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.
Why I Love This 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.
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 Onions
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.
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.
Sauté Ginger and Garlic Paste
5. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.
6. Mix well and sauté for until the aroma of raw ginger and garlic goes away, about 10 to 12 seconds
Sauté Tomatoes
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.
Add Ground Spices
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.
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)
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.
Add Water
15. Add 1.5 cups water. (For a thinner gravy add 2 cups water.)
16. Add salt to taste.
17. Mix well.
Cook Vegetable Curry
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.
22. Cover the kadai, pan or skillet again and simmer till the veggies are cooked well and fork tender.
23. Continue to check periodically while the veggies are cooking to ensure they don’t get overcooked and mushy.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
More Mixed Vegetable Recipes!
Curry Recipes
Vegan Recipes
Vegan Recipes
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Mix Veg Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (tightly packed) or 2 medium to large tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or paprika – add more for a spicy gravy
- 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies or 1 green chili
- 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 cauliflower if you prefer
- ½ cup green peas – fresh or frozen
- 1.5 cups water or add as required
- salt as required
- 2 tablespoons cream (light or heavy) or malai or 3 tablespoons milk
- 8 to 10 Paneer cubes – optional
- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves or 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
Instructions
Sautéing onions
- In a kadai (wok), skillet or a thick bottomed pan, heat oil.
- Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Then add finely chopped onions and sauté onions till they turn light golden.
Sautéing ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes
- Then add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for about 10 to 12 seconds or until the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away.
Sautéing tomatoes
- Then add the tomatoes. Keep on stirring till the tomatoes become soft and pulpy.
- The process of sautéing the tomatoes takes a little longer. If you want to quicken the process, add a pinch of salt to the onion-tomato mixture. Sauté the tomatoes on a low heat as you don’t want the tomatoes to get burnt.
- If the ingredients starts sticking to the pan, add in some splashes of water. Mix and deglaze the pan. Continue to sauté further.
Sautéing ground spices
- When the mixture becomes smooth, pulpy, glossy and you see oil releasing from the sides, then add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder.
- Mix the ground spice powders very well with the onion-tomato mixture and sauté for a minute.
Adding vegetables and water
- Now add the chopped veggies, green peas and green chilies.
- Add water and salt as per taste. Mix again.
Cooking Mix Vegetables
- Cover pan with a lid and let the veggies cook on a low to medium heat.
- Check periodically while the veggies are cooking.
Add cream (optional step)
- Once the veggies are half cooked, add the cream or malai or milk.
- Combine and mix well.
Cook veggies further
- Cover again with a lid and simmer the veggies till they are tender.
- Don’t forget to check the vegetables occasionally at intervals.
- Add more water if the water dries up and if the veggies are still to be cooked.
- Once the veggies are cooked and the mix veg curry is done, then switch off the heat and add 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. If using paneer, then add the paneer before you add the coriander leaves.
- You can also garnish veg curry with fried paneer cubes. Otherwise simply garnish with chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves.
- Serve mix veg curry hot or warm
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy 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.
- You can choose to garnish veg curry with fried paneer cubes. Otherwise simply garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves.
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.
Video
Notes
- Vegetables you can add: I always make this curry with sturdy veggies like cauliflower, potatoes, beans, carrots and green peas. But you can use any vegetables you have on hand. Ensure that you 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.
- Scaling: Make a small or large batch of this recipe easily.
- Vegan options: Omit the milk or cream. For a richer taste, add almond flour, cashew flour, almond milk or coconut milk. Add coconut milk when the curry is cooked through and the cooking is complete.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This mix veg recipe post from the blog archives (June 2010) has been republished and updated on 15 April 2021.
Hi Dassana, please can you tell for dry mix veg or for without gravy, I have to not include water? And also without onion garlic this recipe will taste same.
Hi Ruchi, without onion and garlic the recipe will taste different. To make dry variation, either you cook the veggies separately first and then mix them in a tempered/sautéed mixture of oil, cumin seeds, ginger, green chillies, asafoetida (hing), ground spices and tomatoes if you prefer. Here you can add the spices and ingredients that you like or prefer.
Second way is to first sauté or temper the spices, etc and then add the chopped vegetables. Add some water. Cover with a lid and simmer until the veggies are tender. When the vegetables are fork tender, if there are any liquids in the pan, evaporate it completely until the mix veg sabji is dry.
I made this at the weekend for friends with a couple of other dishes – it was delicious and a big hit. I’m making it again tonight.
Thanks for the feedback on the recipe and nice to know.
As all other recipes, this too is healthy, tasty and simple!!
Thank you.
I tried this recipe when I had no time and the guests were about to come suddenly
It was awesome yummy so easy
thanks for sharing this positive review on mix veg recipe. glad to know.
Does this taste good after a few days.can I cook ahead of the event.
mix veg curry tastes good for a day only. avoid making it before some days as the taste changes.