Monday, August 20, 2007

Vegetable Korma

8 oz. frozen onions and peppers (or equivalent fresh amount)
1 tbsp oil
8 oz. frozen cauliflower (I used combination cauliflower and broccoli)
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
water or stock
1 - 1 1/2 cup yogurt
cilantro for garnish

Paste
1/2 c cashews, heaping (preferably unsalted but hard to find)
pinch cinammon
1 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1 teaspoon poppy seeds, heaping
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili or cayenne powder (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon garlic paste or 3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger paste or 1" fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 pinch cinammon
1-2 tsp imitation coconut flavor (or 1/2 c grated coconut)
splash of water (to form paste)


1. Grind paste in blender or with mortor or pestle. I would recommen starting with the cashews and then adding spices with enough water to form paste. The ingredients can be substituted with different forms (the first listed is what I used because it is what I had on hand).
2. Place oil in pan and lightly sautee onions and peppers in pan until clear and soft. Add paste and continue stirring until fragrant. You may need to add water to keep from sticking.
3. Add the remainder of vegetables with enough water to prevent burning. Bring to a boil and then to a simmer. Cook until cooked through.
4. Before serving and on low heat (to prevent the yogurt from breaking or curdling), stir in yogurt to form a nice sauce. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy.

This dish could be served as a meat dish. I would probably:
1. pan sear the meat
2. either remove the meat from the pan or just add onion into the pan and cook into clear
3. add above paste and cook until fragrant
4. add vegetables of choice and enough stock to cover. bring to a boil and then simmer until everything is cooked appropriately
5. add yogurt as above
6. enjoy

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