Chicken curry is a beloved dish around the world known for its rich, aromatic sauce and tender pieces of chicken. But the vegetables included are what really makes this iconic curry dish sing. Choosing the right vegetables is key to creating a perfectly balanced chicken curry. In this comprehensive guide we’ll explore the best vegetables to use, cooking tips, and recipe ideas to help you craft a mouthwatering chicken curry.
The Most Popular Vegetables for Chicken Curry
These vegetables are tried and true additions that complement chicken curry flawlessly
Onions – An essential aromatics that forms the base of a chicken curry. Diced onions are sautéed to caramelize their natural sugars and achieve maximum flavor. Red or yellow onions are common.
Tomatoes – Provide a sweet, tangy flavor and richness to the curry sauce. Both fresh and canned diced tomatoes can be used.
Potatoes – Offer comforting thickness and creaminess. Waxy potatoes like red or Yukon Gold hold their shape well when cooked.
Carrots – Add pops of color and natural sweetness that balances the rich, spicy flavors.
Cauliflower – Its mild flavor soaks up the sauce beautifully. Florets add texture when cooked just until tender.
Peas – Fresh or frozen peas bring color, crunch, and vibrancy. Stir them in at the end to retain brightness.
Bell Peppers – Red, green, and yellow peppers lend crunchy freshness along with subtle sweetness.
Spinach – Wilts quickly so add towards the end. Offers freshness and nutrients.
Garlic – Essential aromatics that enhances the flavor complexity. Pairs well with ginger.
Ginger – Another key aromatics that brings warmth and bite to balance the curry. Use fresh grated ginger.
Cooking Tips for Vegetables in Curry
Properly preparing and cooking the vegetables is key to maximizing flavors and textures in chicken curry:
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Cut uniformly – Cut all veggies into similar sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Opt for bitesized chunks or slices.
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Mind the timing – Add quick cooking veggies like spinach or peas at the end to retain brightness. Start with slow cooking veggies like carrots early on.
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Sauté aromatics – Cook down onion, garlic, and ginger first to caramelize and bloom flavors.
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Parcook root veggies – Partially cook potatoes, cauliflower, etc first before adding to curry, for even cooking.
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Balance flavors – Choose an array of vegetables that offer complementary flavors like sweet, tangy, spicy, and earthy.
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Use fresh spices – Toss or coat veggies in fresh spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric to boost flavors.
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Retain crunch – Be careful not to overcook more delicate veggies in order to maintain textural contrast.
Creative Ways to Use Vegetables in Chicken Curry
Ready to get creative with your chicken curry? Try out these unique vegetable combo ideas:
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Sweet potato and spinach – The earthiness of sweet potato pairs nicely with vibrant spinach.
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Eggplant and red bell pepper – Eggplant soaks up the sauce while peppers add crunch.
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Cauliflower and green beans – For a lighter curry, use cauliflower florets and crisp green beans.
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Chickpeas and zucchini – Chickpeas add protein and texture, zucchini lends freshness.
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Broccoli and carrot – These crunchy veggies cook up with beautiful, bold colors.
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Corn and peas – Bring a pop of sweetness and color with fresh or frozen corn and peas.
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Okra and tomatoes – Okra’s unique texture alongside tomato’s acidity is a fun combo.
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Brussels sprouts and parsnip – For an autumnal curry, use sliced Brussels sprouts and diced parsnips.
Sample Chicken Curry Recipes with Creative Veggies
To pull everything together, here are a few recipe ideas highlighting unique vegetable combinations:
Thai Coconut Curry with Eggplant and Red Pepper
- Dice 1 red bell pepper and 1 medium eggplant
- Sauté aromatics – 2 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp grated ginger, 1 diced onion
- Add 3 Tbsp red curry paste and sauté 30 seconds
- Pour in 1 can coconut milk and 1 lb chicken pieces
- Simmer 10 minutes then add eggplant and peppers
- Finish with lime juice, fish sauce, cilantro
Indian Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
- Peel and dice 1 large sweet potato, parcook 5 minutes
- Cook diced onion, ginger, garlic, spices like cumin and coriander
- Add chicken pieces, coconut milk, sweet potato and simmer
- Stir in big handful of fresh spinach at the end
- Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice
Moroccan Chicken Curry with Chickpeas and Zucchini
- Dice 1 zucchini and drain 1 can chickpeas
- Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, spices like cumin and cinnamon
- Add chicken, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and chopped dates
- Simmer 15 minutes then add diced zucchini
- Finish with parsley, lemon juice, and harissa paste
Key Takeaways for Chicken Curry Vegetables
- Onions, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, peas, and bell peppers are classic choices
- Mind cooking times and prep veggies accordingly for even cooking
- Get creative with more unique veggie combinations like sweet potato and spinach
- Use fresh aromatics and spices to maximize flavors
- Retain colors and textures by not overcooking delicate veggies
- Sample recipe ideas highlight unique ways to use vegetables in curries
By carefully selecting vegetables and learning proper cooking techniques, you can create show-stopping chicken curries bursting with bright colors, contrasting textures, and amazing flavors. Get creative and have fun trying new vegetable combinations in your next chicken curry dish!
