Veg Kolhapuri recipe with step by step photos – this spicy and tasty mixed vegetable based dish has its origin in Kolhapur, a historical city in south Maharashtra. Kolhapuri cuisine is known for its hot, spicy and pungent flavors. However, not all the food from the Kolhapuri cuisine is spicy & robust.
I have been to Kolhapur many times and have got the opportunity to savor the authentic vegetarian Kolhapuri cuisine. From the spicy vada pav on the roadside to chili pitla (spicy gram flour based dish) and the famous & fiery Kolhapuri misal (sprouted moth beans curry). We have also had Kolhapuri dal and it was a spicy dal. On occasions we even had Kolhapuri thalis there.
Last time, on a visit there, I got the Kolhapuri kanda lasun masala (onion-garlic masala). This spice blend is so good that it simply perks up the flavor of the recipe in which it is added. I have added it many times to vegetables and dal (lentils) dishes.
In Kolhapur, I never came across vegetable Kolhapuri. at least in the restaurants and hotels we stayed and went, there was never a mention of this particular dish. Though, I have seen veg Kolhapuri mentioned in the menu of North Indian restaurants.
This recipe of veg Kolhapuri is inspired from one of the hot dishes from the Kolhapuri cuisine – Tambda rassa. Tambda means ‘red’ and rassa means ‘thin curry or gravy’.
Tambda rassa is actually a non vegetarian dish which make use of the bold and fiery Kolhapuri masala. One of the ingredients of the authentic Kolhapuri masala is red chili powder made from lavangi chilies. these chilies are small, but very hot.
For this veg Kolhapuri recipe, I have toned down the fieriness by not using lavangi mirchi. Instead I have added byadagi chilies, which give a deep color and are low in heat. You can also add Kashmiri red chilies. So depending on the type of red chili added, you can increase or decrease the elements of heat and pungency in this dish.
The Kolhapuri masala is freshly made for the curry. So you don’t need to have ready-made store bought Kolhapuri masala. Though, if you have it, I have mentioned the amount in the notes section of recipe details, towards the end of the post. For the Kolhapuri masala, I referred to some of the cookbooks, which I got from kolhapur.
Add any veggies of your choice. Vegetable Kolhapuri is best served with chapatis, bajra bhakri or jowar bhakri, phulkas and even parathas. We even had it with bread.
The recipe is spicy and has some heat which most Indians can tolerate. But if you do not prefer spicy food, then cut down on the dry red chilies, garlic and ginger. You can also check this Paneer Kolhapuri which is adapted from this recipe and also not made very spicy.
On a side note, Whenever you visit Kolhapur, do make a point to visit the most revered Mahalakshmi temple, which is one of the Shaktipeethas in Maharashtra. You can also visit Siddhagiri or Kaneri math, Kopeshwar (Lord Shiva temple), Narsobawadi (Lord Dattatreya temple on the confluence of rivers Krishna and Panchganga), Jyotiba temple and the Rankala lake. We visited all the places except the Kopeshwar temple.
Please note that some of the pics are taken in tungsten lighting in the kitchen. Hence you will see a yellow hue on some pics.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Veg Kolhapuri
1. Firstly, rinse, peel and cut the vegetables into thick strips or batons. Place them in a steamer pan. I have used the following vegetables:
- 1 medium size potato
- 8 to 10 French beans
- ⅓ cup cup chopped cauliflower florets
- 1 medium carrot or 2 small carrots
- ⅓ cup green peas
- 1 medium yellow/red bell pepper or green capsicum
2. Then steam the veggies in an electric cooker, steamer or pressure cooker.
3. The veggies have to be completely cooked and yet retain their shape.
4. When the veggies are steaming, gather all the ingredients required for making Kolhapuri masala. Listed below all the ingredients for pictorial purpose only.
Please note if you don’t have stone flower (patthar phool) and cobra’s saffron (nagkesar) then its fine. You can also skip poppy seeds (khus khus) as its not available in some countries.
Making Kolhapuri masala
5. Heat a pan and dry roast the spices first – cinnamon, cloves, black peppers, coriander, cumin, stone flower, tej patta, nagkesar (cobra’s saffron), red chilies, nutmeg powder, green cardamoms and black cardamom seeds.
