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Veg Kadai Recipe | Kadai Vegetable (Restaurant Style)
4.7 from 94 votes

Veg Kadai Recipe | Kadai Vegetable (Restaurant Style)

Veg Kadai Recipe is a vibrant restaurant-style Indian vegetable curry featuring a blend of sautéed carrots, potatoes, green peas, and bell peppers cooked in a spiced tomato-based gravy. The dish uses freshly ground kadai masala, combining coriander seeds, cumin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, chilies, and nuts to create a rich, aromatic flavor. Cream is added for balance and richness, while fresh coriander leaves garnish the final dish, making it colorful and hearty.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4
Calories: 222 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For kadai masala
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamom
  • ½ inch cinnamon
  • 3 to 4 Kashmiri red chili broken and seeds removed, dry
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
  • 8 to 9 cashews - whole and not halved
  • 4 to 5 black peppercorns
Vegetables
  • 100 grams carrot or ½ cup carrots cut in batons
  • 100 grams potato or ½ cup potatoes cut in batons
  • ⅔ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
  • 100 grams bell pepper or 1 medium-sized or ½ cup sliced bell pepper (capsicum), any colored variety
  • ⅓ cup onion sliced
  • 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil for sautéing bell peppers and onions, generic cooking oil
Other ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • ¼ cup onion chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or ½ inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
  • 200 grams tomato or 3 medium tomatoes pureed - about ⅔ cup tomato puree
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1.5 to 2 cups water or as required
  • salt as required
  • 3 tablespoon light cream or cooking cream (low fat) or 1.5 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
  • 1 inch ginger - julienne for garnish, optiona

Instructions

making kadai masala
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a small frying pan. Keep heat to a low and add the following spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon, dry kashmiri red chilies, kasuri methi, cashews and black peppercorns.
  2. Stir often and roast on a low heat until the spices become fragrant. No need to brown the spices. Set aside.
  3. When the ingredients cool at room temperature, add all of the roasted ingredients in a mixer-grinder or spice grinder.
  4. Grind to a fine powder. Remove the kadai masala in a bowl and keep aside.
Preparing vegetables
  1. Blend tomatoes and make a smooth puree in the same mixer-grinder if its big enough or in another blender or mixer. No need to blanch tomatoes before pureeing. Set aside.
  2. In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and add the sliced onions and sliced bell pepper. Use any colored bell pepper.
  3. Stir very well and saute the onions and bell pepper on a low to medium heat.
  4. Saute till the bell peppers are half cooked. Some crunch is desirable.
  5. Remove the sauteed onions and bell peppers aside. Chop the potatoes and carrots in 2 inches batons and keep them aside too.
Making veg kadai
  1. In the same pan, then heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir and sauté for some seconds on low until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
  2. Next add finely chopped onions.
  3. Stir and saute the onions on medium-low to medium heat until they become light golden.
  4. Add the prepared tomato puree. If using ready tomato puree, then add ⅔ cup tomato puree.
  5. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder or cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
  6. Sauté the masala stirring often on low to medium-low heat till the tomato puree cooks, the masala thickens and you see oil releasing from the sides.
  7. Then add the potato, carrot batons together with the green peas.
  8. Stir and saute for a minute.
  9. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water or as needed. Season with salt according to taste. Stir well.
  10. Cover the pan. On a medium heat simmer and cook the veggies. Check from time to time and if required, add more water.
  11. The veggies need to be cooked well yet still retain shape. They should not become too soft.
  12. Then add the ground kadai masala reserving 1 teaspoon of it for garnish. Stir very well.
  13. Add the sautéed bell peppers and onions. Mix and stir again.
  14. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on low to medium-low heat. If the kadai vegetable gravy looks dry, then add some water.
  15. Then add 3 tablespoons of light cream or low-fat cream or 1.5 tablespoons of heavy or whipping cream.
  16. Stir and mix the cream with the rest of the gravy. Switch off the heat.
  17. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. Stir again very well.
  18. Serve veg kadai gravy hot garnished with some chopped coriander, ginger julienne and sprinkled with the reserved kadai masala. 
  19. Accompaniments for veg kadai are tandoori roti, naan, chapati, paratha, bread. Also goes well with steamed rice, jeera rice or saffron rice.

Notes

  • Substitute cashews with almonds or melon seeds, noting these will alter the flavor profile.
  • Omit kasuri methi or replace with a light pinch of fenugreek seed powder if unavailable.
  • Adjust vegetable types and add according to their individual cooking times to ensure even doneness.
  • Use any color bell peppers or a mix for varied flavor and color.
  • For vegan options, replace dairy cream with coconut cream and paneer with tofu.

Nutrition Information

Calories 222kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 7mg (2%) Sodium 620mg (26%) Potassium 591mg (13%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 6015IU (120%) Vitamin C 103.3mg (115%) Calcium 50mg (5%) Iron 2.5mg (14%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 222

% Daily Value*

Calories 222kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 620mg 26%
Potassium 591mg 13%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 6015IU 120%
Vitamin C 103.3mg 115%
Calcium 50mg 5%
Iron 2.5mg 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.