No Onion No Garlic Veg Kurma | Easy Pressure Cooker Vegetable Kurma

A simple South Indian style vegetable kurma recipe without any onion or garlic – a perfect side for roti, pulav, and biryani varieties! Learn how to make this veg kurma on a stove-top pressure cooker with step-wise pictures.

When I can make pulav, chana masala, and biryani and bharta without onion and garlic, why not veg kuruma or veg kurma. As you all know, we try avoiding onion and garlic on festive and auspicious days, and I have shared quite a few recipes without any onion or garlic. Now it’s time for the kurma. 

While roti and kurma are a popular combo, we love our kurma with idli, dosa and I also serve it with pulao and biryani varieties. Like sambar, we use kurma for breakfast or lunch, or dinner, depending upon the dish. This time I made this kurma for dinner and served it with roti. 

Stove-top pressure cooker veg kurma

Every time I share Instant Pot recipes, I get a recipe request for a stove-top pressure cooker recipe. So I made this kurma in the stove-top pressure cooker. The recipe is very straightforward. There are three significant steps involved in this kurma.

1. Prepare the ground masala
2. Saute the tomatoes and the ground masala
3. Add the vegetables and pressure cook with the ground masala.

Ingredient used

Except for the black stone flower, all the other ingredients are readily available. Black stone flower or kalpaasi is optional, but it adds a nice flavor.

For the masala – We use coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin powder, coriander powder, roasted gram/pottukadalai, green chilies, fennel seeds, mint leaves, and turmeric powder to prepare the masala. I usually add all the spice powders and blend them too.

To Temper – We need oil, and I recommend using coconut oil, cumin seeds, and bay leaves for tempering.

Tomatoes and other vegetables: Along with tomatoes, you can use vegetables of your choice. You can use green beans, carrots, green peas, cauliflower, potatoes, turnips, chayote squash, zucchini. 

Apart from these ingredients, we need salt, water, and cilantro. 

Dietary specifications and serving suggestions

This veg kurma is vegan, nut-free, and gluten-free naturally. You can serve this kurma with idli, dosa, poori, roti/chapati, pulav, or biryani. Yes, it’s such a versatile side dish!

I haven’t tried freezing this kurma, but I have stored this in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this veg kurma.

No onion, no garlic veg kurma recipe with step-wise pictures

Grind the kurma masala

• In a mixer jar, add all the ingredients given under “To grind.” 

• Grind it into a smooth paste by adding one cup of water and set the paste aside.

Prepare the kurma

• Heat the pressure cooker or pressure pan and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves. Let the cumin seeds sizzle and add the tomatoes. 

• Cook the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the ground kurma masala and salt.

• Let the masala and tomatoes cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the raw smell of the spices goes off. Make sure to mix the tomato-kurma masala in between. Now add all the vegetables and one tbsp of cilantro.

• Rinse the mixer jar with one more cup of water and add it to the kurma. 

• Mix the ingredients well, and pressure cook the kurma for two whistles. Let the pressure subside naturally. When the pressure is all gone, open the pressure cooker and mix the kurma well. It’s optional, but I always add one more tbsp of cilantro and bring it to one boil. That’s it. Kurma is ready. Serve it with roti or pulav or dosa.

Recipe notes

• Adjust the spices and salt to taste. Reduce the green chilies and add red chili powder for more color.
• Add veggies in your hand, and adding country vegetables always enhances kurma flavor. But I did not add any. 
• You can also add ½ tsp of garam masala towards the end when bringing the kurma to a boil. 
• The black stone flower is optional, but if you have, do add it. 
• You can reduce tomatoes to 100 grams and increase the coconut measure to ½ cup. And for the tangy flavor, add a tsp or two of lemon juice.
• The cinnamon barks that I used were very thin, so I used 2-inch. 

Explore other side dishes for roti

Loved this recipe?

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