Vegetable Korma

Vegetables Korma - A delicious korma, made of mixed vegetables, Indian spices and creamy coconut gravy. Best with Rotis / Pulao / Rice / Pooris/ Kerala parotta …

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1, For green chilli – ginger and garlic:

1 green chilli

½ - inch piece ginger, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

Chop above ingredients and crush with mortar and pestle.

 2, For  the coconut paste:

5 tablespoon grated coconut (or 3/4 cup)

½ teaspoon saunf powder (perumjeerakapodi)

6 cashew nuts (or 12 cashew nut splits)

50 ml (1/4 cup) water

Soak cashew nuts in 50 ml water for 1 hour and make a smooth paste  (along with soaked water) in a mixer with grated coconut and saunf. Keep aside.

3, For the korma:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

3 cloves

3 cardamoms

3 cinnamon sticks (1 – inch size)

1 small bay leaf

1 onion, chopped

Crushed Green chilli – ginger – garlic

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon (or 2 pinches) turmeric powder

1 tomato, chopped

2 small size carrot, cubed (1/4 – inch cubes)

8 French beans, cubed (1/4 – inch cubes)

1 potato, cubed (1/4 – inch cubes) (or any vegetables of your choice like cauliflower, green peas…)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 cup (200 ml) water

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder

Coconut paste

Extra 50 ml water

2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Dilute red chilli powder -  coriander powder and turmeric powder in  2 tablespoons of water and keep aside.

Steam chopped vegetables for 15 minutes  (Steam in a steamer or in a pressure cooker (without weight). Reserve vegetable stock (may be ¼ - ½ cup).

Heat oil in a pan / kadai. Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Fry on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant.

Add chopped onion and fry until light golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add crushed  green chilli – ginger – garlic. Stir on a low heat for 3 minutes until the raw smell goes.

Add diluted  red chilli - coriander – turmeric powder mix. Stir well for 2 – 3 minutes until well combined.

Add chopped tomato and stir well for 2 minutes.

Add steamed vegetables (along with stock),  1 cup water, garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 minutes (until gravy boils vigorously).

At this stage, add coconut paste, adjust the consistency of the gravy with extra 50 ml / ¼ cup water if required (but not more than 50 ml. It won’t taste good if the gravy is too thin) and adjust salt to taste if required. Mix well nicely and cook on a low heat for  7 minutes. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis / pulao / ghee rice / poori …