Veg Kadai Recipe | Kadai Vegetable (Restaurant Style)

overhead closeup shot of veg kadai in a metal kadai

4.85 from 52 votes

Veg Kadai Recipe | Kadai Vegetable (Restaurant Style)

This delicious, vibrant Veg Kadai recipe is filled with rich flavors, aromatic spices and vegetables. Made in a kadai (Indian wok) this dish has a medley of onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and various assorted veggies together with spices and cream for a finger-licking restaurant style Kadai Vegetable gravy!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 222kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For kadai masala

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 green cardamoms
½ inch cinnamon
3 to 4 dry kashmiri red chilies - broken and seeds removed
1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
8 to 9 cashews - whole and not halved
4 to 5 black peppercorns

Vegetables

100 grams carrots or ½ cup carrots cut in batons
100 grams potatoes or ½ cup potatoes cut in batons
⅔ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
100 grams bell pepper or 1 medium-sized or ½ cup sliced bell pepper (capsicum), any colored variety
⅓ cup sliced onions
1 tablespoon oil - for sautéing bell peppers and onions

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
¼ cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or ½ inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
200 grams tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes pureed - about ⅔ cup tomato puree
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
1.5 to 2 cups water or as required
salt as required
3 tablespoon light cream or cooking cream (low fat) or 1.5 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 inch ginger - julienne for garnish, optiona

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

making kadai masala

Heat a small frying pan. Keep heat to a low and add the following spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon, dry kashmiri red chilies, kasuri methi, cashews and black peppercorns.
Stir often and roast on a low heat until the spices become fragrant. No need to brown the spices. Set aside.
When the ingredients cool at room temperature, add all of the roasted ingredients in a mixer-grinder or spice grinder.
Grind to a fine powder. Remove the kadai masala in a bowl and keep aside.

Preparing vegetables

Blend tomatoes and make a smooth puree in the same mixer-grinder if its big enough or in another blender or mixer. No need to blanch tomatoes before pureeing. Set aside.
In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and add the sliced onions and sliced bell pepper. Use any colored bell pepper.
Stir very well and saute the onions and bell pepper on a low to medium heat.
Saute till the bell peppers are half cooked. Some crunch is desirable.
Remove the sauteed onions and bell peppers aside. Chop the potatoes and carrots in 2 inches batons and keep them aside too.

Making veg kadai

In the same pan, then heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir and sauté for some seconds on low until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
Next add finely chopped onions.
Stir and saute the onions on medium-low to medium heat until they become light golden.
Add the prepared tomato puree. If using ready tomato puree, then add ⅔ cup tomato puree.
Add turmeric powder and red chili powder or cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
Sauté the masala stirring often on low to medium-low heat till the tomato puree cooks, the masala thickens and you see oil releasing from the sides.
Then add the potato, carrot batons together with the green peas.
Stir and saute for a minute.
Add 1.5 to 2 cups water or as needed. Season with salt according to taste. Stir well.
Cover the pan. On a medium heat simmer and cook the veggies. Check from time to time and if required, add more water.
The veggies need to be cooked well yet still retain shape. They should not become too soft.
Then add the ground kadai masala reserving 1 teaspoon of it for garnish. Stir very well.
Add the sautéed bell peppers and onions. Mix and stir again.
Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on low to medium-low heat. If the kadai vegetable gravy looks dry, then add some water.
Then add 3 tablespoons of light cream or low-fat cream or 1.5 tablespoons of heavy or whipping cream.
Stir and mix the cream with the rest of the gravy. Switch off the heat.
Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. Stir again very well.
Serve veg kadai gravy hot garnished with some chopped coriander, ginger julienne and sprinkled with the reserved kadai masala.
Accompaniments for veg kadai are tandoori roti, naan, chapati, paratha, bread. Also goes well with steamed rice, jeera rice or saffron rice.

Notes

Substitutes:
2 tablespoons cream - 1 tablespoon milk powder or dairy whitener
Cashews - almonds or melon seeds (magaz)
Kashmiri red chilies - any less to medium hot dry red chilies
Kasuri methi - a light pinch of fenugreek seed powder

Vegan substitutes:
Dairy cream - coconut cream
Paneer - tofu

Recipe Notes:

Add almonds or melon seeds in place of cashews. But note that either will give a unique, different flavor and taste to the gravy.
Omit kasuri methi, if you do not have them or add a light pinch of fenugreek powder.
Feel free to add your choice of vegetables. Keep in mind the cooking time of various vegetables that you want to add. Add veggies which cook longer first and when they are par-cooked, add the vegetables which take shorter time to cook.
Use any colored bell peppers or opt to add a mix of all colored varieties.
Kashmiri red chilies, do not make the dish spicy, but give it a vibrant orange color. For a spicy taste, use dry red chillies that are medium-hot in combination with kashmiri red chilies.

Nutrition