[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]