Ok, so this post is not what I wanted it to be. I had two paragraphs of background on korma typed, edited, and proofread, and I had the recipe instructions meticulously copied down from my handwritten notes. But then, my typepad editor froze and I lost the entire post. And now, I have presumably learned to save my posts periodically while working on them, but somehow I feel like I won't actually do that. In any case...
I am not a lifelong fan of vegetable korma -- it's only the past few years where I have tried to seek it out. One of those occasions was at my aunt Chinna's house, where I had the best korma I have ever had. Thankfully, she sent me the recipe and it appears with my minor modifications below. The korma is really flavorful, and this version does not contain any cream or butter, which often appear in North Indian restaurant kormas. The only issue I had with my recreation of my aunt's korma was that there was one spice that seemed a bit too strong in the dish (and thus resembled the other kormas I have had in the past that I haven't liked that much) -- no one else who tried my version of the dish had this complaint though. And for some reason, upon reheating, whatever that spice inconsistency was disappeared. One potential solution -- which Andy came up with -- could be making a spice bouquet of sorts with the whole spices and removing them before the dish is complete. I'll post an update if I try that approach and it makes a difference.
Chinna Pedhi's Vegetable Korma
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsps. sliced almonds (optional)
- 4 tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsps. white poppy seeds (available in an Indian grocery store)
- 1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves (whole)
- 2 cardamon pods (whole)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. garam masala
- 3 cups chopped onion
- 1.5 tbsps. ginger-garlic paste (available at an Indian grocery store, or blend equal parts ginger and garlic to a paste at home)
- 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1.5-inch pieces and soaked in salt water for at least 15 minutes
- 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, or substitute baby carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 4 - 5 green chilies (to taste)
- 1/2 cup green peas
- vegetable oil
- water
- salt
Directions:
- Dry roast white poppy seeds in pan on stovetop until they become light brown in color - approximately 5 minutes. Blend the poppy seeds to a fine powder, and set aside.
- Blend the almonds and coconut into a fine paste. Then blend 1 tbsp. of the roasted poppy seeds with 4 - 5 tbsps. of the almond/coconut paste. Add approx. 1/4 cup of water to make a more wet paste.
- In a large pot, heat approx. 3 tbsps. of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. When hot, add the cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, bay leaves, and cumin. Saute for approx. one minute or until fragrant.
- Add the chopped onion to the pot, stirring to coat the onion with the spices. Cover and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Then mix in the green chilies, turmeric and ginger-garlic paste, and cook until the ginger-garlic paste is fragrant.
- Add the potatoes, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp. salt, and cook with the spices for 5 - 7 minutes or until the potatoes are partially cooked (can be partially pierced easily with a knife).
- Mix in the green beans and carrots, an additional 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water (to retain a curry-like consistency to the dish, an additional 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook for five minutes or until vegetables are approx. 3/4 cooked.
- Mix in the green peas, the blended poppy seed/almond/coconut paste, and the tomato. Bring the mixture to a boil, adding up to 1/4 cup of water to ensure the dish retains a soupy consistency.
- Finally, stir in the cilantro, up to 1/2 tsp. of garam masala if desired, additional salt to taste, and cook until the vegetables are cooked to your taste. If you would like an additional creaminess to the dish, you can stir in a bit of plain yogurt.
- Serve with rice or Indian breads.
