This vegetable kurma tastes best when the vegetables are crunchy and not over cooked and is well balanced with mild flavors from spices and fresh coconut.
In almost every notable South Indian hotel and restaurant in the city, this vegetable kurma is served as a side dish with puris, chapati, and parotta, and with iddiyapam, apam, for breakfast and dinner. Try this once.....
Ingredients...
2 onions
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 cups mixed small cut 9 types of vegetables
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp yogurt optional
2 tsp coriander powder / malli podi
1/2 tsp cumin / jeera
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
2 string curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp ghee
Salt to taste
For paste.....
4 cloves
2 ″ cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
5-6 cashew nuts
2 green chillies
1/4 cup grated coconut
Preparations......
Add the ingredients under the list “to grind” into a small mixie jar or spice grinder.
Grind to a smooth paste with water. I added about 1/2 cup water while grinding but this depends on the size of your grinder and how smooth you want the paste to be. Set aside.
Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel. Fry for a minute or until the mustard seeds start popping.
Add the sliced onions, curry leaves, and green chillies. Saute until the onions turn a light brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste along with the coriander powder and sauté again until fragrant – another minute or so.
Now add the chopped vegetables and coconut paste. Top up with about 1 cup water and the milk for the vegetables to get cooked properly.
Add some turmeric and simmer until the vegetables are cooked yet hold their shape.
You can cook down the vegetables to your preferred consistency. Add yogurt at this stage, if using.
Finally add salt and remove from fire.
Serve as chattinad style with rice roti or with chapati or roti or simple with plain rice.
