[Recipe] Veg korma

A bunch of us friends had decided to do a potluck dinner at a friend's house and I was assigned the task of making a Veg korma. The other dishes that came were Biryani/pulao, cupcakes, paneer tikka, chilli-carrot soup, roti, curd, ice cream and cheesecake.. :-) 

Here is how I made the korma [dint follow any recipe, just went with my instincts]

What you need- 

Oil – 2 Tbsp   

Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece

Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 5

Black Peppercorns – 1/4 tsp

Broken Cashews – 1/4 cup

Raisins – 1 Tbsp

Onions – 2 big ones chopped up roughly 

Salt – to taste

Yogurt – 1/2 cup 

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp [alternative would be fresh ginger & garlic chopped up]

Green Chilies –2

The Masalas:

Cumin Powder – 1 Tbsp

Coriander Powder – 1 Tbsp

Red Chili Powder – 2tsp

Turmeric Powder – a pinch

Paneer – 1 packet 

Tomato – 3 large

Carrots – 2 

Cauliflower – 2 cups

Potatoes – 2

Green Beans – 1 cup

Water – approx 2 cups

Note: All veggies to be chopped in the same size [paneer can be slightly bigger]

The process:

1. In a pan heat some oil, lightly fry the cashews and raisins. Remove all, incl the oil and set aside.  

2. In the same pan, add cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Peppercorns. Dry roast for few seconds and set aside.  

3. To the same pan, add some oil, then saute the Onions with Turmeric Powder and a little Salt. To this you can add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies as well. Once all cooked well, add tomatoes to this and saute for a few mins till tomato is soft. Remove and cool to blend.  Blend to a puree in the mixie. You can also blend the cashews like I did, makes it rich and thick. 

4. Now, while sauteig the onion and tomato, put the vegetables to boil in another pan. I did this on the induction stove. Cooked the Cauliflower, Peas, Carrots, beans and potato with a pinch of salt. 

5. Back to the pan- add the vegetables and the paste made with onion & cashews and cook till the oil oozes out of the sides.  

6. Time to add the masalas-- Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder and Red Chili Powder. Add required amount of water to help bring them all together.  

7. Just before turning off the stove, toss in the Paneer and mix well. 

8. Add the curd and allow to come to one boil. [any more and it will split]  

Ta da.. Korma was ready!! At every stage, check spices and seasoning by tasting and add whatever you feel is required.. This tasted yumm, even if I do say so myself.. And well, the bowl was wiped clean by the end of the meal.. :-)) 

This quantity served 6 adults

Took about 20-30 mins to prepare [incl chopping time] 

The Biryani & Haleem Workshop is back... 8th December!!

When you bring two ladies who are passionate about food, and love to experiment you are in for a treat, actually a feast! 

Maaria of Adoniya launched a series of Cupcake workshops and now she has gone further extending a warm welcome to Tasneem Ayub [Aunty] for the Biryani & Haleem workshop. Nope, this is not the first one, there was one 2weeks ago which saw 21 people learn how to make the most amazing Biryani and Haleem, straight from Aunty..  Experiments in the kitchen with recipes from cookbooks or the internet is fun, but when you get to learn from someone like Aunty you are bound to go home with a precise recipe and a foolproof method as well. What is more, you will have a blast learning the dishes~ !!

What can i say about aunty.. She is amazing, and food is all about caring and sharing and giving to her!! She has hosted dinner parties, brought over food, sent across food, and shared recipes freely numerous times. We love her food- zafrani badaam, bread halwa, veg biryani, tomato thokku, walnut chutney, Qubani ka meetha and so much more....She is such a sweetheart that if she has a group of veggie and non veggies coming over, she pays so much attention to make sure both groups have enough options...  :-) 

Have I attended the workshop? Sigh, you had to ask dint you.. Nope. Not because I don't like Biryani but only because I am a vegetarian :-) 

Now stop reading and go grab your seat for the upcoming workshop already... Last few seats remain for the biryani and haleem workshop this Sunday at Adoniya Academy!  

For more details and online registration visit www.eventjini.com/biryaniworkshopdec

Contact:- 
Maaria - 9840285950 
Tasneem Aunty - 9884078631

Have a great experience and do tell us about it.. 

[Recipe] Pottukadala Chutney

I wanted to make something for the Dosa, but was unsure what.. Couldnt make onion based as grandparents dont eat, so waited for gramma to return from temple visit.  Asked about chutney/thogayal options and she suggested making this with pottukadala..

What you need:Pottukadala[broken roasted gram] - 1 cup
Thengai thuruvinadhu [grated Coconut] - 1/5cup [or more]
Puli [Tamarind]- a small ball [size of  the new Rs5 coin]
Pachai milagai [Green chilli]- 3
Ennai [Oil]- 1 tsp
Kadugu [Mustard seeds]- 1tsp
Broken uluthamparuppu [urad daal]- 1tsp
Uppu [Salt]- to taste
Thanni [water]- to grind

Variation:
Poondu [garlic] -3 pods
Varutha Verkadala [roasted peanuts] - a handful

How to make:
1.In a pan do the tempering- add oil, mustard seeds and broken urad daal- let them splutter
Also add the green chillies, saute them slightly.
2.Remove the green chillies and add the other ingredients to it- pottukadala, coconut, tamarind, salt, and water [this is also when you add the garlic pods-no need to saute them]
3. grind to a paste [ texture depends on your preference, i like it a bit coarse]
4. Pour the tempering on top and serve

                                                Left- Garlic chutney and right is the plain one
Tastes yumm with Dosa, idli, poori, and even pongal.