NAVRATAN KORMA

Navaratan Korma did I prepare for the first time... What motivated me? Perhaps a worst tasted one that I ordered from a local restaurant during my stay in Kolkata this time, even worse was that, it came for my brother who is quite choosy about food. For me too, food is all about the good colour, texture and taste. I also believe in value for money. Hence, totally irritated with what I got, I made up my mind to try my hands on it. The sad part is I could not treat my brother with it, may be on my next visit. I do miss my family back home and definitely my city. For doing this Navratan Korma, I went through a number of recipes and then did it my own way. To keep it low caloric, I used yogurt and milk instead of fresh cream. There is less use of cream and cheese in our home. The vegetables I used are carrot, french beans, green peas, cauliflower. To them I added paneer, cashews, raisins and pineapple chunks. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS : [main]

Carrot : 1
French Bean : 7-8
Green Pea : 2 tbsp
Cauliflower Floret : 1small bowl
Pineapple[cubed] : 2-3 tbsp
Cashew nut [halved] : 2 tsp
Raisins : 1 tsp
Paneer [cubed] : 100-150gm [South Asian cottage cheese]

INGREDIENTS : [the spice paste]

Poppyseed : 1tsp [substitute with white sesame or melon seeds if you stay in Dubai or Singapore]
Coconut [shredded] : 2 tbsp
Tomato Paste : 2-3 tbsp
Onion Paste : 1tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp [this dish need not be hot, so I used Kashmiri Mirch
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Plain Yogurt : 1/2 small cup
Milk : 1/2 small cup
Salt : As required

INGREDIENTS : [final countdown]

Bayleaf : 1
Green Cardamom : 2
Cinnamon : 1two inch stick
Oil : 2 tbsp
Ghee [clarified butter] : 1 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and cut the vegetables into small pieces, take each in separate bowls. Rub them with salt. The carrot needs to be peeled.

Soak the poppyseed [I used melon seeds] in warm water for an hour and blend to a paste along with the shredded coconut. Get ready with the ginger, garlic, tomato and onion paste.

Heat the oil and ghee together in a wok. Temper it with a bayleaf, the green cardamoms and the cinnamon sticks. Add the onion paste and saute for a minute or two. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Now add the poppyseed-coconut paste. Saute for a minute. Add the tomato paste, fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot pieces, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Give a stir and cover cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, French Beans and stir. Cover cook for a minute. Remove the cover and add a small cup of water. Cover cook for 2-3 minutes at medium to low flame.

Remove the  cover, add the paneer cubes, green peas, cashews, raisin, stir. Blend together the milk and curd and pour over the curry. Let boil for a minute or two.

Add the pineapple cubes and the garam masala powder. Stir and let cook for 1/2 a minute. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Garnish with a spoonful of milk-yogurt mix.

Enjoy with any kind of Handmade bread!