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Does anyone else feel like they have more zucchini right now than they know what to do with? I made this dish last week…it was inspired by two things: (1) I had a bowl full of zucchini pulp leftover from making stuffed zucchini, and (2) I was craving a curry dish. This turned out to be really good, although I must admit chicken makhani is still my favorite Indian dish. I would say this dish is somewhat of a cross between channa masala and baigan bharta (only with zucchini instead of eggplant).
Like curry powder, garam masala is a blend of several spices, and may include black and white peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, black cumin, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, star anise, and coriander. If you can’t find garam masala feel free to use curry powder instead, or make your own spice mix using the spices you have on hand.
Zucchini Curry
(Yield: 6-8 servings)
2 TB olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green chili, seeded and minced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB ginger, minced
1 tsp garam masala spice mix
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
1 bay leaf
2 tsp lemon juice
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 c peeled and diced zucchini
6 oz tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1 c green peas (fresh or frozen will work, but not canned)
1 (15 oz) can chick peas, drained
¼ c finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, with a little reserved for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Basmati rice, for serving
In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat; add the onion and chili and sauté for 5 minutes (until the onion is slightly softened). Add the garlic, and ginger and sauté for another 2 minutes (until light golden brown). Stir in the spices and lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and zucchini cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and 2 to 3 cups of water; turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thickened (see picture below). Add the green peas and chickpeas and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the chopped parsley/cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with basmati rice.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Stumbled upon this recipe. Made this last night and it was so good. Thanks for sharing!
I copied the following paragraphs about garam masala from Wikipedia. Can you tell me if the ingredients listed are what I could use to make garam masala? Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!
From Wikipedia:
The composition of garam masala differs regionally, with wide variety across India. Some common ingredients are black & white peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, long pepper (also known as pippali), black cumin (known as shahi jeera), cumin seeds, cinnamon; black, brown, & green cardamom, nutmeg, mace, star anise and coriander seeds. Varying combinations of these and other spices are used in regional variants of garam masala,[1] none of which is considered more authentic than another.[2]
Some recipes call for spices to be blended with herbs, while others grind the spices with water, vinegar or other liquids such as coconut milk to make a paste. In some recipes nuts, onion or garlic may be added. The flavours may be carefully blended to achieve a balanced effect, or in some cases a single flavour may be emphasized for special dishes where this is desired. Usually a masala is cooked before use to release its flavours and aromas.[1]
Adelina, If you can’t find a ready-made garam masala mix at the grocery store (check an Indian grocery if there’s one nearby), you can make your own mix using the various spice components of garam masala that you have (make sure to grind everything into a fine powder). I hope this helps…let me know how this turns out! :)
A flavorful dish! I love vegetable curries!
Cheers,
Rosa
This looks fabulous and what a great meal! I love vegetable curries!
Zucchini curry is a great idea, looks delish!
ahhhh my two fave things = curry + zucchini. looks soooooo good!
Curries are my regular side dishes,I love this one with zucchini,perfect with rice :D
I love all the spices in this dish. I’ve just printed off the recipe to try with some of my garden zucchini….
I must be the only one who doesn’t currently have a truckload of zucchini in my kitchen… which is bad, because I love zucchini. And curry. I’ll have to go buy some after work and try this out!
This looks wonderful especially with the chickpeas, my favorite!!
Wow that looks fantastic!
What a great and unusual recipe for zucchini!
That looks so hearty and healthy! I always find that I have an exzcess of zucchini. I suppose it’s always so cheap so I tend to buy more when I see it and end up with too much. This will help fix that situation quite nicely :D
I do have a huge stack of zucchini on my table right now! It’s just crazy!
This does look like a yummy way to use some of it up!
I’m so jealous you get to eat curry. I love Indian food. Unfortunately my boyfriend HATES Indian food. He will not even suck it up and eat it once in awhile. I need to find a friend who doesn’t mind eating Indian so I’m not forced to eat it by myself.
The sauce looks so wonderful… I’ve never made curry sauce by myself, always used the powder one. Should try this recipe someday :)
That looks incredibly healthy and delicious. Going on the “once i have a bigger grocery budget, i will buy” list. I do have some green curry paste in the fridge. Maybe i could pull something off that will stay in my budget. Thanks for sharing.
I have enough zucchini to feed a small village…I had no idea how much each plant produces when I planted them!
Thanks for the lovely recipe! After I make this can I freeze it?
Karyn, I actually haven’t frozen this particular curry, but I did freeze several other curries with good results. The only thing I noticed is that curries have a tendency to get slightly watery after freezing and thawing, so I make sure to reheat them on the stovetop instead of in the microwave to allow some of the water to evaporate off…problem solved! ;) If you do end up freeezing this recipe, let me know how it works out!
This sounds like a fantastic use for the garden zucchini and tomatoes. It’s been ages since I’ve had curry, and I never thought to make it with zucchini. Great idea :)
yumm!! love the orangy color of the curry faith!! dnt have zucchini at the moment.. have to buy some and prep this maybe for dinner :)
I’m always looking for good curry recipes to make for hubby. This one’s sauce looks very thick and rich. Great job :D