Veg Kolhapuri - Cooking Carnival (2024)

Spicy Mix vegetable curry that is made to mimic the flavors from Kolhapur, this Veg Kolhapuri sabji is the best, most flavorful, and restaurant-style recipe!

Mixed vegetables are cooked and then simmered in spicy, onion-tomato-garlicky gravy and served with Tandoori roti or garlic Naan!

Make this for any party or gathering; your guests will have a hard time believing this wasn’t ordered from a restaurant!

Today I am here with the famous and most-ordered recipe in an Indian restaurant; Veg Kolhapuri.

Kolhapur is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

And before Kolhapuri readers mention in the comment section that there is no such recipe made in Kolhapur, You are right!

This dish is neither prepared nor served in hotels in Kolhapur nor any household kitchen. How come this name then came into existence?

This veg kolhapuri is a restaurant-style recipe that has evolved in restaurant kitchens.

They mix and match Punjabi and Maharastrian-style gravies in restaurants by cooking this Veg Kolhapuri recipe.

This recipe is a result of evolution. And to our surprise, it’s ordered a lot in restaurants in India, and people love it too.

While Veg Kolhapuri is more of a restaurant dish that’s evolved than an authentic dish from Kolhapur, the dry kolhapuri masala is added to the gravy hence the name kolhapuri.

You can also call it a mixed veg curry.

This curry tastes just like the one you get from North Indian restaurants.

I have prepared freshly ground masala powder with roasted spices, which imparts an aroma and makes the dish full of flavors.

In this spice powder, I have used poppy seeds, coconut, and red dried chilies, giving the dish its Kolhapuri touch.

This dish is a little time-consuming but still an easy and great way to impress a crowd.

Why do I love this recipe?

• This recipe packs in a lot of veggies
• It has sumptuous layers of flavor.
• It has a combination of nutty, aromatic, and spicy flavors.
• It is pantry friendly and uses common ingredients.
• This is a restaurant-style recipe, so it’s awe-inspiring and perfect for dinner parties.

Ingredients required

(Ingredients and measurements are given in recipe card)

• Kolhapuri Masala: We make this masala from scratch in this recipe, using various whole spices such as cardamom, peppercorns, cumin, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and coconut. Make sure you use fresh coconut.
• Red Chillies – Kashmiri Red Chili, kolhapuri chilies, and chili Powder: This recipe calls for three different chilies – this is what gives the spice and color to the dish.
• Cashews: These balance the spices and add richness to the gravy.
• Mixed Vegetables: We use diced capsicum (bell pepper), beans, carrots, onions, cauliflower, potato, and green peas in this recipe, but you can add any other vegetables or cubed paneer.
• Oil – For cooking the gravy and frying the vegetables.
• For the gravy – You will need tomato, onion, ginger, and garlic.
• Spices – On top of red chili powder, you will also need salt, turmeric powder, garam masala, and kasuri methi.

Step-by-step process

For Kolhapuri paste

• Set a pan on low heat, add oil, the whole spices, and dry roast them on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the coconut and, stir & cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame or until the coconut has turned light brown. Remove them to a plate & cool down to room temperature.
• Transfer them to a grinding jar, add water and grind them into a fine paste. Keep it aside to be used later.

For onion-tomato gravy

• Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds.
• Now add onion and saute them for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion gets translucent, over medium heat.
• Add tomatoes, cashew nuts, red-dried Kashmiri chilies, kolhapuri chilies, and 1 cup of water. Stir well, cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Now switch off the flame and let the mixture cool down. Finally, take it into a blender jar and make a smooth puree. Keep it aside.

Vegetables for sabzi

• Heat oil in a pan to fry the vegetables. Fry green beans and potatoes for 2 minutes or until both are tender. Then take them out on a paper napkin-lined plate. Now fry cauliflower florets and carrots the same way. Take them out, and in the same way, fry bell pepper and onions. Keep them aside.
• Tip – If you don’t want to fry the vegetables, you can steam, air-fry them or roast them in the oven and use them.

Let’s Combine all the preparation and make a yummy Veg Kolhapuri.

• Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan.
• Add tomato-onion gravy. Stir it and cover it. Let it cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally.

• Add kolhapuri paste, salt, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Add some water if needed. Mix well and cook it for five more minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Note – this gravy will splutter a lot, so be careful.
• Add green peas, fried vegetables, and 1 cup of water to the gravy. Mix and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
• Now add garam masala and kasuri methi. Stir well. Switch off the flame.

• Yummy and spicy Veg Kolhapuri is ready. Garnish it with coriander/cilantro. Serve Veg Kolhapuri with Roti, Naan, Paratha, Tandoori roti, or Kulcha.

Notes, pro tips, and quick FAQs

• Make sure you cut the vegetables equal in size.
• You can ton down this curry by reducing the chili powder.
• I have used Kashmiri red dried chilies with kolhapuri red dried chilies which give a deep color and are low in heat. You can also add badyagi red chilies. So depending on the type of red chili added, you can increase or decrease the heat elements in this dish.
• Add any veggies of your choice.
• If you have ready-made Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masala or the Kolhapuri masala, add about three tablespoons instead of making it at home.
• If you don’t have poppy seeds, you can skip using them.
• For the best flavors, use fresh coconut. But if you don’t have fresh, use dried, unsweetened desiccated coconut.

Some More Curry recipes –

• Potato curry
• Paneer Lababdar
• Reshmi Kaju Paneer
• Malai Kofta
• Matar Paneer

Warm regards,

Dhwani.

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