You — Yes, You — Can Make Easy Indian Curry at Home

Do you love Indian food, but can't imagine attempting to cook those complicated dishes yourself? I felt the same way until I realized that Indian cuisine can be easy, as long as you have the right ingredients — especially spices.

Some common Indian spices include coriander, cardamom, turmeric and cloves. One popular "spice" is actually a mixture of several different spices — called garam masala, it typically includes ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf and cumin.

The vegetarian curry dish featured below is extremely flexible. Feel free to adapt it. For instance, I used vegetables that I had in my fridge: carrots, bell peppers, broccoli and onion. Or, if you don't like spicy food, leave out the serrano peppers and cayenne.


Easy Indian Curry Tweet this

Recipe by Allison Wood

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 cups diced broccoli
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • ¾ cup diced carrots
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 to 2 fresh serrano chili peppers, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, diced, with their juices
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons garam masala

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and cornstarch. Set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli, peppers and carrots and sauté until just tender. Remove from heat.
  3. Heat remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until onions are golden brown. Add garlic, ginger and serrano chilies to the onion. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Add cooked broccoli, peppers and carrots to onions. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne. Stir often and cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Add tomatoes and their juices, yogurt mixture, cilantro and kosher salt. Stir well, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat. Add garam masala and stir well.
  7. Garnish with extra cilantro and serve. Serves 4.

Cooking Note

  • Serve with brown rice or quinoa, if desired. Experiment with adding tofu, chicken or other meat while cooking to increase the protein content. The recipe is very flexible!
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Allison Wood
Allison Wood, MS, RDN, CNSC, LDN, is a Chicago-based dietitian. Connect with her via Instagram.