This recipe is taken from Atul Kochhar’s bestselling cookbook ’30 Minute Curries’ and reproduced here with Atul’s kind permission.
Atul is a Michelin-starred chef who has appeared on the Great British Menu, Saturday Kitchen and Masterchef Goes Large.
Not for the fainthearted! This very simple curry made with frozen mixed vegetables is typical of food from Kolhapur, in the southwestern state of Maharashtra, in that it is very hot and spicy. Atul serves this with parathas.
Normally spices are toasted over a high heat to activate their natural oils and make them aromatic. Here and in other recipes that contain desiccated coconut Atul recommends using a low heat. Always stir constantly and watch closely so the coconut does not burn.
Serves 4 as a sharing dish
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons Onion Paste (page 218)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste (page 220)
- 250g frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 heaped tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
- 350ml water
- sea salt
For the Kolhapuri spice powder:
- 2 large dried red chillies
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- a small blade of mace
- 4 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black cumin seeds, or use ordinary
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
If you have any trouble with cutting and chopping ingredients we have a useful factsheet on gadgets and aids and you can also buy pre-cut items in shops.
Assemble all the ingredients and equipment before you begin. You need a non-stick pan for toasting the spices, a spice grinder and a large sauté or frying pan.
First make the spice powder. Put the dried chillies into the dry non-stick pan over a low heat. Add the cloves, cinnamon, mace, coconut, coriander and black cumin seeds and peppercorns, and stir until they are aromatic and the coconut is lightly toasted. Watch closely so the chillies and coconut do not burn before the spices are toasted. Tip the mixture into the spice grinder and grind until a fine powder forms. Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high heat in the sauté pan. Add the onion paste and garlic paste and stir them into the oil for 30 seconds. Add the spice powder and stir for a further 30 seconds. Watch closely so the spices do not burn.
Add the frozen vegetables, season with salt and continue stirring until the vegetables start to thaw. Stir in the yogurt, then add the water, stirring to incorporate all the ingredients. Leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the gravy thickens slightly. The gravy will be quite thin at first, but it thickens as it simmers because the coconut in the spice powder absorbs the liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary.
Atul’s time-saving tip:
As with many of the recipes in his book, the key to having a delicious curry on the table in 30 minutes or less is having a supply of onion paste in the fridge or freezer. It gives you all the wonderful onion flavour without having to spend the time peeling, chopping and then cooking the onion. Atul always has this in the fridge. The recipe on page 218 tells you how to prepare and store in a large quantity so quick-cooking curries can be second nature.