Zucchini Curry – A Recipe Recreation Inspired By Cardiff Travels
Our first meal in Cardiff included vegetable curry dishes at The Queens Vaults. Recalling one of our green curry dishes and revisiting the photo we took of the meal, we set out to recreate this curry meal upon our return home. The curry was tasty, and the star of the show was a green squash. And when it’s zucchini season at home (which lasts for months), this zucchini curry recipe is the one we make more than any other.
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Recreating recipes from our travels
After returning home from our UK trip, we set out to recreate many of the foods we enjoyed. First on the list was the first meal we enjoyed in Cardiff. On the original menu, it was listed as a green vegetable curry. We experimented a bit with getting the curry paste to remind us of our Cardiff meal and we think this recipe does a good job of bringing us back to the table in the pub style restaurant.
Health benefits of curry
Not only is this dish incredibly tasty, many people swear by the health benefits of curry. Among the positive impacts provided by curry dishes are:
- Improved digestion – Spicy foods stimulate gastric juices and as a result, facilitate digestion.
- Reduce inflammation – Spices typically used in curry dishes such as cumin are favorites to fight inflammation.
- Antioxidants and Phytonutrients – Among the ingredients used in curry dishes, such as healthy vegetables, they’re packed with nutrients. Additional ingredients such as coconut milk are healthy fats. Peppers and peas bring us antioxidants and phytonutrients, resulting in cuisine that offers health benefits alongside great flavors.
Our zucchini curry recipe reimagined
The recipe below is our recreation of the vegetable curry dish we enjoyed in Cardiff. We emphasize the zucchini in our recreation. The heat level in the following recipe can be adjusted to your preference.
The featured image is our plate at the restaurant. The photo at the bottom of this blog post is our recreation at home.
How easy is it to make zucchini curry?
We typically are ready to eat this meal within roughly 40 minutes of starting our preparation. The recipe starts with preparing a curry paste. We usually have enough curry paste to make this dish on three evenings, each feeding four people.
You should be able to finish the preparation and initial cooking in about 20 minutes. Then, once your curry is simmering, you’ll be ready to eat in another 20 minutes.
How to slice the zucchini for this curry recipe
You can do so any way you prefer.
For our dish, we typically cut half-inch rounds. Then, depending on the zucchini size, we’ll further slice each round into sixths or eighths. An easy way to do this is to stack the rounds on top of each other. Make one cut across half the zucchini circle. Then make additional slices to get six pieces, or if you are working with a larger zucchini, you can get eight pieces from each round.
Zucchini Curry Recipe
A note on ingredients
- Broth: If you make broth using bouillion, start by boiling water before doing anything else for this recipe. Once you get your water heating, you can move on to other prep work needed to create this dish.
- Green Chili Peppers: Options include Serrano and Thai peppers. You can experiment with green chili peppers available in your area and adjust them for your desired heat level.
- Zucchini: We don’t peel the zucchini for our curry.
Zucchini Curry Recipe
Zucchini Curry Recipe
This recipe is our recreation of the vegetable curry dish we enjoyed in Cardiff. We emphasize the zucchini in our recreation. The heat level in the following recipe can be adjusted to your preference.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Curry Paste
- 1 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves & stems
- 1 small onion
- 6 large green chili peppers, deseeded
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Ingredients for Zucchini Curry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 4 cups zucchini, chopped – or about 500 grams
- 1 can garbanzo beans (optional)
- 6 tablespoons curry paste
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
- ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
- Make the curry paste first.
- Puree the curry paste ingredients in a food processor until a chunky puree develops. Keep extra in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat to make the curry. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. If using mushrooms, add those next and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the curry paste and zucchini, coating the zucchini. If using garbanzo beans, drain and add at this point.
- Add coconut milk, broth, paprika, cayenne, cumin, thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Add peas and lime juice, and cook for one more minute.
- Serve with a side of English chips (thicker cut potatoes) and malt vinegar, or over rice.
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Zucchini Curry Recipe
Serving suggestions
We typically rotate serving this curry over various starches – oven-baked potato slices, brown rice, or even noodles are our go-to items. We’ll pour the curry over rice or noodles. If you use potatoes, we’ll usually serve those as a side to add malt vinegar over the English-style chips.
Other options include serving naan or other flatbread with this delicious curry.
If you have leftover curry, place it in the refrigerator once it has cooled. Then you can reheat it the following night for a quick meal.
Watch our video of making this curry
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
Zucchini sometimes has a reputation as a bland squash with minimal flavor. Added to a curry, zucchini becomes foundational and shows a versatile side of itself.
Plant-based curry dishes are healthy, and zucchini is an excellent foundation for curry. This versatile dish can be enhanced with various vegetables, including carrots, and bell peppers, among several others.
This recipe is so simple that it is a staple in our home most nights once the zucchini plants start producing. People often don’t know what to do with all of their zucchini in summer, as this prolific plant can create food faster than many can eat.
A zucchini curry is a great vegan dish for any night of the week.
Try just about any other squash. If using a pumpkin, we recommend first cutting the pumpkin into bite-size pieces. Then roast the pumpkin for 30 minutes before adding it to the curry pot.
More curry recipes inspired from our travels
Chickpea and roasted pepper curry
More curry recipes for your bookshelf
Our podcast featuring our stop at The Queens Vaults
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What a delicious way to eat zucchini!
A must try, it is delicious. 👍🏻