Hi friends!! My first post for 2018 is Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe…..Not a SWEET, strange…Isn’t it? Hope you guys are doing great and 2018 has kick-started well !!
I am totally aware of the fact that the first month of 2018 is about to end and I’m wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR :). I have been away from my dear blog for more than a month….to be frank… since 2 months, it’s been too long between posts. The reason is that I was holidaying first in the US and then in India. Holidaying may not be the right word…..There are times when some things have to take a back seat. We always tend to go above and beyond to make sure that our family members are happy…..right?? It’s always fun meeting our loved ones back home and I’m back with a few good memories and moments that I will treasure for life!
About the Recipe:
I love to make different kinds of Mixed Vegetable Curries. Some of them use coconut or coconut milk and some vegetable curries will be without coconut and just use very simple spices that you can serve along with roti or paratha. Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe is a stew of assorted veggies simmered in a thick spicy coconut based gravy which pairs well with any kind of Indian Bread. This is a recreation of the restaurant style kurma…of course, with my own touch. I know some recipes are best left to expert chefs, but I love to take it as a challenge as I’m always on the look out for different versions of kurma.
Chettinad cuisine is very popular for its use of spices and their aromatic masala mixes. This cuisine is known to be very spicy and aromatic. The flavour of a korma fully depends on the mixture of spices. When making the masala for Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe, just make sure that you do not fry the ingredients too dark, this may alter the taste and colour of the kurma.
Undoubtedly, this gravy is highly aromatic, the scent of the food remains on your hand even after you wash up at the end of the meal.
Off to Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe!!
Steps Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe:
- Chop all the veggies you are going to use for this recipe and set aside. Today I’m using Cauliflower, Carrots, peas and beans. I’m avoiding potato for a specific reason, but it really goes well in this kurma….so, please go ahead and use it!!
- Chop onions, ginger, peel garlic and set aside all the required spices mentioned in the recipe card.
- Add a little salt to cauliflower and carrot pieces and microwave for 5 minutes until they are halfcooked (include potatoes if you are using). You can also boil veggies on the stove top.
Let’s prepare the masala paste:
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan over medium heat, add fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cashew nuts.
- Once the nuts turn light brown, add ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies. Roast till the onions turn translucent and turn off the heat.
- Cool down completely and grind to a smooth paste in a blender and set aside.
Let’s prepare the gravy:
- Heat oil in a deep pan. When oil is hot add whole garam masalas (bay leaves, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and kalpasi) and fry till you get a nice aroma.
- Add chopped onion to the pan and sauté for a minute.
- Next, add tomato pieces and sauté till they become soft.
- Now add beans and peas (or any veggies you did not microwave) and sauté for a minute.
- Now add in the microwaved veggies and sauté for a minute.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and sauté again for a minute.
- To this add in the ground masala paste and mix well. Sauté till the raw smell goes away (approx. 2 to 3 min).
- Add 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, add a little coriander and curry leaves, cover with lid and simmer for 4-5 minutes until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
- Finally add the coconut milk to the simmering curry, stir well and turn off the heat. Do not boil after adding coconut milk.
- Garnish with coriander and serve.
- Chettinad Vegetable Kurma pairs well with roti, chapathi, paratha or with South Indian delicacies like idli, dosa, appam, idiyappam etc.
- Today’s special is with Malabar Parotta or the layered parotta…..recipe coming soon!!
A Quick Summary of Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe:
Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe | Vegetable Korma South Indian
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Mixed vegetables chopped (Microwave any veggies if required)
To roast & grind:
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 4 Cloves
- 8 Cashew nuts
- 1/2 ” Ginger
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 small Onion chopped
- 3 Green chilies
Gravy Seasoning:
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 1/2 " Cinnamon stick
- 2 Cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Fennel seeds
- 2 Bay leaves
- Few Kalpasi
For the gravy:
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 Tomato chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 Cup Coconut milk
- Coriander chopped
Instructions
Masala Paste:
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan over medium heat, add fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cashew nuts. Then add ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies. Roast till the onions turn translucent, turn off the heat, Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
Gravy Preparation:
- Heat oil in a pan, add whole garam masalas and fry till aroma rises.
- Add chopped onion, sauté for a minute, add tomato pieces. Sauté till they become soft.
- Now add beans, peas and sauté for a minute, followed by microwaved veggies.
- Add turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
- Now add ground masala paste and sauté till the raw smell goes away.
- Add 1 cup of water, bring to boil, cover with lid and simmer for 5 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
- Finally add the coconut milk, stir well and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with coriander and serve.
My Notes:
- You can include any vegetables to this kurma. But, it’s best to stay away from coloured vegetables like beetroot for this kurma as it changes the colour of the dish.
- If you are cooking vegetables in the pressure cooker, take care that the vegetables do not become mushy.
- When making the masala for Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe, make sure that you do not fry the ingredients too dark. This may alter the taste & colour of the kurma.
- Kurma should be in thick consistency, so take care while adding water. Do not add excess water.
- Adjust the quantity of chillies and red chilli powder to suit your taste.
- Coconut milk has to be added at final stage and do not boil kurma after adding coconut milk as it tends to curdle while boiling.
- If you want to reduce coconut milk quantity, you can add half coconut milk and half regular milk.
- The gravy can get quite rich because of the coconut milk, so try to limit the quantity if needed. As the coconut milk tends to mask the spiciness, you can make it spicy by increasing the quantity of red chilli powder.
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Hope you enjoyed my version of Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe!! Do check out other CHETTINAD RECIPES & VEGETABLE GRAVY RECIPES from blog!!!
Other Kurma recipes on blog:
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Happy Cooking 🙂
Cheers!!
Padma.
