One-Pan Quick and Easy Vegan Masala
If you're craving bold, comforting flavours wrapped in a creamy tomato sauce, this vegan masala is for you! Made with a homemade masala spice blend and simple ingredients, it’s the perfect dish to warm you up and transport your taste buds. It’s also incredibly versatile, allowing you to choose the vegetables and plant-based protein you want to suit your preferences. Whether you're a seasoned cook or new to Indian cuisine, this Indian dish will quickly become a go to in your kitchen!
Servings: 3 -4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1 small red chili finely diced, incl. seeds (roughly 5" size chili)
- knob of ginger minced (roughly 1.5" in size, or to taste)
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp masala spice mix can use storebought or DIY Mo's Masala Spice Mix (see below)
- 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 large zucchini sliced and quartered
- 1/2-1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional*
- star anise bay leaves
Homemade Masala Spice Mix
- masala spice mix makes a large quantity of spice mix, see below for ground option
- 1/4 cup coriander seeds
- 1/4 cup cumin seeds
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 8-9 cardamom pods
- 1-1.5 " piece of cinnamon stick
- 4-5 cloves
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 3 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
Instructions
- To make spice mix, dry toast coriander, cumin, peppercorn, cardamom and mustard seed on a frying pan over medium heat until slightly fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool. Add ingredients to a high power blender, spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle until a fine powder forms.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté red onion with neutral oil of choice until fragrant and slightly softened (you can use water/veggie broth for an oil free option). Add chili, garlic and ginger cloves and cook for 1-2 minutes, tossing with a spatula.
- Next add spice mix along with tomato paste and let spices toast and "fry", tossing with a spatula for 2-3 minutes.
- Now we're ready to add our produce. Start with only ingredients that require more cooking time (i.e. dry beans or pulses, root vegetables) and sauté for 3-4 few minutes. Ingredients that need a quick cook or warm through can be added after the next step.
- Add coconut milk to the pan, stirring to combine along with vegetable broth. You can adjust how much liquid you add to adjust the texture of the sauce to your liking. For a thicker sauce, add slightly less coconut milk and veggie broth. Also be sure to give your sauce a taste to make sure you're happy with the flavour.
- Finally, add any quick cooking veggies to the pan, increase heat to a light simmer and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Once ingredients are cooked through, finish with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Notes
- For the spice mix, you can either use a store-bought masala spice mix (I’d recommend purchasing from an Indian grocery store if you have access to one), or create your own at home. It’s quite simple to make at home and results in a fresher, more vibrant flavour. I would highly recommend making a batch of Mo’s Masala Spice Mix and storing in a jar for future use if you can!
- Using oil helps to "bloom" the spices, enhancing their aroma and depth of flavour. If you prefer to skip oil, you can use small splashes of vegetable broth instead, though using oil is highly recommended for the best results.
- As an additional preliminary step in this recipe, you can dry toast anise and bay leaves. This is a flavour building step and you can proceed with the recipe as listed after heating on a pan for a few minutes. You may also want to fish out these ingredients once the curry is ready, as they can have quite an intense flavour once bitten into.
- To make spice mix using ground ingredients, combine 3 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 3 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3 teaspoons ground mustard seed, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons ground red chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves, 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- Prefer a thicker sauce? Use less vegetable broth or coconut milk. For a lighter texture, add a splash of more liquid.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice before serving to brighten all of the flavours!