Chickpea Vegetable korma / Instant pot Veg Kurma in coconut cream sauce is a delicious comfort curry made using fresh vegetables , chickpeas , warm Indian spices, cashews and coconut milk . Adding chickpeas to the vegetable medley completes the meal. You may skip the chickpeas and just keep it veggie oriented too. This easy vegetarian curry recipe is simple to make in a pressure cooker/ Instant Pot.
I have been making Veg Kurma on the stovetop forever but I have realized that pressure cooking makes it a breeze . Chickpeas Vegetable korma is so easy to make thanks to pressure cooking. No baby sitting the curry while you are using your instant pot. Everything goes in one pot and within minutes this mix vegetable curry is ready.
Veg Kurma is made with veggies alone but I like to add some protein to my curry in form of beans like chickpeas, black beans or black eyed peas to make it more filling and getting our doze of protein .
You may think adding beans is one extra step but believe me it’s totally worth it. Saying that you may totally skip adding chickpeas and keep it veggie centered . This will even cut down the cooking time.
There are many versions of Veg Korma . Some recipes use yogurt while others use coconut milk for the creaminess . This time it was coconut milk for me .
What I like about this Kurma recipe is that you can use any desired veggies and adjust spices to your taste. Add more coconut milk if you like it rich and creamy or step back and just add a touch.
I love how fragrant and flavorful this curry is and goes well with a side of roti, rice , quinoa , barley or your desired grain.
This recipe is split into two parts
1st- cooking chickpeas from scratch
2nd- Making actual Korma
It is not advisable to cook both together as you will land up overcooking the veggies.
I love to cook my beans from scratch by soaking them atleast 8-10 hours or overnight but when in hurry I just pop open a can .
You may even skip chickpeas and just keep it all veggies.
Given below is the recipe details , substitutes and notes .
Chickpea Vegetable korma / Instant pot Veg Kurma
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon coconut or mustard oil or oil of your choice
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 cup cubed bell peppers
- 1 cup zucchini cubed
- 2 baby radish sliced
- 8-9 French beans chopped into 2” sticks
- 1 plantain / raw banana peeled and cubed
- 1 small sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 carrot sliced
- ½ cup frozen/ fresh green peas
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 ¼ cup approx. cooked/ boiled chickpeas* or one 15 oz can
- Spices needed
- 2 teaspoon red pepper powder/ red mirch
- 2 teaspoon curry powder/ kitchen king or garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander/ dhania powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 pepper corns
- Salt to taste
- Fistful of chopped coriander/ cilantro leaves
To blend into puree
- 4 medium sized tomatoes
- 1 ” ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 7-8 raw cashews*
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients called for puree .
- Start this instant pot saute mode.
- Add oil to the pot and swirl it to coat the base.
- After a minute add in the onions and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add in the bay leaf and pepper corns.
- Add in all the veggies and the tomato puree , spice mix and some salt . Mix well to coat.
- Now add in ½ cup of water and coconut milk . Mix well.
- Add in the boiled / canned chickpeas .
- Cancel saute mode.
- Adjust instant pot setting to Manual high pressure 3 minutes in sealing position.
- Natural pressure release. So when the pin drops Vent out any steam
- and it is safe to open.
- Slowly open the lid and give the veggies a gentle stir.
- Taste test and adjust seasoning , mainly salt.
Notes
Expert tips
Always use per-cooked or canned chickpea for this recipe. If you prefer chunky vegetable texture then Set timer for Manual 2 minutes. The curry thickens after few minutes. So after cooking add more water if you prefer and set it warm .Possible substitutes
Use a store-bought can of chickpea instead of freshly cooked one. Cashews are optional but it thickens the gravy and adds richness. Skip it if you have nut allergy. If coconut milk is unavailable, soak 2 tablespoon dry desiccated / grated or fresh coconut in warm water for 15 minutes then blend with ½ cup water . You may add potatoes instead of plantains . While serving I just topped it with steamed green peas and cilantro for garnish. Use veggies of your choice but make sure the total number of cups should be 6-7 cups chopped for this recipe.How to make chickpea at home from scratch
I have soaked ½ cup raw chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Drained water , filled in 1 cup of fresh water and cooked in instant pot for 14 minutes , manual high pressure on sealing position. Natural pressure release. If you forgot to soak chickpeas then it goes in the Instant pot for 35 minutes high pressure manual and NPR ( natural pressure release). Always add water 3 inches above the chickpeas if cooking without soaking.Nutrition
If using Stove top pressure cooker . Cook on medium heat for 2 whistles . Let the cooker cool down before opening.
Other instant pot recipes that you might like – Vitamin A booster veggie lentil soup
Spinach chickpeas masala from scratch.
Hope you like this recipe and do give it a try as it’s all about carving your cravings and not curbing it. I would love to hear from you. Do leave me your valuable comments and suggestions below . You can even leave me a message on my Facebook page Carveyourcraving.
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Hi! I really wanted to give this recipe a try, but I’m not quite sure which ingredients belong in the puree since it doesn’t clarify in the ingredients list. Are you able to clarify so I can get cooking? My mouth is watering looking at it!
Hi Kiara the ingredients called for the puree are already mentioned under the title “to blend into puree ” last 4 ingredients in the recipe.
Hi…i tried this yesterday..came out ok ok ..i think its raw garlic flavour which i didnt like…will try one more time with garlic sautéed with onion instead of grinding with tomatoes….wat do u say?…tia
Rashmi, savory recipe is mostly a guideline. Always adjust it as per your taste. Of course you can sautee garlic or roast it or skip it.
This recipe turned out so good that I am still licking my spoon. Thank you!
Haha Katie , happy to know that you loved it. Thank you for a lovely feedback! More ip recipes coming soon.