Vegetable Jalfrezi is a vegetarian version of the British-Indian dish ‘Jalfrezi’ that originated in India but was popularized in the UK. While Chicken Jalfrezi is one of the most popular dishes in the British Indian Restaurants in the UK, this vegetable version is well-known in the Indian Restaurants in India & abroad. Jalfrezi means spicy hot-stir fry. It is believed that Jalfrezi was born as a way to revive left-over roast chicken, where it was stir fried with chilies, tomatoes, veggies & spices. I share more details here on my Chicken Jalfrezi post.
About Vegetable Jalfrezi
Majority of Indians are vegetarians, so vegetarian versions like this Vegetable Jalfrezi and Paneer Jalfrezi are popular in the Indian restaurants. Crunchy veggies coated in a spicy, flavorful & delicious tomato masala is the star of this vegetable jalfrezi. This is a fabulous way to transform your boring veggies to a healthy meal. This recipe uses like carrots, bell peppers, green beans, baby corn, sweet corn and green peas. You may leave out any veggies that are not available. You can also use cauliflower and cabbage following my notes below. If you want you can also add paneer or tofu in this recipe. Cooking this veg jalfrezi takes only 20 mins but the prep time takes a little longer.
How to Make Vegetable Jalfrezi (Stepwise Photos)
Preparation
- Prepare the following ingredients for the base:
¾ cup fine chopped onions from 1 medium sized onion 1 green chili (Indian/Thai or serrano peppers) 1½ cups tomatoes chopped & pureed (or 1 cup tomato puree (passata)) ¼ cup Green peas – optional, use frozen or preboiled fresh matar 2 tablespoons Sweet corn – optional, frozen or preboiled from fresh corn
- You will need the following veggies for the stir fry:
¾ cup Carrots – diced or batons from 2 small carrots ½ cup Green Beans – 15 to 20 French beans cut to 2 inch pieces 1½ cup Bell peppers – diced or batons, red, green, yellow, orange mixed capsicum ½ cup Onion – diced & layers separated – 1 medium 6 to 8 Baby corn – diced or batons 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon & garlic
I also use 1 inch ginger julienned (optional). You may swap in other veggies like cauliflower or cabbage if you want. Refer pro tips section below for that. 3. Measure the spices and keep aside.
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon coriander powder ½ teaspoon cumin powder ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional) 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 1 dried red chilli (optional)
I also prefer to use ¼ teaspoon turmeric & that is optional. 4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or pan. When the oil heats up slightly, reduce the heat to medium. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and dried red chilli (optional). 5. When the cumin begins to sizzle, stir in the ginger and garlic. (1 teaspoon each) Saute for a minute. 6. Add the chopped onions and green chilli. Saute them until golden. 7. Reduce the flame to low, stir in red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, & turmeric (optional). 8. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes cook down. 9. When you see the oil begins to release, pour ¼ to ½ cup water and mix well. This step helps in bringing out the flavors better. 10. Let this cook on a low heat until thick & flavorful. While this cooks, go to the next step. 11. Meanwhile to another pan or wok, add 2 tablespoons ghee and add ginger (optional) carrots & beans. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon salt and stir fry on a high heat for 2 to 4 mins. 12. Add onions as well. 13. Add bell peppers, baby corn, peas and sweet corn. 14. Stir fry on a high heat until tender, cooked yet crunchy. Do not overcook the veggies, they should have some crunch. Turn off when it is done. 15. When your sauce is cooked well & becomes thick, add the kasuri methi, ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt, sugar, garam masala and fennel powder (optional). 16. Add the stir fried veggies too. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. 17. Taste test and adjust salt if you want. If you feel the veggies are not tender enough for your liking. You may cover and cook for a few minutes. But do not overcook to the extent they become mushy and soggy. Serve Vegetable jalfrezi with steamed rice, Chapati, roti, naan, bhakri or even with noodles and Fried rice. We also stir in some cooked pasta and noodles to this veg jalfrezi. For more ideas take a look at the serving ideas section below.
Serving Ideas
Pasta: Boil half cup penne pasta (measured dry) until al dente. Drain and add it to half cup prepared vegetable jalfrezi. Mix well and add a splash of pasta cooked water and cook for 2 mins. This gives a spicier version. For a kids friendly version, reduce the jalfrezi. Noodles: You can do the same with any whole grain noodles or spaghetti. I have tried this with ramen (not the instant kind) & it works out very well. Pizza: Spread this over your pizza base and add cheese. You don’t need any sauce. Grill it as you would do your regular pizza.
Pro Tips
Cooking the onion tomato base with water brings out the flavors better. However you may skip that part if you want. To use cauliflower, use smaller florets. Stir fry them first before adding the carrots as they take longer than other veggies. I prefer to do them separately until done and set aside before frying the other veggies. To use cabbage, I prepare the cabbage early and leave in a colander until all of the water drains completely, before proceeding to stir fry. If you want you may add up to 1.5 cups shredded cabbage to the same recipe as is without altering the quantities of other veggies. Stir fry it separately on the highest heat at the last step & add it to the prepared vegetable jalfrezi after you turn off the stove. You won’t cook it twice.
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