Vegetarian korma (Navratan korma)
Ingredients
Korma sauce
- 300 ml cashew nuts
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cm fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp garam masala spices
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cilantro
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 450 ml water or vegetable broth
- 200 g greek yogurt or for a vegan version coconut milk, cream or yogurt
- Few cilantro sprigs
- salt
- pepper
- ghee or butter or olive oil for a vegan version
Roasted cauliflower
- ½ big cauliflower
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garam masala spices
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cilantro
- ½ tsp ground cumin
Other vegetables
- 2 potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 200 g chickpeas
Instructions
- Pour the cashews into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also soak them for a night if you anticipate. It will be even easier to mix them.
Roasted cauliflowers
- Cut the florets, rinse them then wipe them with a cloth.
- In a salad bowl, mix the olive oil with the spices. Pour the florets into the bowl and mix to coat the cauliflower with the oil and spices mixture.
- Arrange in an ovenproof dish covered with baking paper.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C until the cauliflower is well roasted.
Korma sauce preparation
- While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the korma sauce. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger.
- Brown them in a frying pan with ghee (or butter or oil).
- After 4 minutes, add the spices used to prepare the sauce and leave to heat for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat.
- In a blender, mix the drained cashew nuts, water (or broth), yoghurt (or coconut), onion, garlic, ginger and spices.
- Peel the vegetables and cut them into small pieces.
- In a large frying pan or pot, pour the korma sauce and heat over low heat.
- After 3 minutes, add the chopped vegetables and chickpeas and cook over low heat with a lid on for 30 minutes.
- Mix regularly. As soon as the cauliflower is cooked, add the cauliflower to the mixture.
- You can add a little water or yoghurt to the sauce if necessary, depending on the consistency you want. Taste as you go, add salt and pepper.
- Just before serving, add a few cashews and sprinkle with a few coriander leaves.
Notes
Serve with basmati rice (e.g. cooked like persian style as in this recipe - see recipe on the blog) or naans (Indian breads - see recipe on the blog).
You can change the vegetables in this recipe, according to the seasons and to your tastes (peas, beans, turnips, mushrooms, tomatoes, sweet potato, ...).
You can also add paneer (firm Indian fresh cheese - easy to make at home), or plain firm tofu.
You can also add chicken, white fish or shrimps for example.
The sauce can also be made with almonds instead of cashew nuts (or you could mix both).
If you don't have the ingredients or the time, you can also buy a jar of korma sauce!