Vegetable Jalfrezi is probably one of the most popular restaurant dishes of all times! Vegetable Jalfrezi is a spicy smoky vegan vegetable stir fry with crunchy vegetables in a tangy cumin spiced tomato base.
Jalfrezi (also known as jhalfrezi, zalfrezi, zalfraizi, jaffrazi) is believed to be originated in Calcutta or Kolkata as the word ‘Jalfrezi’ is the colloquial Bengali word jhālpharezī. In Bengali, jhāl means spicy food; in Urdu/Persian, parhezī means suitable for a diet (as it is filled with vegetable goodness).
Vegetable Jhalfrezi is one of my daughter’s favourite recipes and she loves the sweetness of the corn in this dish. Vegetable Jalfrezi is one of those recipes that is nutritious, comforting and comes together in minutes making it a perfect dish for busy days. Moreover, this recipe is cooked without cream, butter or milk making it lighter.
A well prepared Jalfrezi should not have a creamy curry which you could end up with in restaurants where they use the same gravy for pretty much all dishes. Jalfrezi is usually a dry curry, but if you want more gravy, add half a cup of water or vegetable stock. What I love about this recipe is that it is really forgiving. Prepare the base of the curry and then add whatever vegetables you have on hand or like in this mixed vegetable recipe. Flexible but still tasty!
