One thing that I took from our road trip to my in-laws for Thanksgiving is that even eating a mostly plant-based diet can be done without weekly trips to the grocery store. My father in law is quite the cook and one of the first things I ate when we arrived was a mixed vegetable masala (mixed vegetable curry) made from frozen vegetables. First off, I found it hard to believe you can make good Indian food from frozen food, secondly, I never would have thought to put broccoli in something like this, and third, I never thought it would actually be so easy!
We ate a lot of different food while visitng, authentic yellow curry with pakoras, saag aloo, dal, pani puri, black chickpeas masala, rusmalai, galab jamen ice cream, and several type of parantas. Needless to say, we had quite the delicious variety of food to eat for a few days. Also nobody can make a roti quite like my father-in-law. They puff up so nice when he makes them. I’m learning the ways, but still mine are nothing in comparison to his. But the one dish that surprised me the most with the mixed vegetable curry. He showed me the bag of frozen vegetables he made it with and it is like $0.99 at Walmart!! To think such a delicious meal could come from half an onion and a dollar bag of frozen vegetables.
What you’ll love about this vegan Indian mixed vegetable masala?
- It’s super cheap. There isn’t much you can make for around $2.50 that can feed a whole family. Especially that isn’t mac ‘n cheese, soup, or cereal.
- Healthy. Indian food, in general, is usually quite healthy, but this dish is literally just vegetables, spices, and a small amount of oil for cooking. Plant-based eating at its finest.
- Easy to make. Thaw the veggies, saute everything with spices, and you’ve got a meal ready to roll.
How to make this Indian mixed vegetable masala?
- Thaw the frozen veggies (you can use any type you like here, but I like the mix with cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots – but use what you have).
- Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Heat a pan or kadai over medium heat. Add olive oil until it is warm. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle about 10 seconds.
- Stir in the onion and garlic and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Next stir in the spices, salt, and pepper.
- Finally add the thawed frozen vegetables. Stir them into the onion masala mixture. Cover and cook for about 7-10 minutes.
- Serve warm with rotis or rice!
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Vegan Indian Mixed Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
- 16 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil or more for cooking
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or more for spicier
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Thaw the veggies. For a quick thaw, put them in a large bowl with hot water and drain after a few minutes. Otherwise just put the bag in the sink and leave it while you're at work.
- Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Once hot, stir in the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Make sure the oil is hot or you won't get the fried seed taste.
- Next stir in the onion and garlic. Saute until the onion starts to become translucent.
- Stir in the spices and salt. Mix well to ensure all of the onion is coated.
- Pour the thawed vegetables into the mix and stir it well to incorporate the spices on all veggies.
- Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes until everything is tender and heated through poroperly.
- Enjoy with fresh roti, rice, or naan.
Notes
Nutrition
I’d love to know if you liked this recipe. Please leave me a rating or comment, it means the world to me and helps me improve my recipe for future. Thanks for reading!
Cassie
Hey! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout
out and say I truly enjoyed trying your recipe.
Appreciate it!
This is a great article, and simple to make.