I absolutely love Indian food,  in case that has not become evidently clear with the spice mixes I employ in my recipes. Here in Montreal there is an Indian restaurant called Lakshana’s Chettinad Indian Restaurant and it is absolutely amazing. We discovered it right before the pandemic hit and it has become a regular Friday night treat in our household (the night designated for take out). 

One of our favourite dishes is simply called Mixed Vegetables and the name sincerely does not do the dish justice. On their website, they describe it as “mixed vegetables cooked with fresh tomatoes, ginger, onions, green peppers and Indian spices”. So here is my best attempt at recreating this Friday night treat. My version came out a bit different: a little less spicy, a little less oily, but still entirely delicious. 

One quick note here is I opt for frozen vegetables in this recipe, it’s quick and convenient. I chose a vegetable medley with cauliflower, broccoli and carrots but chose the one with the veggies you like the best for your version. It’s super easy to make and is a great weeknight dinner.

Active time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup neutral oil
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 7 heads garlic, minced
• 2 red Thai chili peppers, roughly chopped (only one if you’re heat sensitive)
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 small zucchinis
• 3 cups frozen vegetable medley
• Chopped cilantro, to top
• Naan or rice, to serve with

Directions

1. Heat a dutch oven with a lid on medium low heat. Once hot, add in the oil and the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes before adding in the ginger, garlic and the red chilis. Saute for another 2-3 minutes until the onion has begun to become translucent and it is fragrant. 
2. Now, add in the two tomatoes, the vegetable broth, the spices (curry powder, garam masala and black pepper) and the salt and combine. Bring to a simmer and let reduce without a lid for 10 minutes. 
3. Once the ten minutes is up, add in the zucchinis and the frozen vegetables and bring to a simmer once again. We will let this simmer for another 20-25 minutes until all the flavours have combined and the vegetables are cooked through. Begin the first 10 minutes with the lid on, but slightly ajar. After 10 minutes look how liquidy your curry is, if it looks a bit liquidy remove the lid, if not continue as before.
4. Once done cooking, serve with rice or naan and top with freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy!