Vegetable Kurma

How to make Vegetable Kurma

      The Vegetable Kurma or Korma can be a versatile accompaniment, that can go from breakfast to lunch & lunch to dinner, depending on what it is served with. Some even, prefer the Kurma over the popular Potato Masala as well, due to the aromatic flavors going on in this, lip-smacking Kurma. Although there are various versions of veggie Kurma, this beats the rest of them because of the variety of vegetables that goes into it; which makes it all the more colorful & healthy. We gobbled our Milk Puris with this delectable Kurma. You can play around with whatever vegetables you have at hand & also use frozen or canned ones to cut down on your cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of cubed Carrots

1 Cup of fresh green Peas

1 Cup of cut Green beans

2 Cups of Cauliflower florets

4 Tomatoes, chopped

1 Cup Tomato Puree

2 Onions, sliced

2 Slit Green Chillies

4 Tbsp of Ghee/Oil

4 Tbsp of Oil

4 Cloves

4 Cardamom pods

2 pieces of Cinnamon sticks

1 Tbsp of Ginger-garlic paste

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp, Chopped Coriander leaves

For grinding (masala):

1 Cup of Coconut

1.5 Tbsp of Poppy seeds/Khus-Khus

2 Tbsp of Cashew nuts

1 Tbsp of Sombu/Sonf/Fennel seeds

3 or 4 Dry Red chillies depending on your taste

Method:

• Soak the Poppy seeds in hot water for 20 minutes (prior to grinding).
• Fry the vegetables (Cauliflower, Carrot, Beans & Peas) with 2 slit green chillies in 2 Tbsp of Ghee & steam until cooked.
• Grind the Poppy seeds, Cashew nuts, Fennel seeds, Red Chillies & Coconut into a fine paste.
• Heat the remaining Ghee & Oil in a kadai, add Cinnamon, Cardamom pods, Cloves & fry on medium heat until it gets aromatic. Next add the sliced Onions & fry until golden. Add the ground masala & fry till the raw smell disappears. 
• Put in the chopped Tomatoes & cook till it turns mushy. Add the steamed vegetables, Salt, Tomato puree & a little water as needed & simmer until a thick & aromatic gravy is formed.
• Serve hot garnished with Coriander leaves, with Milk Puri's, Vegetable Biryani, Idiyappam, Appam, Dosa, Roti, Pulav or just plain Rice.

        This is a dish adapted, from my recipe collection from The Hindu paper clippings & it goes to Valli's CCChallenge #6 week 4.