Dish of Vegetable Korma
(click to enlarge)

Vegetable Korma


India, Chettinad   -   Kaikari Kuruma
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/2 #
***
2 hrs
Yes		 Kormas are braised dishes with a thick sauce. They are usually made with meats, but this vegetable one from Tamil Nadu is outstanding. This can be a Make-Ahead dish.

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6
10
14
5
2/3
5
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1
1
1
1/2
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1/2
12
1
2
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6
1
1
1/2
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1
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1
1/2
2
1
1
1/4
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oz
oz
oz
oz
c
oz
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T
T
t
t
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c


in
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t
t
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T
T

t
c
t
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-- Vegies
Onions
Tomato, ripe
Potatoes (1)
Carrots
Peas, frozen
Cauliflower
-- Paste-A
Chana Dal
Poppy Seeds (2)  
Cumin Seeds
Fennel Seeds
-- Paste-B
Coconut (3)
Almonds
Chili, green (4)
Ginger root
-- Tempering
Curry Leaves (5)
Cassia bark (6)
Cumin Seeds
Fennel Seeds
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Ghee (7)
Oil
Bay Leaf
Turmeric
Water
Salt
Garam Masala (8)  
Cilantro
PREP   -   (1-1/8 hr)
  1. Chop ONIONS fine.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water, peel and chop small.
  3. Peel POTATOES and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Hold in cold water until needed.
  4. Peel CARROTS and slice thin on a diagonal.
  5. Thaw frozen PEAS.
  6. Cut CAULIFLOWER into smallish size florets.
  7. Paste-A:   Dry pan roast Chana Dal until lightly golden. let cool. Mix all Paste-A items and grind to powder in a Mixie, Spice Grinder, or pound in large stone Mortar.
  8. Paste-B:   Prepare COCONUT as needed (see Coconut). Crush Almonds. Chop CHILIS small. Slice GINGER very thin, cut slices into threads and chop fine. Mix all and reduce to paste in a Mixie or Blender. You can add enough water to make a loose paste.
  9. Blend Paste-A into Paste-B.
  10. Mix together all Tempering items. All ingredients remain whole.
  11. Chop CILANTRO small.
RUN   -   (50 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan (3-1/2 qt), heat Ghee and Oil. Stir in Tempering mix (careful, Curry Leaves will snap and spit for a few seconds) and fry stirring until seeds are aromatic.
  2. Stir in Onions and Bay Leaf. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  3. Drain Potatoes and stir in along with Carrots. Sprinkle with Turmeric and fry stirring another minute or so.
  4. Stir in Paste mix, then Water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in Cauliflower, Tomatoes, and Salt. Bring back to a boil and simmer covered until Potatoes are tender, about another 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in Garam Masala, Peas, and Cilantro for another 2 minutes.
  7. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice (much closer to South India rice than Basmati is). This full recipe will provide 6 9oz servings. See also Make Ahead.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  2. Poppy Seeds:

      In India, white Poppy Seeds are always used, and are available in markets serving an Indian community. Some older recipes call for a lot of them as a thickener, as they were cheap and plentiful. Today, due to poppy growing restrictions, they are expensive.

  3. Coconut, Grated:

      Fresh grated of frozen are fine. If you have only dry grated (unsweetened), measure the same volume, add half that volume of water, and let soak at least 10 minutes.

  4. Green Chilis:

      The pattern recipe asks for 4 Green Chilis, without any hint as to how big or how hot they should be. I suggest 1 Chili Serrano for this recipe, which should be OK for most people. If you want more heat, make it two. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  5. Curry Leaves:

      These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian and Southeast Asian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use (unless you force dried them yourself within a couple weeks). If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. For details see our Curry Leaves page.

  6. Cassia Bark:

      This is what passes for Cinnamon north of the Mexican border, as well as in China and Southeast Asia. 1 stick is about 2-3/4 inches. It is better for stews than Cinnamon because it doesn't break up into splinters. For details see our Cinnamon / Cassia page.

  7. Ghee:

      This is highly clarified butter, available from stores serving an Indian, Middle Eastern or North African community. Buy Butter Ghee only, Vegetable Ghee is often trans fats. If you must use oil, avocado oil has a more buttery taste than others. For details see our recipe Ghee.

  8. Garam Masala:

      This is a "standard" spice mix, but varies a lot from region to region, and some from one household to another within the regions. For this recipe Garam Masala - Tamil Nadu would be most appropriate, but others could also be used.

  9. Make Ahead

      This recipe reheats well, but to preserve color, if you make it ahead, hold the Peas and Cilantro to add after reheating.

  10. Comments:

      It is important the Tomatoes not go in until Potatoes are at least half done, because their acid will harden the surface of raw Potatoes.
  11. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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