Easy Vegetable Korma With Coconut Milk (Vegetable Curry South Indian Style)

Easy Veg Korma 

Easy Vegetable Korma With Coconut Milk is a mild, naturally sweet curry that can be tweaked with an extra chile or another pinch or two of cayenne to give a bit more kick. This is a redo of a recipe from a friend (not sure of the origins of the recipe); by the time I was done, it turned out absolutely scrumptious and got rave reviews! 

Vegetable Korma is a hearty curry and maybe served as a stew on its own or over your favorite hot cooked grains, with breads, etc. It maybe accompanied with a dal, salad, etc also if desired.

There are no added fats other than what is in the coconut milk; light coconut milk maybe used if preferred. 

Notes:

Use brown, yellow, or white skinned onions for this dish. Other veggies maybe used to make Veg Korma. Frozen peas also work well if fresh is not available.

For best flavor, I usually grind the coriander and cumin seeds rather than use the store-brought ground spices.

Coring the chiles makes for a mild stew; if a spicy curry is desired, include the core and/or add more chiles.

If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse before adding to the Korma.

Ingredients:

1 large Onion, finely diced

1 Jalapeño/Serrano Chile, cored and minced

1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated 

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced (optional)

1/2 tsp Whole Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp ground Coriander seeds

2 tsp ground Cumin seeds

1-2 pinch Cayenne

1/2 tsp ground turmeric 

1 1/2 cups water

1 can Coconut Milk

2-3 pieces of 1-inch Cinnamon sticks

2 Stems fresh Curry Leaves

Sea Salt

2 large Carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick chunks

2 cups freshly cooked Chickpeas OR One 15-1/2-oz. can

1 small cauliflower, broken into bite-sized florets (about 4 cups)

4-5 Sweet Potatoes, cut into chunks (about 1 lb)

2 medium tomatoes, diced medium

1 -2 cups freshly shelled Peas

4 Tbsp fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

Nuts/Seeds for garnish

Hot cooked Grains/Breads for serving

Method:

In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, cook the onion with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat stirring occasionally, until beginning to color and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle a little water as necessary to keep the onion from burning. 

Add the chile, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until they soften. 

While the onion mixture is cooking, heat a small pan and add the cumin seeds; stir and shake until they start to puff and pop a bit and become fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Add the ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne; stir for a few seconds to toast the spices. Tip the spices into the onion mixture.

Add the water, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, and 1 tsp salt to the pot; bring to a boil. 

Stir in carrots along with the curry leaves and continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, bring back to a boil, and place the cauliflower and chickpeas on top. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes or so. 

Stir in the tomatoes and peas along with the curry leaves and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add a little boiling water if the Korma is too thick. Remove from heat.

Allow Korma/curry to rest for about 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro. Taste and correct seasonings; add a little salt and/or cayenne if needed.

Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.

Serve hot garnished with nuts/seeds if you wish.

Enjoy!!

Easy Veg Korma