This Indian-style Zucchini Curry recipe is creamy and delicious, made with zucchini (courgette) infused with spices. It's extremely easy to make in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or on the stovetop in less than 20 minutes.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2-3 medium zucchini (courgette) (sliced lengthwise and then cut into 1-inch half-moon pieces (about 3-3.5 cups))
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic (minced)
  • 1 green chili (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped or 1 can 8 oz tomato sauce (about 1 cup) or crushed tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • salt (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream (or fresh cream, cashewnut cream (optional but recommended))
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves

Dry spices:

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Wash and cut 2-3 zucchini lengthwise, then into half-moon pieces (around 3-3.5 cups).
  2. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Allow the cumin seeds to splutter.
  3. Then add minced ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for 30 seconds.
  4. Add finely chopped onions. Saute them for 2-3 minutes or till they turn light brown.
  5. Next, add tomatoes, dry spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Cook for two more minutes till the tomatoes turn soft.
  6. Then add the zucchini pieces and water, and mix well. Make sure to deglaze the pot by scraping any spices sticking to the inner pot to avoid the BURN alert.
  7. Seal the lid securely and set the vent to "SEALING". Then, choose the " PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL " setting on high pressure and adjust the cooking time to 1 minute. When the instant pot beeps, do a Quick Release (QR).
  8. Lastly, remove the lid away from you, add coconut cream or fresh cream, squeeze lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro.
  9. Zucchini Sabji (Courgette curry) is ready, serve hot with chapatis, roti & parathas.

Stovetop Pot Method:

  1. Follow the same steps as the Instant Pot. Cover the Kadai with a lid and cook until the zucchini becomes soft, which takes about 5-6 minutes. Stir once or twice in between. Add cream and lemon juice once the zucchini is cooked, and garnish with cilantro.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.