Mix Veg Recipe (Easy One Pot Cooking)

ByDassana Amit Updated onApr 15, 2021

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My Mom’s recipe for North Indian style mixed vegetable recipe is a family favorite, and I’m certain you’ll love it too! Use just one pot and any vegetables you might have on hand to make this delicious mix veg recipe. It tastes delicious with roti, paratha or poori.

About Mix Veg Recipe

Being vegetarians, we have lots of veggies in our diet. I am a huge fan of recipes that are easy to make and can be altered based on what I have in my kitchen.

Oftentimes, I have the odds and ends of many different veggies after a week of cooking, but don’t have a plan to use them. This is the recipe I turn to when that happens.

overhead shot of mix veg curry recipe in a blue rimmed bowl on a white table

You can easily use different vegetables in this mix veg recipe depending on what you have on hand and what is in season.

If frozen veggies are all you have on hand, that isn’t a problem! You can also add paneer to this mix vegetable recipe if you like.

I also love that the vegetables are cooked in their juices for this recipe. While it takes a little longer to cook, the results are well worth it.

I often make this when we want to have something comforting with roti, poori or paratha. You can also have mix veg curry with steamed rice.

While the cook time might take awhile, this curry recipe is quite simple. All you need are some good veggies, a few key spices and a bit of patience! And since everything cooks together in one pot, clean up is a snap.

Finally, while I add a bit of cream to make this veg curry a little richer, you can easily omit it or swap in coconut cream to make this a completely vegan dish.

Now that you see why my mixed veg curry is a favorite of mine, let’s get to cooking!

How to Make Mix Veg Recipe

Sauté Aromatics

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a kadai (wok)or skillet or a pan. Then add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.

Use any neutral oil. I usually make this curry in sunflower oil and sometimes in peanut oil, which by the way is not a neutral flavored oil.

cumin seeds tempering in oil in the kadai

2. When the cumin seeds finish crackling, add ½ cup chopped onions.

3. Mix well and begin to sauté onions on a low to medium flame.

Tip: Stir often when sautéing onions to prevent burning, which can taste rather bitter.

4. Sauté onions till they turn light golden.

onions that have turned golden in the kadai

5. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.

ginger garlic paste added to cooked onions

6. Mix well and sauté for until the aroma of raw ginger and garlic goes away, about 10 to 12 seconds

aromatics simmering for tomato onion masala

Sauté Tomatoes & Spices

7. Then add 1 tightly packed cup of finely chopped tomatoes.

8. Mix well and begin to sauté tomatoes on a low heat. Stir often.

If the ingredients starts sticking to the pan, add in some splashes of water. Mix and deglaze the pan removing any stuck particles or bits. Continue to sauté further.

9. Sauté until the tomatoes turn pulpy, glossy and you see oil releasing from the sides.

tomatoes breaking down in the kadai for the tomato onion masala

10. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 2 teaspoons coriander powder.

Tip: For a spicier curry, add more Kashmiri chili powder to taste.

11. Mix the ground spice powders very well with the onion-tomato mixture and sauté for some seconds or up to a minute.

tomato onion masala in kadai ready for making mix veg curry

Add Vegetables

12. Add 2 cups of mixed chopped veggies and 1 green chili (about ½ teaspoon chopped chilies) to the onion tomato masala.

Tip: Chop the veggies in evenly sized small to medium sized pieces so that they cook well. You can use mix vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, potatoes and french beans. You can also use capsicum, white button mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini etc.

Just be sure to add the veggies in appropriate order, with vegetables that take a long time to cook going in first and vegetables that are quick cooking being added last. Check out this handy guide to vegetable cook times to help you.

Here is the amount of vegetables you need to add but you can easily alter the proportions of each veggie.

⅓ to ½ cup chopped potatoes
⅓ cup chopped capsicum
⅓ cup chopped carrots
¼ to ⅓ cup chopped french beans
1 cup chopped cauliflower (blanch the cauliflower florets prior to cooking if you prefer)

carrots, potatoes, green beans and cauliflower added to tomato onion masala

13. Add ½ cup of green peas (fresh or frozen).

14. Mix the veggies very well with the onion-tomato masala and sauté for a minute.

mixed vegetables tossed in tomato onion masala for curry recipe

Cook Vegetables

15. Add 1.5 cups water. (For a thinner gravy add 2 cups water.)

16. Add salt to taste.

teaspoon of salt over pot of mixed vegetables

17. Mix well.

18. Cover the kadai, skillet or pan with a lid and cook the veggies on a low to medium heat.

19. Check periodically while the veggies are cooking.

Add Milk or Cream (Optional Step)

20. When the veggies are half cooked (still too firm to poke with a fork), add 2 tablespoons cream (light or heavy) or 3 tablespoons milk in the vegetable curry.

Swap the cream with malai – the layer of cream that floats on top of boiled milk that has been cooled.

Note that the milk may curdle, but this gives a good taste in the veg curry. In the video, cream is added to the gravy.

Tip: You can skip adding cream or milk if you prefer, or opt for a coconut based cream, almond flour, cashew powder or cashew cream instead.

21. Mix well.

mixed veggie curry simmering on low heat

Make Mix Veg

22. Cover the kadai, pan or skillet again and simmer till the veggies are cooked well and fork tender.

lid back on the kadai for making mix veg recipe

23. Continue to check periodically while the veggies are cooking to ensure they don’t get overcooked and mushy.

mixed veggie curry after simmering to have a nice thick sauce

24. The veggies should be fork tender when they are done.

Tip: If there is too much water in the curry, then remove the lid and cook till the water evaporates and you get the curry consistency you want. If the vegetable curry looks dry and the veggies are not cooked, then add some water and continue to cover and cook.

25. Then add 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix again.

If using paneer then add some paneer cubes and the coriander leaves. Mix and switch off the heat.

fresh chopped coriander leaves added to mix veg

26. Serve mix vegetable curry steaming hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

Savor the vegetable curry with roti, naan, paratha or poori. You can also serve it with steamed rice or cumin rice. The curry also pairs well with bread or dinner rolls. Enjoy!!

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Reheat in a pan before serving. If the gravy has become thick, add a few splashes of water and mix well while reheating. Be careful while reheating so that the vegetables do not get overcooked.

FAQs

What are the best veggies to use for mix veg recipe?

I always make this curry with sturdy veggies like cauliflower, potatoes, beans, carrots and green peas. That said, you can use any vegetables you have on hand. Simply be sure to add the vegetables in order of their cook times.

Longer cooking vegetables (e.g. cauliflower and potatoes) should be added first, while fast cooking vegetables (e.g. spinach) should be added in the last few minutes.

Can mixed vegetable curry be made ahead of time?

I would not suggest to make ahead as the taste completely alters and changes when the curry is frozen. Moreover heating the veggies again can make them become mush and pasty.

How should I serve mixed vegetable curry?

You can opt to garnish veg curry with fried paneer cubes. Otherwise simply garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve mix veg hot with poori, paratha, kulcha or chapati, or over a pile of steamed rice. Enjoy!

This mix veg recipe post from the blog archives was first published on June 2010. It has been updated on December 2024.