Zucchini curry is a delicious meal that is made with just a few simple ingredients in only one pot. This Pakistani Courgette Curry is ready in about 30 to 40 minutes and is a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Love Indian and Pakistani recipes? Try Aloo Palak, Mixed Sabzi, and my favorite Keema recipe.
This zucchini curry (also known as Pakistani Courgette Curry) is amazingly delicious and so easy to make. It's a vegetarian meal packed with flavor and filling ingredients. You will love this recipe if you love easy curries made with fresh ingredients. Pair this dish with mint raita, naan bread, or some homemade matar pulao for the perfect hearty meal.
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You'll Love This Zucchini Curry Recipe
Vegan and Gluten-Free: This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. It's extremely nutritious and pairs nicely with basmati rice, brown rice, or chutney.
Basic Spices: Only a few common spices are used in this recipe, and no whole spices are required for this zucchini curry.
Easy Ingredients: Find all the ingredients you need for this simple recipe at the grocery store. There are a couple of spices listed that may be a little tricky to find, but I've listed the substitutes.
Ingredients, Notes & Substitutions
- Zucchini: I used Caserta, but you can use other varieties, such as cocozelle and dunja. Learn more about the types in this helpful article. I did not peel the zucchini for this recipe, but if you would like to, you can.
- Onion: You will need one medium onion, thinly sliced. White, brown, and red onion are great options for this recipe.
- Garlic: Use three cloves of minced garlic. Either mince your garlic or crush it using a mortar and pestle.
- Ginger: Using fresh is best but jarred ginger works just fine. Mince your ginger or use a mortar and pestle to turn it into a paste.
- Tomato: You will need one chopped tomato. Use a fresh, ripe tomato or 1/2 cup of tomato puree.
- Lal Mirch powder: This is a spicy red chili powder used in Pakistani/Indian cooking. The closest substitute is cayenne.
- Kashmiri Lal Mirch: This is a mild spice, mainly used to add a bright red color to curries. Feel free to skip it if you don’t have it on hand.
- Crushed Coriander & Cumin: I take equal amounts of whole coriander and cumin seeds and coarsely crush them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
- Turmeric Powder: Add 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
How to Make Zucchini Curry (Pakistani Courgette Curry)
- Saute the Onions: Heat your oil in a pan, and add the sliced onion. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
- Add Ginger and Garlic: Add the ginger and garlic to your sauteed onion and cook for an additional 30 seconds to distribute the flavor.
- Add tomato and spices: Add your chopped tomato and powdered spices (lal mirch, turmeric, kashmiri lal mirch, coriander, and Cumin). Stir until the tomato and spices are cooked through. You will begin to see the oil separating. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Now add your Zucchini: Add the sliced zucchini and simmer for a few minutes to soften. Lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Mash the zucchini: Remove the lid and mash the zucchini a bit with a wooden spoon. Make sure you mix the ingredients well at this point.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes: Continue cooking for a few minutes on medium-high heat until you can see the oil separating from the curry. Serve with roti or rice.
Helpful Tips
Tip #1: The Zucchini curry is ready when the zucchini is easily mashed, and you can see the oil separating from the curry. If the curry is still watery, you will need to cook it down more.
Tip #2: If the zucchini is taking too long to get tender, you may need to lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. This will allow the curry to reduce as well.
Tip #3: Do not add extra water. You may need to add about ¼ cup of water, but ideally the moisture from the zucchini is enough to cook the curry. Adding too much water can make the curry watery.
Recipe FAQs
Turai and zucchini are very similar except for a few distinctions. Zucchini is also known as courgette, and it has a different shape and skin than turai. Turai is very slender and has rigid outer skin. Zucchini (courgette) is larger and smoother. Any type of zucchini will do for this recipe.
After you eat your meal, you may have leftovers. You can store this zucchini recipe in the fridge or freezer. Add it to an airtight container to store in the fridge for a few days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave for a quick lunch or dinner. Place the leftovers into a Ziploc bag to store in the freezer for a few months. I don't recommend keeping it there longer than three months. Just thaw in the fridge or on the countertop and reheat for eating.
Coconut oil is a great alternative to Thai curry and chickpea curry recipes. It won't take away from the taste of your zucchini curry, either. A lot of people prefer this type of oil, and it goes well with any easy vegan curry recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your zucchini curry with rice, bread, or noodles as a tasty side dish. It also pairs well with a kachumber salad, a meat dish such as mutton karahi, and rice such as peas pulao. Paired with any of these, you will have a delicious Indian style meal ready in no time.
Cauliflower rice is another choice for low-calorie vegetables to serve with this easy zucchini curry.
More Delicious Pakistani and Indian Recipes
Pakistani Aloo Gobi Masala (Vegan Cauliflower and Potato Curry)
Zucchini Curry (Pakistani Courgette Curry)
Equipment
- Skillet or pot
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger minced
- 1 to mato chopped
- 1 teaspoon lal mirch powder red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri lal mirch
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed coriander and cumin see notes how to make this
- 600 grams zucchini sliced
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan, and add the onions.
- Saute until translucent, then add the ginger and garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato and all the powdered spices.
- Cook until the tomato and spices are cooked through, and you can see the oil separating. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sliced zucchini, and cook for a few minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, mash the zucchini a bit with a wooden spoon, and mix well.
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat, until you can see the oil separating from the curry.
Notes
- Zucchini: In this recipe I used caserta, but you can use other varieties such as cocozelle and dunja. I did not peel the zucchini for this recipe.
- Onion: White, brown, red, are good for this recipe.
- Ginger & Garlic: You can either mince them with a small grater, or crush them in a mortar and pestle.
- Tomato: Use a fresh, ripe tomato or use ½ cup of tomato puree.
- Lal mirch powder: This is a spicy red chili powder used in Pakistani/Indian cooking. The closest alternative is cayenne.
- Kashmiri lal mirch: This is a mild spice, mainly used to add a bright red color to curries. Feel free to skip it, if you don’t have it on hand.
- Crushed Coriander & Cumin: I take equal amounts of whole coriander and cumin seeds, and coarsely crush them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
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