This creamy courgette curry is delicately spiced but packed with flavour. A great way to use up a glut of courgettes.
Ah, courgette season. Every year we plant too many. Every year we wait and wait and then they all come at once and we scour the internet for increasingly exotic and inventive recipes to use them up. Well here's my exotic and inventive recipe to add to the mix... a deliciously light and creamy Courgette Curry.
This isn't a punch-packing, lip-burning sort of curry. More a delicate and fragrant one, bursting with fresh flavours, green vegetables with ginger and roasted garlic. Perfect for all the family, mopped up with some fresh naan bread.
👩🏽🍳 Curry Variations
This is a great coconut curry base to play around with depending on what you have in the fridge / storecupboard, and what's in season. How about some of these variations:
- Make it lighter by using reduced fat coconut milk and omitting the cream/coconut cream. It will still be delicious!
- Make it quicker by pan-frying the courgettes instead of roasting them. Add them to the pan once the onions have softened, and cook until golden brown and soft, before adding the tomatoes. You can use ready-chopped garlic and ginger from jars or tubes, and even, if you're really in a rush, use a spice mix (eg. curry powder) in place of the individual spices.
- Make it with whatever is in the fridge - this is a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Boil or roast anything that will take longer to cook, (root veg, pumpkin or squash, green beans, runner beans etc), and fry anything you would usually fry (peppers, mushrooms, etc). Any leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale) can be stirred through right at the end of cooking. Just have a go, you really can't go far wrong, I promise!
- Make it with storecupboard ingredients if you don't have many fresh ingredients to hand, this would be lovely made with a tin of chickpeas and a tin of lentils in place of many of the vegetables. You could use garlic and ginger from a jar or tube, and a pinch of dried chilli flakes rather than fresh.
⭐️ Reader Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I had a glut of courgettes in this weeks vegetable box delivery, and used them up for this recipe. Oh my gosh, it’s SO good. One of those curry dishes where the flavours of the vegetables shine through, enhanced by just a touch of heat from the spices and a little sweetness from the coconut milk. This is a recipe I’ll repeat time and again. Yum!" CeeCee
❄️ Freezing
This curry does freeze well in individual portions, and if you're trying to get through a glut of home-grown courgettes this is a delicious way to stock your freezer with warming suppers for the winter months.
If you're making a batch to freeze, I would suggest slightly under-cooking the green vegetables, and roasting the courgettes for a shorter time - perhaps 15-20 minutes, as they can turn a little soggy when defrosted.
Hold back on the fresh coriander and lemon juice, and try to have some on hand when you're defrosting and eating this. Together they give a burst of freshness that you will lose if you freeze them in with the curry.
🥒 How else can I use up my courgettes?
If you've found this page because you're desperate to use up a big batch of home-grown courgettes, you might also like to take a look at:
- My Roasted Courgette Soup with peas and basil (lots of great feedback from readers who have tried it!)
- For the more adventurous, a recipe for Courgette Kimchi that my blogging friend Kavita reviewed from a new cookery book. I'm definitely trying this, it looks epic!
- As a tasty side dish you can't go wrong with my Roasted Courgettes with lemon and garlic - so easy and perfect with all sorts of mains.
- This Courgette and Freekeh Salad by another blogging friend Emma looks totally delicious. I'm a recent convert to Freekeh and this is the sort of 'substantial salad' I love in a lunchbox in the warm summer months.
🍴 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Courgette Curry
Ingredients
- 2 large courgettes (or 3 smaller ones)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 3 small waxy potatoes
- 100 g green vegetables (I used green beans and tenderstem broccoli)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 onion
- 2 fresh green chillis
- 3 cm piece fresh ginger
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 50 ml dairy-free cream or coconut cream
- lemon wedges (to serve)
- fresh coriander (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan) / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
- Cut the courgettes in half lengthways and then into 1cm thick slices. Put into a roasting tin with the garlic cloves (whole, with skin left on), 2tbsp of oil and season well with salt and pepper.
- Toss together until the courgette slices are fully coated with oil then roast for 30 minutes, turning half way through.
- Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Cut the potatoes into chunks. Trim and halve the green beans, trim the broccoli or prepare whatever green vegetables you are using.
- Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes then add the beans, broccoli or other vegetables for a further 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and cook on a medium heat until they begin to pop.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and add to the pan. Slit the green chillis down the side (leaving them whole) and add to the pan. Peel and finely chop the ginger and add to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes. Add them to the pan with the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin and a generous seasoning of salt. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tin of coconut milk along with a splash of water. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the courgettes, (remove the garlic cloves first), potatoes and green vegetables. Squeeze the flesh of the garlic cloves out of the skin and add to the pan.
