Vegetable kurma

Here's another recipe I learnt from my mother-in-law. The only kormas I had had were the cashew nut based, rich creamy kormas - the very North western, Mughalai influenced gravies that were generally made with meat.
When I had this vegetable kurma, which has such distinct South Indian flavours, I was a little surprised. This is a coconut based curry, with vegetables and spices
That's when I realised the difference between a kurma / kuruma and a korma / khorma / qorma !



This goes pretty well with idlis, though initially I found it a little difficult to accept that combination.

I normally make it with jeera rice. Since it is loaded with vegetables, it pairs well with the mildly spiced rice

What you need -

2-3 cloves garlic
1" piece ginger
2 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 potatoes
1/2 cup shelled peas
2 carrots
1 cup cauliflower florets
8-10 french beans
1 onion
2 tomatoes
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

For the masala -
2 tsp chana dal
3 green chillies
1/2 an onion
3 green chillies
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tsp coriander seeds

What you do with it -

Fry in a little oil, all the ingredients listed under 'For the masala' and grind it to a paste
Chop the onions and tomatoes. Finely chop the ginger and garlic
Cut the beans, carrots and potatoes into bite sized pieces
In a pan, add a tbsp of oil and add the cinnamon and cloves. Then add the chopped ginger and garlic
Add the chopped onion and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the tomatoes and allow it to cook a little
Add the potatoes and beans first and then pour enough water to just cover it
After about 4-5 mins, add the remaining vegetables
Cover and allow the vegetables to cook. Once its almost done, add salt and the ground masala paste
Bring it to a boil and serve hot with rice, idlis or jeera rice