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What’s its origin
It’s believed to have originated in Calcutta, Bengal. The name Jalfrezi comes from the Bengali word jal which means spicy and frezi which refers to stir-frying. The stir-frying technique however is influenced by Chinese immigrants who settled in India many years ago. Yes, they also gave us Hakka Noodles! Chicken Jalfrezi also gained a lot of popularity in UK restaurants. Similar to Tikka Masala, it too was voted to be UK’s most popular Indian curry a few years ago. Jalfrezi recipes were featured in Indian British cookbooks and it was shown as a way of using up leftovers by frying them with chillies and onion. Meat or Veggie Jalfrezi continues to feature in the menus of Indian restaurants around the world even today because of its popularity. Wondering how this healthy vegan curry tastes? It’s hot, sweet, and sour to taste. But you can always tone down the spice levels as per your tolerance. This veggie Jalfrezi truly is exceptional because the vegetables are fresh and crunchy, and the curry is distinctively flavorsome, zesty, spicy, sweet, and sour to taste. Avial is a South Indian-style korma and Veg Kolhapuri is a Maharashtrian-style mixed vegetable curry. Tomato - This recipe for jalfrezi calls for tomatoes in different forms - Tomato puree and tomato ketchup. They are the key ingredients in making the Indian mixed veg Jalfrezi curry flavorful. Spices, herbs, and aromatics - cumin seeds, garlic, ginger paste, dried red chillies, green chillies, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, vinegar (or lemon juice), garam masala, cilantro, and Kasuri methi are the basic ingredients needed to make this easy and authentic vegetarian Jalfrezi curry recipe. Cashew cream gives this semi-dry stir fry a creamy and rich texture along with a nutty flavor. You can either make it from scratch by soaking cashews in hot water for 10 minutes and then grinding to make a smooth paste or get the ready paste from the store. I have cooked this Indian Jalfrezi curry in vegan ghee. Feel free to use vegan butter or any other vegetable oil instead.
You can serve this dhaba-style vegan Jalfrezi on weeknights, in lunch boxes, or serve it on weekends, at parties, brunches, or special festive occasions like Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holi party, etc. It’s so much better than ordering takeout! Another fun way of serving this restaurant-style Indian Vegetable Jalfrezi is to mix it with cooked pasta, noodles, or vermicelli. You can even spread this over a pizza base, top it with cheese and make a vegetable Jalfrezi pizza! This curry can also be used as a stuffing for wraps, Frankie, Tortillas, Quesadillas, or even Chilla. If doing so, ensure your using just the veggies and not too much of the sauce as that could make it soggy. Do not overcook the veggies or they will lose their crunch. Instead of cashew cream, you can also use any vegan cream or skip it. Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice or apple cider.
