Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry
This Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry is made with air fried zucchini tossed in a tomato based curry and seasoned with pickling spices.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 192kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups zuchinni
- ¼ cup cooking oil (see notes)
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 serrano chillies (see notes)
- 1 tbsp panch phoran spice blend (see notes)
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp mango pickle (see notes)
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
- Peel and cut the zucchini into half moon shapes and toss it with the 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. (see notes)
- Preheat the airfryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. (see notes)
- Cook the courgette in the air fryer for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through.
- Heat the ¼ cup oil in a cooking pot and add the chopped onions.
- Saute till they're medium brown and then add in the garlic.
- After about 30 seconds, add the tomatoes, cover and cook the mixture on medium heat till the tomatoes start sweating and releasing water.
- Uncover, turn flame on high and add the salt, red chilli powder and turmeric.
- Cook the mixture for 10 minutes and then add in the chopped green chilies, followed by the panch phoron.
- Add in the mango pickle and mix well.
- Stir in the zucchini, the cumin seeds, cover and cook for 10 minutes. (see notes)
- Add in the lemon juice and stir to mix. (see notes)
- Uncover, stir in the Cilantro and serve with hot fresh Naan.
Notes
Cooking oil - Use a high smoke point oil such as avocado, canola, peanut, grapeseed or sunflower.
Serrano chilies - I like to use serrano chilies, but you can use jalapenos for milder heat or thai chilies if you like things super hot.
Panch phoran spice blend - A blend of 5 (panch) spices; Cumin, Brown Mustard, Fenugreek, Nigella and Fennel. This is primarily used for pickling in South Asian cuisine and adds delicious flavor to this and many other curries!
Mango pickle - Pickles, known as achaar come in many varieties and can be purchased at specialty stores and amazon. Combined with the 5 spice blend this adds loads of flavor to an otherwise bland vegetable.
Cutting the zucchini - The zucchini is always cut in a half moon shape for the curry. Don't make the slices too thin so that the vegetable can retain some of its shape. I leave the peel on as it's highly nutritious but you're welcome to remove it if that's what you prefer.
Preheat the air fryer - Preheating the air fryer means that your courgette starts cooking as soon as you put it in. This means a shorter cooking time and crispier vegetables.
The cumin seeds - Normally I add cumin seeds first in my curries, to temper them slightly. But based on a recommendation from my friend Eric at eatlikenooneelse I recently tried this wild mountain cumin and can honestly say that the aroma is superb and this can be added directly. If you use a milder variety then I suggest tempering it first.
The lemon juice - Add the lemon juice to the curry at the end, after you turn the stove off. If you add it to very hot food it loses it's pungency.
Nutrition
Serving: 1person | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg