Vegetable Korma (includes vegan version)

Korma is a savory vegetable dish served in many Indian restaurants. I offer two versions here, one with heavy cream, and a vegan version using coconut milk.

Korma gets it character and depth from the combination of fried spices and cream/coconut milk. The nice thing is, you can make it with whatever vegetables you might have around, provided you have some variety. I like to include a cruciferous vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower); a root (potato, carrot or both, in limited quantities); greens (green beans are particularly good but spinach or other leafy green can work as well); and orange/yellow vegetables (i.e. summer square, zucchini). I’ve even used radicchio in this recipe and it was delicious. The key is not to overcook anything. Absolutely delicious, and keeps/re-heats well. Just be careful not to mush it up when you store it away.

For spice mixture
1 ½ T. coriander powder
2 t. cumin powder
2 t. salt
½ t. turmeric
¼ t. hot pepper powder
1 – 2 T. water
3 T. canola oil

for sauce
1 medium onion
1 T. fresh ginger, finely grated
¼ c. grated dried coconut (or fresh coconut, if available)
¼ c. raw cashews, whole or in pieces
1 can coconut milk or ½ c. heavy cream
1 c. canned diced tomato, cut into smaller pieces or 3 ripe tomatoes, pureed.
1 c. fresh coriander, chopped

Vegetables (see above for variations), in bit-sized pieces
2 heads of broccoli or cauliflower, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut in rounds (cut the rounds into two if carrot is too thick).
2 potatoes, peeled cut into small cubes
24 green beans (or so) cut into ¾ inch pieces (cut off the ends first).
1 yellow squash, cut into thin 1’’ strips

To get started, prep all your vegetables and start steaming them. I sometimes boil my potatoes in the steaming water, but the rest of the vegetables will steam up quite quickly and then can be put in one large pot on the side until they go into the sauce. Steam vegetables until just tender but not soft. That way, they’ll have a little crispness less and will taste very fresh in your korma.

In the meantime, mix all your spices together in a small bowl and add 1-2 T. of water to form a fairly thick paste. Heat your oil in a skillet on medium heat and then add your spice mixture, stirring constantly. In a minute or two, you the smell of the spices will change from “green” (at the start) to deeper or almost toasted smelling. Then your spices are cooked. Add your onions, and sautee (again, stirring almost constantly) until they get soft and start to give off water. At this point, add your cashews, ginger, and shredded coconut (if using) and stir for about a minute. Then add your tomato and coconut milk. Stir, then let simmer about 10 minutes. Add your bowl of steamed vegetables to the sauce along with the fresh cilantro and any other un-steamed items (e.g. fresh spinach), mixing gently so that the sauce covers the veggies. Serve and savor!

The korma pictured above is non-standard and has asparagus and sweet potato (along with other veggies). It’s cooked in a 5-quart Lodge cast iron dutch oven.