No onion No garlic : Simple Vegetable Kurma

No onion and no garlic vegetable kurma is a very simple and tasty side dish. Compared to the authentic kurma where all spices are added, there is no compromise on the taste and texture of the kurma. Its a very healthy saathvik food. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomato - 2 medium sized washed and roughly chopped

Mixed vegetables - 2 cups washed and chopped into one inch length

I have used carrots, green beans and potato

Oil for seasoning

Jeera/Cumin - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Grind the following ingredients into a smooth paste:

3 tablespoons - grated fresh coconut

1 tablespoon - khas khas

2 green chillis (adjust as per taste)

Seeds from 4 to 5 pods of green Elaichi

water quarter cup

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. 

Then, add roughly chopped tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are cooked.

Now add the chopped mixed vegetables and add salt as required.

Pour just enough water and cook until vegetables are tender and water is almost absorbed.

Now mix in the ground paste and adjust consistency with half a cup water if the content is too thick.

Mix well and allow the content to come to a boil.

Turn off heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Taste and healthy kurma is ready to be served with Set dosa/ Chapathi/ Roti etc.

You will never miss onion or garlic or any other spice in this dish, I bet.

Try this recipe and let me know your feedback.

A vegetable kurma cannot be more simpler than this.

Note: Cauliflower and fresh green peas can also be added to this kurma. 

* In case of adding fresh peas. wash the peas and boil it separately until its cooked and mix it to the kurma in the end.

* In case of adding cauliflower, wash the cauliflower florets, boil in water with a teaspoon salt and half pinch of turmeric. In less than 5 minutes, cauliflower will be perfectly cooked. collect the cauliflower (leaving the impurities and worms if any) and keep it separately and add it to the kurma in the end. 

Paneer Butter Masala - Chettinad Style

Its the south Indian version of Paneer butter masala using the Chettinad spices - fennel, pepper and lots of garlic, ginger and curryleaves. Here is the recipe for this lip- smacking paneer masala with a chettinad twist.

Ingredients: 

Fresh Paneer - 200 gms or as required - Cut into 1 inch cubes

Deep frying the paneer till golden is optional.

(used Milky mist paneer - 1 packet - did not fry)

Unsalted Butter - in room temperature - 2 tablespoons

Cashew nuts - 2 tablespoons

Poppy seeds (Khas khas) - 1 tablespoon

Onion - 2 medium - roughly chopped

Tomato - 4 large - roughly chopped

Ginger - 2 inches - peeled and roughly choppe

Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves

Green chillis - 1 to 2 (as per heat and taste)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Salt as required

Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Coriander leaves - handful - for garnish

Ground Masala Paste:

Roast the following in little oil, adding them in the order given.

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds - half tablespoon

Black Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Cloves - 2 to 3

Fennel (saunf) - 2 teaspoons

Green cardamom (Elachi) - seeds from 3 to 4 cardamoms

Dry red chillies - 2 to 3

Add fresh coconut - a little more than half cup and roast all the indredients together until the coconut is roasted.

Turn off heat and cool. Grind using little water and keep it aside.

Method:

Soak Cashewnuts and Poppy seeds (khas khas) in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain water and transfer it to the mixie jar and grind it using very little water. Let it sit in the Mixie jar.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a kadai. Add chopped onions, green chillies, chopped ginger, garlic cloves, curry leaves and fry till onion turns translucent. 

Add Chopped tomatoes, and fry till it is almost cooked.

Cool the content and transfer it to the ground cashew, poppy seed Mixie jar. Grind to a smooth paste and Keep it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of oil with a tablespoon butter.

Add the Ground Masala Paste.

Fry for a couple of minutes in medium heat, until a good aroma comes and the butter/oil separates.

Now add the ground cashew, poppy, onion tomato masala.

When the content boils, add required amount of sugar, salt, red chilli powder (optional) and turmeric powder. 

The content will thicken. Adjust the consistency using little water and allow the content to boil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Add a table spoon of butter and turn off heat. 

Add the paneer (as is or fried) and stir in gently. Squeezing lemon juice at this point is optional.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tastes awesome with chapathi or any roti or paratha variety. Truly spicy, tasty, lip smacking curry.

Note: This curry is really spicy. Adjust the green chilli, red chilli, red chillie powder, garlic and ginger as per taste.

Tri colour gravy - Easy mixed vegetable kurma using readymade coconut milk

I wish all my blog readers advance Independence day wishes. Jai Hind !!

Every Independence day, I try exhibit my patriotism by cooking something that is tri colour - saffron, white and green. I would like to share one of those recipes to all my patriotic readers. I am posting this recipe a couple of days before the Independence day, as you can buy the necessary ingredients in advance if you are going to try this recipe.

This is a simple, quick and delicious kurma that's totally vegan. This is a very versatile gravy, so, depending upon the quantity of kurma needed, you can adjust the quantity and choice of vegetables as per your taste. 

Ingredients:

Coconut milk - 200 ml

(I used  one 200 ml carton - Dabur coconut milk)

Mixed vegetables - 2 to 2 and half cups

---saffron colour - diced Carrots

---white colour - diced Potatoes and/or Cauliflower florets

---green colour - Green peas and/or chopped Green beans

Medium red onion - 2 chopped (optional)

ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Ripe red tomatoes - 2 medium chopped (optional)

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon refined oil

Spices - 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, seeds from 2 green 

cardamom

Green chillies - 2 if it is too spicy - vertically slit

adjust spice level as per your taste

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt as required

Water as required

Coriander leaves chopped - for garnish

Method:

1. Wash the cauliflower florets and add them in boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes and turn off heat. drain water and keep it separately.

2. Heat oil in a non stick kadai. Temper the cumin seeds and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, green chillies and fry for a minute.

3. Add onions and fry till its translucent and add tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Skip onion or tomato or ginger garlic paste if you are not using. 

4. Now add the mixed vegetables except cauliflower florets and fill with water to just cover the vegetables and add required amount of salt and cook closed until the vegetables are tender.

5. Just when the vegetables are cooked, toss in the cauliflower florets and give a quick stir.

6. Now stir in the coconut milk and wait till one boil and turn off heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with Appam / Roti / Phulka / Chapathi / Parotta / Set dosa or Basmathi rice that's cooked in coconut milk.

Alternative method:

Cashewnut paste can be added to the gravy for a rich flavour. Grind a handful of cashewnuts to a smooth paste using little water and add to the gravy just when the vegetables are well cooked. Then, pour the coconut milk. Cashewnut paste and Coconut milk reduces the spice level. So, adjust the green chillies accordingly. 

The other tri colour recipe in this blog is Capsicum Paneer Tikka