Many people all over the world love chicken curry because of its thick, fragrant sauce and soft chicken pieces. But what really makes this famous curry dish sing are the vegetables that come with it. Picking the right vegetables is important for making a chicken curry that is just right. This guide will tell you all about the best vegetables to use, as well as give you cooking tips and recipe ideas for a delicious 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. When they’re cooked, waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red keep their shape well.
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 the flavors: Pick a variety of vegetables with flavors that go well together, such as those that are sweet, sour, spicy, and earthy.
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Use fresh spices. To make vegetables taste better, toss or coat them in fresh spices like turmeric, coriander, and cumin.
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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 like your curry dry, use less water and cook it on a slightly higher heat to get rid of the water.
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. This place is good for Pav bhaji masala, Misal masala, Kitchen King masala, Sambar powder, and even meat masala. You’ll be amazed at how different each spice blend makes your vegetable curry taste.
- It is important to follow the amounts of onion, tomato, and other vegetables to get the right amount of sauce, curry, or gravy. If you use more mixed vegetables than the recipe calls for, the curry will be drier.
- Cut the vegetables into bigger chunks than small ones because the potatoes take longer to cook than the other vegetables.
- I use pureed fresh sweet tomatoes, but you can also use passata or another store-bought puree. Reduce the quantity to 3/4 cup.
- Because this recipe takes a while to make, you should start cooking it when your onions are ready. Prepare the rest while you saute the onions and tomatoes.
- I also put in 1 teaspoon of ground fennel powder, which you can try if you want to.
- 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
- You’ll need 3 medium-sized sweet tomatoes to make 1 cup of puree. I use 1½ cups of puree from 4 medium-sized tomatoes because they’re not sour.
- Cut one green chili pepper in half lengthwise. If you want less heat, remove the seeds.
- Ginger and garlic should be grated or crushed to make a paste that is 1 tablespoon or half a tablespoon of each.
- Soak 20 cashews in ½ cup of hot water and set them aside. This will make cashew cream. You could also use ½ cup of thick coconut milk or ½ tablespoon of 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:
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder (taste it and add more or less for kids)
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (crush it up and set it aside).
- 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala or 1½ tablespoons of mild curry powder, or more if you want a different flavor.
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (omit if using curry powder)
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons of coriander powder (if you want more flavor, leave this out if you use curry powder)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (just leave it out if you use curry powder for more flavor)
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.