Vegetable Korma (Instant Pot and Stovetop)

Vegetable korma is an easy and milld Indian curry recipe made in 30 minutes with prep. Ground cashews and coconut milk add a wonderful creaminess to it. Mop up this vegan curry with fresh Indian bread or go the gluten-free route by pairing it with steamed jeera rice. Both stovetop and instant pot recipes included.

Ever had a curry that feels like a hug? Vegetable korma is just that kind of a dish ... the kind that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beans and tomatoes are pressure cooked in a sunshine yellow sauce made creamy with cashews and coconut milk.  I love to snuggle on the couch with a big bowl of this thick, soupy korma and rice in my lap:)

More Indian comfort food: Try aloo curry (potato curry), egg curry, and baghare baingan (eggplant curry) as well.

Why this recipe works

Ingredients

1. Carrots, potatoes, and beans: These vegetables are diced into even-sized small pieces. I used red carrots, but you can just as easily use the more commonly available orange ones.

2. Virgin coconut oil: Gives a nice coconut flavor, but you can use any neutral oil in a pinch.

3. Serrano chilli: Vegetable korma is a mild curry, so I opted for one Serrano chilli, which is a mild variety of green chilli, but if you like your curries a little hot, go for a couple of Thai chillies. They are added right in the end, anyway.

4. Powdered spices: Coriander and turmeric for a little warmth and colour and garam masala for a slight punch. Without these spices, especially the garam masala, the dish tastes a little flat and one-dimensional, so don't skip them. You've probably noticed there's no red chilli powder in this recipe, an almost ubiquitous spice in Indian curries!

5. Coconut milk: Smoothens any sharp edges and lends a creaminess to the curry. Don't add too much though, as a lot of coconut milk will take away most of the taste as well.

You also need the wet masala ingredients pictured below. These form the base of the curry.

Preparation

1. Soak the cashews in a little warm water for about 15 minutes, then go about the rest of the prep. Don't throw away this water. You will use it to blend the ingredients in step 3 of prep.

2. Dice the vegetables in the first picture (carrots, beans, and potatoes) and keep them aside.

3. Put the ingredients in second picture (wet masala ingredients) in a blender and whiz to get a smooth puree. Like this:

Instant Pot Vegetabe Korma (Instructions)

Cooking the curry in your instant pot is a breeze once you get the prep out of the way.

1. Heat the coconut oil on the lowest heat setting (saute - less) and add the wet masala along with the powdered spices and salt. Mix everything well and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the masala to cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and add 1 cup water. Cover the pot again with the lid and cook the masala for 5 minutes more.

Note: You need to cook on the lowest heat setting and cover the pot because the wet masala splatters like crazy! You can try stirring it continuously to prevent the spattering, but I find that using a hands-off approach gets the masala cooked much better than anything else.

When I need to cover the pot on saute, I use this tempered glass lid (affiliate link) that comes as an accessory for the instant pot. It fits perfectly and you can still see the contents through it. Quite handy!

2. Deglaze the pot if needed, and add the diced vegetables (carrots, beans, and potatoes). Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When the pot beeps, wait 5 minutes before releasing the steam.

3. Open the pot and add the coconut milk and chopped green chilli. Cook the curry for one minute on saute. A beautiful, flavorful veg korma curry is ready to be served with roti (Indian bread) or rice!

Stovetop Instructions

The preparation steps remain the same.

1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan and add the wet masala along with the salt and powdered spices (coriander, turmeric, and garam masala). Mix everything well.

2. Cover the pan with a lid and let the masala cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

3. Add 1 cup water, mix everything again and cook covered for 5 minutes more on medium heat.

4. Add the vegetables (carrots, beans, and potatoes) and cook, covered, on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Add water as required, but not too much as you don't want a very thin gravy.

5. Once the vegetables are soft and the curry is thick, add the coconut milk and chopped green chilli. Cook for 1 minute more.

6. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Top Tips

1. The korma sauce splatters a lot, so cover the pot while you're cooking the contents.

2. Use full-fat coconut milk. Canned coconut cream works as well, but do not use light coconut milk as it will not impart the same creaminess or taste.

3. Add or subtract veggies according to your preference. You can add cauliflower, corn, and peas too. Firm tofu is also a great choice to make your korma curry even more interesting. If you don't care for a vegan curry, go ahead and add some cubed paneer instead of tofu, right along with the vegetables.

4. If you're strapped for time and want a quick meal on the table, you can use a packet of pre-cut frozen vegetables instead of chopping the vegetables by hand.

More Indian Curries

📖 Recipe