stir very well and scrape any ingredient stuck at the bottom of the steel insert pot. The moisture from the veggies will help in deglazing.

Adding water

13. Press the cancel button. Add 1.5 cups water in the mixer-grinder or blender jar. Close lid and swirl and shake the jar. So the masala stuck beneath the blades and the sides get mixed with the water. Set aside.

14. Add this masala mixed water to the veggies. Mix very well and deglaze if required.

Cooking in IP

15. Cover IP with its lid. Turn the valve to its sealing position. Use the pressure cook or manual mode and set the timer to 5 minutes on high pressure.

16. Wait for 3 minutes once you hear the beep after the pressure cooking is done. Then give a quick pressure release (QPR). Open the lid.

17. Give a stir. Check taste and add more salt if required.

18. Serve this vegan korma garnished with some coriander leaves.

Serving Suggestions

Drizzle some lemon juice on top of the red korma before having it with Indian breads like roti, paratha or poori or rumali roti or naan bread.

It also tastes delicious with cumin rice or steamed rice, cumin rice or Kashmiri pulao. You can also have this curry with bread or dinner rolls.

If you made this recipe, please be sure to rate it in the recipe card below. Sign Up for my email newsletter or you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest or Twitter for more vegetarian inspirations.

This veg kurma recipe post is from the archives (Dec 2015) and has been republished and updated on 2nd January 2021.

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