- Add the cream, then taste and adjust seasoning if required.
- Remove the green chillis just before serving, and serve with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Nutrition
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helen portash says
This looks lovely - do you think it would freeze?
Kate Ford says
Hi Helen, the courgette slices won't be quite the same after freezing - absolutely fine to freeze from a safety perspective but the curry won't be *quite* as good as freshly cooked! X
Jane Crawley says
This was amazing. Husband and I are both trying to cut meat out of our diets and have been struggling with vegetarian meals as the ones we had found lack flavour. This is our 2nd recipe we've tried so far from your site and I'm making your mushroom & ale pie tomorrow. Husband loved this as did I and it was so easy to cook. I followed the recipe to the letter apart from I didn't have ground coriander and the shop didn't have any either so I used your suggestion of the cheat curry powder and added the mustard seeds in your recipe as I did have those. Thank you so much for helping us out, we are hoping to go Vegan completely by the end of this year.
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Jane - enjoy the pie! X
Sandra says
This was so delicious and so easy to make once I mastered the mustard seed popping! Are you able to include whether your recipes are suitable for home freezing and how long they will last in the fridge please? Thanks.
Kate Ford says
Thanks Sandra, glad you enjoyed it! If you look in the main section of the blog post there's a whole section on Freezing which should give you all the info you need. There's a contents list right at the top so you can jump straight to the right section.
Sandra Davies says
Silly me!! Thanks Kate. My daughter and her husband have been vegans for years now and your site has really helped me. I love your recipes above all others. Along with your wonderful recipes the way you do the tips and swaps make everything a breeze. Keep up your marvellous work.
Kate Ford says
Thanks so much Sandra x
Michelle says
Loved this! I left my chilli's in, only used the coconut milk and threw in left over parsnip and a sweet potato alongside the green veg. I squeezed a whole lemon I at the end and it was delicious!!
Kate Ford says
Oh that's great to hear, thanks Michelle!
Susie says
Just made this curry ready for guests arriving tomorrow. I am so glad I did ! It’s so lovely not too much of anything I made an in between recipe for5 people. Well it tastes fab, will definitely be making this again and again ….
Kate Ford says
Oh that's great to hear - thanks for the feedback Susie xx
Jeni Hughes says
This is a gorgeous recipe, it tastes like a fusion of Thai and Indian flavours. It is very well balanced and not too spicy. I did it without the extra cream as it was creamy enough with the coconut milk. Highly recommend.
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Jeni! X
Kate Ford says
Oh that's lovely to hear, thanks Jeni! X
Lyn says
I found it very yummy when it cooled a bit actually and I did add a little more heat, because I like a slightly more spicy curry. But if you like mild and very creamy curries then this is perfect.
Lyn says
A little too creamy. The coconut drowned the other spices a bit and so I needed to balance the flavours a little more.
CeeCee says
I had a glut of courgettes in this weeks vegetable box delivery, and used them up for this recipe. Oh my gosh, it’s SO good. One of those curry dishes where the flavours of the vegetables shine through, enhanced by just a touch of heat from the spices and a little sweetness from the coconut milk. This is a recipe I’ll repeat time and again. Yum!
Kate Ford says
That's so lovely to hear, thanks CeeCee! X
Nkechi Ajaeroh says
This recipe looks so so fabulous, and I am drooling! I love curries, and I want to make this!
Desicart says
Very nice recipe. We have to try. So easy, flavorful and delicious.
Kate Ford says
THanks Desicart, let me know how you get on with it!
kim says
Loved this recipe! It was easy and had so much flavor. I'll definitely be making again!
Kate Ford says
That's so great to hear, thanks Kim!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This sounds absolutely divine and full of flavour - what a great way to use courgette. It is such a delicious and versatile ingredient but totally underused. T
Kate Ford says
Thanks Bintu - yes I'm often a bit stuck for new ideas when we end up with ALL the courgettes every year, and really pleased with how this turned out!
Beth says
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty! My husband is going to love this recipe!
Kate Ford says
Thanks Beth, hope he enjoys it! (and you too!)
Katherine says
What a gorgeous curry! So many great flavors in one dish.
Kate Ford says
Thanks Katherine - it is really tasty.
Beth Sachs says
Absolutely delicious! A great way to use up those courgettes from the garden.
Kate Ford says
Great! Yes it is hard to find new ideas when you end up with SO many courgettes in such a short space of time!!