Kurma….the quintessential spicy Indian medley of vegtables. Each person has his/her own recipe of making a Kurma. You can find it in almost every hotel/ restaurant as an accompaniment to Puris, chaptis, dosas, rice and everything else imaginable. On one of my numerous trips, i managed to borrow one of the recipes of vegetable kurma. This recipe was borrowed from the chef of an Ayurvedic resort where we had stayed in course of our journey. So here it comes… Vegetable kurma recipe straight out of the chef’s mouth (or pen if you wish :P).
The Ingredients:
Potatoes – ½ kg
Carrot – ½ kg
Beans – 1/4kg
Cauliflower – ¼ kg
Green peas – 100 gms
Tomatoes – ½ kg (chopped)
Onions – ½ kg (chopped)
Green chillies – 5 (chopped)
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger – 1 inch piece (chopped or grated)
Garlic – 4 to 5 pods or as required (chopped)
Chilli powder – as required
Coriander powder – ½ tsp.
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Pepper powder and salt- according to taste
Coconut milk – ½ glass
The procedure:
Chop all the vegetables i.e., potatoes, carrots, beans, cauliflower. Add peas to this mixture and boil till soft but still form. Make sure that they don’t get mushy as this may spoil the texture of the kurma.
Heat some coconut oil or regular cooking oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. (coconut oil does add a degree of authenticity to the dish if you are willing to experiment).
When they start spluttering , add the onions, green chillies, garlic and tomato pieces and sauté well.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder and allow to fry for a minute.
Add little water to this mixture and bring to boil. Add the boiled vegetables to this mixture. Add salt check seasoning and allow a boil to make sure that all the spices and vegetables take each other’s flavours. Just before switching off the stove add coconut milk and stir on low flame. The dish should be handled very carefully at this point as the coconut milk may curdle. You can add chopped coriander and serve.
(This pic was taken in the resort kitchen while our chef was preparing the delectable kurma)
We had this kurma with rotis and it tasted very good. The curry was very mild and the flavors of all the ingredients could be felt. It can be had with rice too depeding on your taste. So guys…. Do try it and lemme know what you thought.
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