Vegan Malabar Curry with Veggies and Beans

My vegan version of Keralan Malabar Curry features white beans and veggies simmered in a fragrant coconut sauce. Use other protein with the sauce for variation. This recipe is gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.

Are you in the mood for some spicy food tempered with soothing coconut? Great, because today’s special is my vegan version of a classic – Malabar Curry. This is a popular curry from the northern part of Kerala.

You will love the delicious sauce which is made with fresh coconut, fennel, cardamom, and various other Indian spices and aromatics, pepper and cinnamon being some of them.

This sauce is usually used with chicken. However, it also goes well with veggies or chickpeas or beans too. I use a mix of veggies and beans to make a hearty protein-rich curry that bursts with various flavors with every bite.

This curry is filling, and delicious! As most curries, it is especially good a day after it was made as with many Indian sauce which use whole spices!

Why you will love this Malabar curry

• It’s veggie filled, and delicious
• its Nutfree, Glutenfree and Soyfree
• it’s different flavor and texture from the usual tomato and cream based North Indian style popular Indian dishes
• It has layers of complex flavors!
• the sauce was very versatile. Use it with veggies or beans or baked tofu or vegan chick’n subs

More Indian regional curry recipes:

Print Recipe

Easy Malabar Veggie Curry

My vegan version of Keralan Malabar Curry features white beans and seasonal veggies simmered in a fragrant coconut sauce. Use other proteins with this delicious sauce for variation. This recipe is gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: vegan Indian curry

Servings: 4

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For coconut paste:

• ½ cup (40 g) of shredded coconut, fresh or frozen coconut or use dried shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 clove
• 2 green cardamom pods or use 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

For the sauce:

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• ½ inch ginger, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder , use less for less heat
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces (113.4 g) tomato puree, canned unseasoned purée
• 2 cups (364 g) Chopped vegetables such as cauliflower, sweet potato, carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas etc.
• 15 ounce (425.24 g) can white beans, drained or 1 ¼ cup cooked. You can also use chickpeas and other beans here.
• ¾ teaspoon of salt or to taste
• Cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Instructions

• Coconut paste: Add all ingredients for the coconut paste to small skillet over medium heat and cook until coconut is golden. Once coconut starts to turn golden, you want to stir it frequently otherwise it will burn.

• Transfer this mixture to blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until the coconut breaks down into somewhat coarse paste, you don’t want the coconut to be visible, blend until almost smooth.

• Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.,Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them start to pop.

• Then quickly add the curry leaves, carefully because curry leaves can cause hot oil to splash. optional: Once popping settles, reserve about half of this tempering for garnish for later (this is optional)

• Then add in onion, ginger, garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is golden, then add in turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and black pepper and mix well for another minute.

• Then add in tomato puree and blended coconut paste and mix well. Add in the vegetables, white beans and salt. Mix, cover and cook for 11-15 minutes.

• Stir in between to check if vegetables are cooking evenly. As soon as vegetables are cooked to preference, switch off the heat.

• Open the lid. If too saucy continue to sauté for another minute or switch off the heat.

• Taste to adjust for salt and flavor and garnish with cilantro, lemon juice and reserved tempering if you’ve kept some. Serve with rice, flat bread, roti or dosa.

Notes

Protein subs; I use canned or cooked white beans. But you can use chickpeas, black eyed peas, crisped tofu, more veggies or soycurls you’ll need to add 1/2 to 1 cup more water with 2-3 oz soycurls
Curry leaves:  curry leaves can be  found in fresh or dried form in stores or you can also find them online on Amazon. Or use lime leaves as substitute or use bay leaves 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Malabar Veggie Curry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 285
Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Sodium 536mg23%

Potassium 1027mg29%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 11g46%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 241IU5%

Vitamin C 81mg98%

Calcium 146mg15%

Iron 6mg33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ingredients:

• For the coconut paste, we blend shredded coconut with fennel seeds and cardamom pods
• for the tempering, we fry mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil – some of this tempering can be set aside for topping
• onion, garlic, and ginger, the Indian trifecta, are added to the tempering
• ground spices: turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, ground pepper
• tomato puree adds body to the gravy  (canned unseasoned)
• vegetables: 2 cups of mixed veggies such as cauliflower, sweet potato, carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas etc.
• to add some protein, I toss in some white beans
• cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Tips:

• you can use fresh or frozen coconut or use dried shredded. Unsweetened.
• for the beans I used drained and rised canned beans but you can also use cooked. You can also use chickpeas and other beans instead. Or use 7 oz crisped tofu or other vegan chikin subs or 2-3 oz Soycurls

How to make Vegan Malabar Curry

Add all ingredients for the coconut paste to small skillet over medium heat and cook until coconut starts to turn golden. Once coconut starts getting golden, you want to stir it frequently otherwise it will burn.

Transfer this mixture to blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until the coconut breaks down into somewhat coarse paste, you don’t want the coconut to be so visible. Close to smooth preferable.

Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them start to pop.

Then quickly add the curry leaves. Do this carefully because curry leaves can cause oil to splash. Optional step: Once the popping settles, you can go ahead and reserve about half of this tempering for garnish for later

Then add in onion, ginger, garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is golden, then add in turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne and black pepper and mix well for another minute.

Then add in tomato puree and blended coconut paste and mix well.

Add in the vegetables, white beans and salt. Mix, cover and cook for 11-15 minutes.

Stir in between to check if vegetables are cooking evenly. As soon as vegetables are cooked to preference, switch off the heat.

Open the lid. If too saucy continue to sauté for another minute or switch off the heat.

Taste to adjust for salt and flavor and garnish with cilantro, lemon juice and reserved tempering if you’ve kept some. Serve with rice, flatbread, roti or dosa.

What to serve with Malabar Curry?

While this curry tastes amazing with rice, you can also serve it with flat bread, roti or dosa.

Storage

Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month