If you want all the colors and flavors of the season in one pot, tied together with a few simple spices and creamy coconut milk, this 20-minute Best Vegetable Curry will hit the spot. Mix and match your colorful veggies, and enjoy the deliciousness with a side of rice for a nutritious and easy vegan dinner. A vegan, soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free recipe.
Who really wants to spend tons of time cooking in a hot kitchen in the summer? Not me.
That's why I'm always excited when I come up with a recipe that I can put together in a minimal amount of time, that needs very little prep, that tastes mindblowingly good, and that is really, really good for me and my family.
This 20-Minute Best Vegetable Curry makes the perfect and easy vegan dinner, because it meets all of these criteria, and more.
All you need for this recipe are a few simple spices that I bet are already in your pantry even if you only occasionally make Indian food: black mustard seeds, turmeric, and garam masala. Curry leaves are delicious here, but optional. You can replace them with cilantro for a slightly different but still delicious flavor.
You also can choose your own veggies here. I used what I had on hand: mushrooms and bell peppers. Zucchini or yellow squash would work great here, as would broccoli or cauliflower or asparagus or green beans. Corn and green peas are good too.
The creamy coconut milk really ties in all of the flavors together, and gives this curry a decadent, silky mouth-feel.
Serve this curry with a side of white or brown rice, and you will have a dinner to remember. And a weeknight dinner that you're family will be thrilled to welcome into the rotation.
Try these curries next:
- Easy Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut Milk
- Creamy Cauliflower Curry (Malai Gobi)
- Vegan Palak Paneer with Tofu
- Mushroom Matar, Mushrooms and Peas in a Creamy Sauce (One Pot, 30 minutes, Oil Free)
- Creamy Cauliflower Curry with Basil
- Vegetable Korma, a Mix Veg Curry
![Judge says New Hampshire Great Danes can be placed for adoption The verdict is in for the future of the Great Danes who have spent a year in legal limbo since their dramatic rescue from a New Hampshire breeder’s mansion last June. A judge yesterday ruled that the dogs can now be placed for adoption, and that the breeder who kept them in filthy conditions should pay restitution for the costs of caring for them for the past year. This is a remarkable victory for the dogs who have been living at a temporary shelter we have built and maintained since they were rescued a year ago. Our priority has always been to ensure the dogs have the opportunity to be placed into experienced and loving homes and we are thrilled that they will now get that chance. The judge awarded full restitution to the town of Wolfeboro and to the Humane Society of the United States, which has spent nearly $2 million to date in caring for the dogs, at an emergency animal shelter we constructed especially for them. This has been an expensive undertaking with costs incurred to maintain an exceptional standard of care through a long term holding situation where every dog was provided with an individual plan, attention and expert veterinary treatment. Due to the dogs’ size and conditions associated with their breeding, it has been a herculean task to provide appropriate diets, medical care, and exercise and enrichment appropriate for their ongoing mental and physical well-being. This long-running saga began to unfold almost exactly a year ago, when we assisted in the extraordinary rescue of the Great Danes, some sick, living in filthy conditions inside a mansion in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. When members of our Animal Rescue Team and volunteers from the Pope Memorial SPCA and Conway Area Humane Society entered the opulent mansion alongside officials of Wolfeboro Police Department, which had requested our assistance, they encountered an overpowering smell in the house, and feces and debris were smeared across all the walls to the point where the windows were opaque. A number of dogs in the home appeared to have spent countless hours in cages with no access to water. Many of the dogs were ill and in distress when we found them, and suffered from an array of health problems, including severe eye issues and symptoms associated with communicable illnesses. In May, a Judge Ignatius sentenced the breeder, Christina Fay, to jail time, and admonished her for not showing any “signs of remorse” for what she did to the animals in her care. The Judge was unequivocal at the May hearing, saying, “We take these crimes seriously and [cruelty] is not to be tolerated.” At yesterday’s ruling, Judge Ignatius agreed to suspend time served as long as the defendant attends counseling with a therapist who will report to the court. The defendant was also found guilty on 10 counts of misdemeanor cruelty at a previous trial in December. At the time she was ordered to pay $800,000 (for the costs of care for the dogs up to that date), but appealed to a superior court for a jury trial: the one that produced a conviction on the 17 counts of cruelty. Thanks to all of our followers and donors whose generosity has helped us meet the immense costs of caring for the dogs. When Judge Ignatius issued her order from the bench she expressed her concerns for the dogs’ best interests saying, “My hope is that it happens very quickly. I wish it had happened months ago.” A sentiment that we could not agree with more. Many of you have expressed interest in adopting these dogs, and we will keep you updated as we begin to work with our Emergency Placement Partners to place the dogs in their forever homes. A huge kudos to our teams at the Humane Society of the United States that helped in the rescue of these animals, led the legal effort to bring the breeder to justice, and have worked to care for these animals for the past year. We believe all of this cruelty could have been alleviated much sooner if New Hampshire had stronger regulations for commercial dog breeders, and we remain committed to strengthening the laws to ensure taxpayers and non-profits are not carrying the financial burden to care for animals seized in animal cruelty cases. Even as we celebrate this victory for the Great Danes today, let’s keep our eye focused on finding solutions for the future. New Hampshire lawmakers and Gov. Chris Sununu are committed to strengthening cost of care laws and reforming commercial breeder regulations in the state, and we will work with them to push for a bill in the next legislative season that addresses these issues so animals never again have to suffer in substandard commercial breeder operations or puppy mills.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/easy-mushroom-curry-veggies-1-320x320.jpg)
20-minute Best Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
- 16 oz mushrooms (button or crimini, sliced)
- 1 large bell pepper (thinly sliced into ½-inch long pieces)
- 1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers (deseeded, if you want less heat, and thinly sliced)
- 1-inch piece ginger (thinly sliced)
- 1 medium shallot (thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 15-20 curry leaves (optional)
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1-2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika (optional, but adds a deeper color)
- 1 cup coconut milk (canned, not from the carton)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 10 cherry tomatoes (halved. Regular tomatoes are fine)
- 4 spring onions (chopped)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, let them sputter and crackle, then add the shallots, ginger, jalapeno, and curry leaves, if using. Season with salt and pepper and saute for a couple of minutes until the shallots begin to soften.
- Add the bell peppers and mushrooms and saute another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables appear to have softened. Add the turmeric, garam masala, and paprika if using. Stir to mix, then add half the coconut milk and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for a couple more minutes or until the vegetables are done to your liking.
- Add the remaining coconut milk, salt if needed, and warm through without bringing to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, cherry tomatoes and spring onions.
- Serve hot or warm with rice.
Nutrition
Love this 20-minute curry? Check out more Indian vegan recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
This is fabulous. My sister lived in Chennai for several years, and takes me back to south India. Delicious!
So happy to hear that, Kathy! It's my favorite curry to make in a hurry and never fails. 🙂
This was so fresh and filling. I left out the jalapeno because the whole house is not down with that spicey. The other flavors were plenty. Will be making this again for sure. First time cooking with curry leaves and what a difference.
Thank you!
So happy to hear, Bill!
Absolutely the best curry and so quick to make! Thank you, Vaishali ???
So awesome to hear, Liza!
This is delicious! It took me an 45 min's to make though. Just cleaning and cutting the veggies takes about 20ish min's. My family really loved it though! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
So happy to hear you enjoyed it. It can take more or less time depending on knife skills. You can also just use frozen veggies or precut veggies. 🙂
What is wrong with coconut milk from a carton? 😮
Nothing. The consistency is different, and I used the canned milk here, so my instructions are tailored to that. If you use the coconut milk from a carton, you will need to make adjustments.
Made this twice in one week (variation on the veggies second time around). So delicious and SO EASY. Thank you!
So great to hear, Colleen.
Looks yummy
Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe. FYI the directions do not tell when to add the ginger and also call to add shallots in the beginning and at the end.
Lol, I noticed that when I was making it last night. I printed the recipe on Friday. Oops. But I figured you cook the shallots, garnish with the spring onions. Also, Vaishali, it never says when to add the lemon juice. And also now, in step 1, you stuck the j from jalapeno in front of ginger. Delicious recipe, Vaishali! Thanks always 🙂
One more thing, it's a curry, so should you use curry powder (and how much) if you don't have curry leaves? It says the curry leaves are optional.
Thanks for pointing out, Ivy-- I've corrected and added in the lemon juice. It goes in at the end!
On the curry powder, the powder is actually very different from the leaves-- it is a blend of spices, like garam masala. You can use curry powder here as a substitute for the garam masala, if you happen to have it on hand, but not for the curry leaves. 🙂 Strange, I know!
Thanks, Catriona. The last one is spring onions!