A kadai—the stir-frying wok of Indian cooking—goes right on top of the fiercely hot tandoor oven, but I’ve adapted this recipe to cook on your stovetop at home. It also comes together with a pared-down list of ingredients. (You can trim the recipe even more by substituting 1 Tbs. curry powder for the coriander, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and garam masala.)

As for the chili powder in this dish, Kashmiri chili powder is my preference. If you don’t have it in your spice rack, use whatever chili powder you have on hand (even if it’s blended with other spices). Don’t want spicy heat? Substitute sweet paprika.

Tip: I almost always have cooked brown rice and black lentils in the freezer. Add a couple cups of each to turn this dish into a satisfying vegetarian meal for four.

This recipe was developed by Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook. Have a comment, question, or idea? Email Kate at healthycook@cspinet.org.

Time: 25 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 1 tsp. finely grated or minced ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. chili powder (see headnote), more or less to taste
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch garam masala (optional)
  • 1 Tbs. + 1 Tbs. + 1 Tbs. neutral-tasting oil (like peanut, grapeseed, safflower, or sunflower)
  • 1 large ripe tomato, chopped
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped 
  • ¾ lb. button mushrooms, halved
  • a few cilantro sprigs

Instructions

Make the sauce:

  1. In a small pot, mix together the garlic, ginger, spices, and 1 Tbs. oil and place on a burner over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the oil separates from the spices, about 2 minutes. (Keep a close eye on the spices so they don’t burn.)
  2. Add the tomato and salt with ½ cup water. Simmer until the tomatoes are falling apart, about 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt. Using an immersion blender, purèe until smooth. Turn off the heat. 

Stir-fry the vegetables:

  1. In a large wok or pan over high heat, heat 1 Tbs. oil until very hot but not smoking. Stir-fry the bell pepper and onion until hot and charred in spots, 1–2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
  2. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Stir-fry the mushrooms until hot and charred in spots, 1–2 minutes. Return the peppers and onions to the pan and toss everything together. Remove from the heat, tilt the pan away from you, and then stir in the sauce. (The sauce will spatter, so proceed with caution or let the pan cool for a couple minutes before adding the sauce.)
  3. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cilantro.

Nutrition Information

Per serving (1½ cups):

  • Calories: 170
  • Total fat: 12 g 
  • Sat fat: 1.5 g
  • Carbs: 12 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Total sugar: 7 g
  • Added sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Sodium: 410 mg