6. Once the spices become fragrant, then add poppy seeds, sesame seeds and desiccated coconut.
7. Stir continuously and dry roast till the coconut gets golden.
8. Once the spices mixture cools, then take them in a dry grinder or coffee grinder.
9. Grind to a fine powder. A slight semi fine powder is also fine. The sesame seeds and coconut will release oil while grinding. So you have to scrape the sides of the masala and grind. If difficult to grind, then add some water and make a fine paste.
Making veg Kolhapuri
10. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.
11. Saute the onions stirring often till they are light golden or golden.
12. Add ginger and garlic paste.
13. Stir and then add chopped coriander leaves. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger garlic goes away.
14. Next add chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes soften and you see oil leaving the sides.
15. Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida (hing).
16. Stir and then add chopped bell pepper/caspiscum. You can also skip capsicum if you prefer.
17. Stir and saute till the capsicum is about cooked and yet having a slight crunch.
18. Add the ground Kolhapuri masala.
19. Stir and then add water. Season with salt according to taste.
20. Bring the curry to a simmer.
21. When you see some oil floating on top, add the steamed veggies.
22. Stir and simmer for two minutes. The consistency of the curry is slightly thin. Check the taste and add more salt if required. If there is less salt, the flavor and taste of the spices do not come through.
23. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves and give a final stir. You can also garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
24. Serve veg Kolhapuri hot with soft phulkas or parathas or bhakris. You can also serve this spicy curry with bread and steamed rice or jeera rice.
More Veg curry recipes
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Veg Kolhapuri
Vegetable Kolhapuri is a spicy and tasty mixed vegetable curry from Kolhapuri cuisine.
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
for kolhapuri masala
other ingredients for veg kolhapuri
preparation
First, rinse, peel and cut the vegetables into thick strips or batons. Place them in a steamer pan.
Then steam the vegetables in an electric cooker, steamer or pressure cooker.
The vegetables have to be completely cooked and yet retain their shape.
While the vegetables are steaming, gather all the ingredients required for making Kolhapuri masala.
making kolhapuri masala
Heat a pan on low heat and dry roast the spices – cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, stone flower, mace strands, pinch of nutmeg powder, bay leaf, cobra saffron, red chilies, green cardamoms and black cardamom seeds. Skip stone flower, cobra saffron and poppy seeds, if you don’t have these.
Once the spices become fragrant, then add poppy seeds, sesame seeds and desiccated coconut.
Stir continuously and dry roast till the desiccated coconut turns golden.
Once the spice mixture cools, then take them in a dry grinder or coffee grinder.
Grind to a fine powder. A slight semi fine powder is also fine. The sesame seeds and coconut will release oil while grinding. Make sure to keep scraping the sides of the grinder jar and grind further. If you are finding it difficult to grind, add some water to make a fine paste.
making veg kolhapuri
Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.
Sauté the onions till they turn light golden or golden.
Add ginger-garlic paste.
Stir and then add chopped coriander leaves. Stir and sauté till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
Next, add chopped tomatoes.
Sauté till the tomatoes soften and you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida.
Stir and then add chopped bell pepper/capsicum. You can also skip capsicum if you prefer.
Stir and sauté till the bell pepper is half cooked and yet have a slight crunch. About 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
Add the ground Kolhapuri masala.
Stir and sauté for some seconds.
Then add water. Season with salt as per taste.
Bring the curry to a simmer.
When you see some oil floating on top, add the steamed vegetables.
Stir and simmer the gravy for about 2 minutes.
Lastly, add chopped coriander leaves and give a final stir. You can also garnish with the coriander leaves.
Serve Veg Kolhapuri hot with soft chapatis, phulkas or parathas. You can also serve this spicy curry with bread and steamed rice.
- If you have readymade Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masala or the Kolhapuri masala, then add about 2 to 2½ tablespoons of it.
- The elements of heat and pungency in this Veg Kolhapuri can be increased or decreased depending on the type of red chili added.
- Any vegetables of your choice can be added in this dish. The vegetables should be cooked completely, yet retain their shape.
- In case you don’t have stone flower, cobra saffron or poppy seeds, you can skip using them.
This Veg Kolhapuri post from the blog archives first published in November 2014 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Source: Dassana’s Veg Recipes
