This vegetable korma recipe is a celebration of vegetables. A medley of colourful veggies, this vegetable korma is a thick, creamy and luxurious preparation that makes for a wonderful vegetarian treat! I absolutely love to eat my vegetables this way. Just mop this royal vegetable preparation off with some butter naan, rumali roti or plain parathas, and you’ve got yourself a heavenly meal.
There are a few tips and tricks to get the vegetable korma taste the way it does. First up is the preparation of vegetables. The vegetables are cut in shapes and sizes that helps it retain its crunch even in the final bite. This korma has vegetables that are not soggy, but bright and crunchy from the blanching. The cauliflower florets should be medium to large sized, so that they do not cook immediately. Similarly, the potatoes and carrots need to be cut in cubes of the same size so that they take time to get soft.
I have used four seasonal vegetables here. You can add more vegetables of your choice. Even paneer is a great addition to this vegetable korma recipe. I have kept it very basic.
The trick to get the perfect crunch in vegetables
This vegetable korma is cooked in two batches. In the first batch, we blanch the vegetables. Blanching is a process in cooking where the vegetables are boiled for a few minutes. There are three advantages to blanching. First, it helps kill any bacteria or germs in the vegetables. Second, it helps vegetables retain their colour and taste. And finally, it prevents the vegetables from getting overcooked in the final recipe. I add some salt to the boiling water in the blanching process to flavour the vegetables a bit. Make sure you wash the vegetables thoroughly before blanching them.
Another thing to ensure while making this recipe is to not overcook the vegetables. The process of blanching will cook the vegetables about 30% and the remaining cook time should also be as minimal as possible. The vegetables need to be added to the already cooked masala base and cooked only till the potatoes are done. Overcooking will make the vegetables soggy which this recipe does not call for.
Ingredients in the creamy base
Apart from the wonderful and seasonal vegetables, the other highlight of this vegetable korma recipe is its luscious gravy. The base of this gravy is a mixture of fresh cream and cashew cream. The cashew cream is made fresh by soaking some cashews in hot water for 30 minutes, and grinding them with a few tablespoons of water to get a thick paste. These two ingredients change the whole flavour profile and texture of this delicious recipe.
The other ingredients are normal Indian curry items such as onions, ginger-garlic paste and the usual spices – coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, garam masala and red chilli powder. All these spices harmonise and create a recipe so delicious, it will make you lick your fingers!
Let’s take a look at the ingredients and procedure to make this vegetable korma.
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Cook time – 20 minutes
Serves – 5 people
Ingredients
- 12 cauliflower florets (medium to large)
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup carrots, cut into cubes
- 1 cup potatoes, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp mustard oil/ghee
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamoms
- 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp Kasuri methi
- 1/4 cup fresh cream
- 1/2 cup cashew paste
- 1 cup hot water
- Fresh coriander for garnish
Directions
- Chop the vegetables and wash them thoroughly under running water.
- Heat water in a pot and let it come to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the chopped vegetables. Stir and boil for 3-4 minutes.
- Take the vegetables out with a sieve and set them aside.
- Heat oil in a kadhai or skillet. Once it starts to smoke, lower the heat and temper the oil with cardamoms, cinnamon and bay leaves.
- Add the chopped onions and stir till they turn brown.
- Once the onions are brown, add the ginger garlic paste and mix till the raw aroma of it disappears.
- Throw in the tomatoes and mix everything well.
- Season with all the spices – salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper and red chilli.
- Cover and cook on low flame for five minutes till the masala is ready.
- Once done, add the blanched vegetables and mix everything well. Be gentle as to not break the vegetables.
- Pour the cream and the cashew paste once the vegetables are well coated with all the spices. Mix gently till you get a creamy base.
- Pour hot water and cover with a lid. Cook on low flame only till potatoes are soft. Make sure you do not make the cauliflower soggy.
- Once the potatoes are soft, garnish with kasuri methi and fresh coriander.
- Serve hot with rumali roti, butter naan or plain parathas. Enjoy!
Every bite of this delicious vegetable korma will instantly comfort you! I hope you try out this vegetable korma recipe soon. If you do, let me know how it turned out for you.
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Happy cooking!
