Cozy Veggie Korma

by Lindsay November 30, 2020

Let the record show: if I could eat this creamy, cozy, veggie korma for every cold-weather meal, I’d be a very happy person.

(Which, honestly, is kind of what I’ve been doing lately. A little here for lunch, a little there for dinner, a little the next day with some added paneer because I love myself…)

It’s important to know that this recipe has so much flavor, but it’s also not LOUD flavor. It’s like rich, cozy, mellow, could-keep-eating-forever flavor.

The base of this veggie korma is a boatload of comforting vegetables like fork-tender potatoes, bell peppers, and green beans, but the thing that makes it feel like a hug is that creamy golden sauce. We’re giving a gentle sauté to a careful amount of aromatic onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, coriander, and other spices, and then adding a bit of cream and yogurt to make this the kind of recipe that lands in the perfect exciting-but-gentle flavor zone.

Scooped up hot over a pile of steamy basmati rice… oof. Game over. We can survive winter with this.

It’s the kind of big-flavor-cozy recipe where you can practically finish the entire pan in one sitting.

Direct quote from a family member on his second? third? plate piled high with veggie korma: “I feel like I could just keep eating and eating and eating this.”

Yes, me too, amen.

Watch How To Make This Recipe

Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

I based this recipe off the Vegetable Korma recipe from a 2008 cookbook called Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Mridula Baljekar, which is just a gem of a book. It has always been one of my favorite sources for Indian recipes because of the step by step photos, and every recipe I’ve tried over the years has been awesome (and there have been many). The changes I made from the original include subbing some ground spices in place of whole spices and adjusting the veggie-to-liquid ratios a bit. For a more in-depth look at Indian food including influences, methods, definitions, and more, check out this amazing post called Indian Cooking 101 by our friend Anu from Simmer to Slimmer!

Common Questions About Veggie Korma

Can I substitute the heavy cream?

Yes! Canned coconut milk works well as a sub.

Could I make any spice substitutions?

The cookbook I studied up on recommended using whole spices when possible – for example, cinnamon sticks and dried red chile peppers, as this is the traditional way to build the flavor base in a lot of Indian cooking. I often don’t have cinnamon sticks or whole dried red chile peppers on hand, so I’m just sharing what I use instead which is ground cinnamon and red pepper flakes. But if you have the whole spices, go ahead and use them!

I can’t find paneer. What else can I use?

Tofu can work as an alternate vegetarian protein option.

Cozy Veggie Korma

4.7 from 22 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4

Print Recipe

Description

Cozy Veggie Korma! A boatload of comforting vegetables like potatoes, bell peppers, and green beans, and a creamy golden sauce with onion, garlic, ginger, warming spices. So comforting!

Ingredients

Units

The Base:

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
one 1-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
6 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon each turmeric and cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The Veggies:

2 gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
1 cup water
2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1–2 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cubed paneer (optional)

The Sauce:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup of water (if needed)
cilantro to garnish
rice for serving

Instructions

Video

Cook aromatics: Melt the butter in a large soup pot or skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger; sauté 5-7 minutes until softened.
Add spices: Add cardamom, coriander, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon; sauté 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Simmer the veggies: Add potatoes and water; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add green beans and bell peppers; simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes, until all vegetables are tender. Add paneer (optional).
Make it creamy: Bring the heat down to avoid curdling. When cooled slightly, add cream, yogurt, salt, and garam masala. Add the extra water if necessary to loosen it up.
Prepare to feast: Season with salt and pepper, serve over rice, and top with cilantro. Creamy, comforting, and heavenly.