I just love this easy, quick tomato curry! You can make it within about 15 minutes which is perfect for those busy weeknights or when you simply don’t have enough time to cook.
I love making this tomato curry on my camping trips because, well, it’s quick. It’s just ideal for those nights when you’ve just arrived at your camp or when you were out all day and don’t really feel like cooking.
As always, I’m gonna give you a few options on how to make this delicious dish. This curry is naturally allergen-friendly—it’s gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan/vegetarian!
Ingredients
- a tin/can of tomato (diced or crushed)
- some vegetables of your choice
- onion and garlic
- spices (whole or simply curry powder and/or Garam Masala)
- tomato paste
- rice, chapatis or naan bread to serve
See? Not much that you need, right? Plus, all you really need to do is throw all the ingredients into a saucepan or pot, cook, and done.
Now, let’s discuss your options here. Since it’s a very basic recipe, you can easily adapt it to your needs and liking!
Substitutes and Variations
Of course, we’re making a tomato curry, so leaving out tomatoes wouldn’t make sense now, would it? But instead of tinned tomatoes, you can absolutely use fresh tomatoes.
I reckon 4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped, will be enough in this recipe. However, keep in mind that the cooking time might be slightly longer than with using tinned tomatoes.
To enhance the tomato flavour and to thicken this quick tomato curry a bit, I usually add a bit of tomato paste. But, by all means, you don’t have to. It’ll taste alright without it as well.
Vegetables
As you can see in the picture, I simply added some frozen peas because I think they go very well with tomatoes. Plus, they add some colour.
Sometimes I like adding cauliflower or broccoli. I know, they take a little longer to cook, but if you cut them into smaller pieces (almost like crumbs), it’ll be much, much quicker!
Otherwise, green beans, zucchini/courgette, carrots and eggplant/aubergine are a very good choice as well.
You could, if you wanted to, even use tinned vegetables (like carrots and peas) to save more time. Though, it might not taste as nice as fresh veggies.
Spices
You might know it, but I normally prefer using whole spices. However, when I’m short on time, curry powder and Garam Masala do the trick just fine.
As we are aiming for a quick tomato curry, using ground spices is the go. Whole spices need to be cooked for a bit longer so they can flavour your curry properly.
If you do want to use whole spices, go for a small stick of cinnamon, 5 cloves, a bay leaf, 1-2 cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and, if available to you, some fenugreek (leaves) and chilli (for a spicy curry).
If you prefer ground spices, simply use curry powder and/or Garam Masala. If you don’t want to use those premix spices, you can blend them yourselves (using this recipe for example).
What to serve with this quick tomato curry?
I prefer Basmati rice, but any rice will do. Usually, I make rice in bigger batches and freeze it in portions, so on those busy weeknights, I don’t have to worry about it on top of making dinner.
Every now and then, when I feel like it, I love making chapatis. But that’s only when I’ve got more time on my hands.
Alternatively, you could also make naan bread or buy it in the shops. Or, try the low-carb alternative!
Low-carb alternative
Seriously, this quick tomato curry tastes great just on its own. You really don’t have to add anything to it if you don’t want to.
If you don’t want to cook anything, you could make cauliflower rice (simply whizz cauliflower in your food processor). If you don’t have a food processor: did you know, you can simply grate cauliflower? It easily crumbles and you can have it raw or quickly steam it to warm it up.
Cauliflower rice is also quicker to make than regular rice, so if you want to save even more time…
How to make this quick tomato curry?
- Chop veggies (if using), onion and garlic.
- Heat some oil in a saucepan. Then add onion and garlic and fry until slightly translucent.
- Add tomato paste and spices while stirring continuously so they don’t burn.
- Add veggies if using and fry for just a minute or so.
- Then add tin of tomatoes and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for roughly 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice, chapatis or naan bread.
I know this is a quick tomato curry. And you might not even need to cook your veggies for 10 minutes. However, for the flavour’s sake and to give the spices enough time to actually do their magic, you want to cook the curry at least for 10 minutes. Technically, 15 minutes are better—but I understand, we don’t always have the time…
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tin crushed/diced tomatoes 400g/13.5oz
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- some vegetables optional
- 1 tbsp curry powder and/or Garam Masala, see notes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
- Chop veggies (if using), onion and garlic.
- Heat some oil in a saucepan. Then add onion and garlic and fry until slightly translucent.
- Add tomato paste and spices while stirring continuously so they don’t burn.
- Add veggies (if using) and fry for just a minute or so.
- Then add the tin/can of tomatoes and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for roughly 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice, chapatis or naan bread.
Notes
- Instead of tinned tomatoes, you can absolutely use fresh tomatoes. I reckon 4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped, will be enough in this recipe.
- Vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, peas, zucchini/courgette, carrots and eggplant/aubergine. You'll need about 2-3 cups.
- If you want to use whole spices, go for a small stick of cinnamon, 5 cloves, a bay leaf, 1-2 cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and, if available to you, some fenugreek (leaves) and chilli (for a spicy curry).
Love the Indian cuisine? How about this yummy, vegan vegetable korma? Or try this Jeera Rice as a side dish!
