VEGETABLE KURMA

Vegetable kurma is an easy and tasty side dish for Indian Breads or any rice preparation. This is very popular in South India. Different vegetables are mixed with fresh and homemade masala and cooked on a slow flame till the veggies absorb all the flavors of the masala. Taste enhancers such as cashews, cream can also be added. During the days when the North Indian dishes such as palak paneer, paneer butter masala, kofta curry etc are not so popular in South India, this vegetable kurma was the only dish served along with chapathi. Even till today this is the only dish which is served widely along with chapathi in every household and restaurant  in South India. Here I give a simple version of this recipe. Give it a try.
INGREDIENTS

1. Potatoes                         3 large
2. Carrots                           2
3. Green beans                  5-6
4. Green peas                     1/4 cup
5. Cauliflower                    1/4 cup(chopped)
6. Onions                            2
7. Tomatoes                      2
8. Turmeric                        1/4 tsp
9. Cashews                        10-12
10. Cream or whole milk   1/4 cup
11. Oil                                    1/4 cup
12. Salt                                  to taste
13. Red chilies                       4-5
14. Sugar                               1 tsp.
15. Coriander                       4-5 sprigs
16. Ginger                            1 inch piece
17. Garlic                             5-6 cloves
18. Coriander seeds           1 Tsp
19. Jeera                              1 tsp
20. Cinnamon                      1 inch stick
21. Cloves                           4-5
22. Cardamom                   2
23. Khus-khus                    1 Tsp..
24. Fresh Coconut             3 Tsp(grated)
25. Kasuri methi                1 tsp(optional)

PRE-PREPARATION

• Boil all the veggies(carrots, potatoes, beans, green peas, cauliflower) and roughly mash them. Don’t mash them to a paste. Large chunks of veggies makes the dish  attractive.
• Chop onions and tomatoes finely.
• Soak the cashews in water for half an hour and grind them to a paste.
• If you want the dish to be in natural red color, soak the red chilies in hot water for 15 minutes and make the paste.
• Grind the ingredients from 16-24 to a fine masala paste.

PROCEDURE
Heat oil in a pan. Add the grinded masala paste. Fry till the raw flavor disappears and the oil oozes out.
Add the onions and fry them till they are soft. Add the tomatoes and fry till they become soft and mushy.
Now add the red chilly paste, turmeric, sugar, salt.
Fry for two minutes and add the boiled veggies. Fry for another two minutes and add a cup of water.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes, mixing intermittently.
Add the cashew paste and cream or whole milk. Mix well. You can also skip these ingredients to make the kurma more healthy.
Cook for another five minutes, add the chopped coriander and kasuri methi(optional).
Mix well and serve hot with any Indian bread or flavored rice.
TIPS

• Adding cashew paste and cream(half and half) makes the kurma silky and smooth and enhances the taste. The natural red color of the kurma disappears once the cream and cashew paste are added. Fry the cashew paste along with masala, and skip the cream to retain the gorgeous red color of the kurma.
• Other veggies of your choice can also be added.
• Add paprika to the masala paste to enhance the color of the dish.