Cook Veggies in the Curry
11. Add the prepared mixed vegetables like potatoes, green peas, carrots, green beans, corn and cauliflower.
12. Fry on a medium high heat for 2 to 3 mins. While you saute the veggies heat 1 cup water in a separate pot.
13. Pour the water and give a good stir.
14. Cover and cook on a medium flame until the veggies are fork tender. Add more hot water only if required as it cooks. I used 2 cups water, added in 3 batches. Organic veggies usually require more water. If you prefer a dry curry, use less water and cook on a slightly high heat to evaporate the moisture.
15. When the veggies are soft cooked, taste test and adjust salt & garam masala. Add crushed kasuri methi.
Garnish Vegetable Curry with coriander leaves and the reserved cashew cream or coconut milk. Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice, Turmeric Rice, Coconut Rice, roti, Naan or Chapati.
- I make this curry often with different spice blends. Pav bhaji masala, Misal masala, kitchen king masala, Sambar powder and even meat masala goes well here. You will be surprised how every spice blend imparts a different flavor to your vegetable curry.
- To get the right amount of sauce/curry/gravy, it is essential to follow the proportion of onion, tomato and other veggies. Using a lot of mixed veggies than mentioned in the recipe will give you a more drier curry.
- Make sure you dice the potatoes smaller and the other veggies larger because potatoes take longer to cook and the others cook faster.
- I use fresh sweet tomatoes in the pureed form but you can also use store bought puree like passata. Reduce the quantity to 3/4 cup.
- This recipe takes time so it is ideal to begin cooking when your onions are ready. Prepare the rest while you saute the onions and tomatoes.
- I also add 1 teaspoon ground fennel powder and you may try out that if you have.
- You can also add 1 cup diced paneer or tofu.
Related Recipes
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Step by Step Photo Instructions
This recipe can be made faster if you begin to cook the onion tomato masala while you prepare the mixed veggies.
1. Prepare the following ingredients
- Fine chop 1 large onion to make 1 cup chopped
- Fine chop or puree 3 medium sweet tomatoes to make 1 cup puree (I use 1½ cups puree from 4 medium, because my tomatoes are not tart)
- Make a small slit on 1 green chili pepper (optional, deseed for low heat)
- Grate or crush ginger and garlic to make 1 tbsp paste or half tablespoon each gratings or crushed.
- To make cashew cream, soak 20 cashews in ½ cup hot water and keep aside. Alternately you may use half cup thick coconut milk or 1½ tablespoons nut butter.
Once you are done preparing these, you can start cooking while you prepare the rest of the veggies.
2. You will need 4½ cups mixed vegetables.
- ¾ to 1 cup carrot (peeled, chopped, 1 medium)
- ½ to ¾ cup fresh or frozen peas
- ½ cup green beans (chopped or French beans)
- ¼ cup sweet corn kernels (optional)
3. You will peel and chop 1 medium potato to make ¾ to 1 cup cubes. Keep them immersed in water until used. Also prepare 1½ cups cauliflower florets (you can substitute with peas, potatoes & carrots). Keep the cauliflower florets larger so they don’t turn mushy.
4. Keep the spices ready:
- ¾ to 1¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste, leave out for kids)
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (crush in your palms and keep it ready)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala or 1½ tablespoons mild Curry Powder or as needed (adjust to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (omit if using curry powder)
- 1 to 1½ teaspoon coriander powder (for more flavor, omit if using curry powder )
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (for more flavor, omit if using curry powder)
Curried Chicken, flavorful & Delicious
FAQ
What vegetables do you put in chicken curry?
veggies – I went with carrots, red bell pepper and zucchini as they all work well in curry dishes, but feel free to use your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand. yellow curry powder – the star of the show here! Yellow curry powder is the mildest of the curries because there is less chili and more turmeric.