A hearty, healthy, terrifically tasty dish, this marrow curry recipe is the perfect comfort food for those who like a little bit of spice in their life!
Cooking marrow with spices gets the best out of this underrated vegetable. So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy vegetable curry recipe, this one is perfect!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s delicious, with subtle spices that work so well together
- It’s healthy and light
- Vegetarian curry lovers can’t go wrong
- It’s quick and easy to make
Equipment needed to make this recipe
Before you make this marrow curry, there are a few items you’ll need.
- Saucepan – a large pan is vital when it comes to making a good curry
- Wooden spoon – a trusty wooden spoon is key for every curry lover
- Spice grinder – if you can get a spice grinder, you definitely should! Grinding your own spices just before you cook them is even better than using ground spices
What are marrows?
It’s a type of summer squash that comes from the cucurbit family, the same family as courgettes, squash, melons and cucumbers.
In fact, marrows are essentially the same vegetable as courgettes. The only difference between the two is that marrows are left on the plant a lot longer than courgettes. That’s why marrows are larger than courgettes.
What does marrow taste like?
Marrow has a somewhat mild flavour. This neutrality means that marrows are ideal when it comes to cooking them with other flavours, most notably spices and rich flavours.
The creamy flesh and sponge-like texture enable marrow to soak up the flavours they are cooked with.
What other spices could I use in this recipe?
There are quite a few spices used in this recipe, each of which brings its own character and flavour profile to the dish. If you can’t find some of these spices, you can add a teaspoon or two of garam masala to bring some depth to the overall flavour of the curry.
How do you store marrow curry?
The roasted seeds will keep for a week in an airtight container.
Can you freeze marrow curry?
Absolutely! Since marrows are so large, consider this a batch cooking recipe. This vegan curry freezes really well!
How to make marrow curry
Peel the marrow, halve lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Thinly slice the marrow in a food processor.
Finely slice the onions in a food processor.
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Gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger.
Add tomatoes and spices. Cook until tomatoes have melted.
Add marrow and chillies. Fry until fully cooked.
What to serve with marrow curry
A helping of simple steamed rice or pilau rice would be the perfect accompaniment to marrow curry. This curried marrow also tastes great with your favourite Indian flatbreads – here are a few ideas:
Popular substitutions for this recipe
Here are a few ideas when it comes to swapping ingredients:
- If you can’t find fresh garlic root or garlic cloves, you can substitute them with ground ginger or garlic, or even or ginger garlic paste
Variations on this recipe
- If you’re not vegan, you can use butter instead of oil.
- If you want to add some earthy heat, use some crushed mustard seeds – about 1½ teaspoon should be enough
- You could also add a teaspoon garam masala to bring some extra spice
- Add some citrus with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Top Tip
If the curry starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, don’t worry! There’s a lot of flavour there, so use a splash of water to deglaze the pan and give everything a good stir
More marrow recipes
Get more from this underrated vegetable with some of these terrific marrow recipes.
- Roast marrow – a delicious side dish
- Marrow soup – the perfect winter warming soup
- Marrow chutney – this chutney is mildly spiced, very tasty and really easy to make
More delicious vegetable curry recipes
If you love a comforting vegetable curry, here are some recipes to get you inspired.
- Vegetable korma – one of the most popular curry recipes out there, this is creamy and delicious. Mildly spicy and full of flavour
- Mixed vegetable curry – a fakeaway curry packed full of flavour with a bit mix of flavours
- Brinjal bhaji – an aubergine curry that’s easy to make and full of flavour. If you’re looking for a healthy vegan curry, you can’t go wrong with this one
- Mung bean curry – full of protein and extremely good for you, this mung bean curry brings some spicy warmth and sensational flavour… and it’s completely meat-free!
More Delicious Chutney Recipes
📖 Recipe
Marrow Curry
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Marrow Curry, also known as Toriyan or Torai Ki Sabzi, is healthy and easy to prepare. Serve this summery vegan curry recipe with roti or pilau rice.
Ingredients
- 125ml (½ cup) canola oil
- 6 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic bulb, peeled and crushed
- 7.5cm (3in) fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
- 6g (1 tbsp) cumin seeds
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 17g (1 tbsp) salt
- 3g (1 ½ tsp) ground coriander
- 3g (1 ½ tsp) ground black pepper
- 3g (1 ½ tsp) red chilli powder
- 3g (1 ½ tsp) ground turmeric
- 1 marrow, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 3 green chillies, washed and thinly sliced
- 17g (1 cup) fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium high heat.
- Add the onions and stir fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned.
- Lower the heat a bit and add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds. Fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato, salt, coriander powder, black pepper, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add the sliced marrow and chillies to the mix and stir well.
- Cook the marrow mixture for about 20 minutes, or until everything is cooked and tender. This should be done over a medium heat and you will need to keep a constant eye on it and stir when necessary. Marrow naturally contains a lot of water, so as it cooks, water will be released which should then evaporate thanks to the cooking process. If things do start sticking to the bottom of the saucepan and you’re worried, you can add a splash of water if necessary.
- Season to taste, then serve with your favourite Indian bread and garnish with plenty of coriander leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- The marrow I used in this recipe weighed 1.5kg (3½ lbs). Scale the recipe’s other ingredients according to the size of the marrow you’ve got.
- Since marrows are so large, consider this a batch cooking recipe. This vegan curry freezes really well!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Pakistani
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 7.6 g
- Sodium: 1112.3 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
- Fiber: 3.7 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Kelly
Phenomenal flavour 5/5!
Michelle Minnaar
Thanks Kelly!