Sunday brunch comprised nice puffed pooris, delicately flavoured vegetable Kurma and the summer favourite Aamras. A classic combo that is an all-time favourite of my family.
Kurma /Korma /Qorma…. the king of Indian curries has a culinary trail that winds and weaves through different Asian regions and times. Its Indian history can be traced back to the Mughal kitchens of the 18th century where Persian cuisine was predominant. Fried onions, rich flavourful spices, and nuts formed the base of this curry. Chunks of braised meat were cooked on slow fire along with this spicy base to a thick aromatic one-pot delicacy.
India has 3 main variants of this Persian influence-
- The north Indian Korma with curd, almonds, cashews, and malai.
- The Kashmiri version uses fennel seeds, turmeric, tamarind, and dried cockscomb flowers (Celosia Cristata) locally known as mawal. This flower is used as a colorant and an exotic spice in Kashmiri cuisine.
- The South Indian Kurma has a pronounced coconut taste and is mildly flavoured.
A heavy Sunday meal that was delicious and lip smacking
For more poori recipes and combos follow foodialogues.com
VEGETABLE KURMA RECIPE:
Ingredients for Veg Kurma:
- Cubed Vegetables 2 Cups
- Coconut Grated ½ Cup
- Cashew ¼ Cup
- Fennel Seeds (saunf)1 Tbsp
- Garlic 10 Pods
- Green Chilly 5 Medium
- Oil 1 Tbsp
- Cinnamon 1 Inch Stick
- Cardamom Pods 4
- Cloves 4
- Cumin Seeds 1 Tsp
- Thick curd ½ cup
- Coriander Leaves Chopped 2 Tbsp
- Salt as needed.
Preparation Method:
- Boil all vegetables till half done.
- Grind coconut, cashew, green chilly, fennel, and garlic pods into a smooth paste.
- Add the paste to the half-done vegetables. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil with the required salt. Adjust the thickness of the gravy to your requirement with more water if needed.
- Take a small pan. Heat oil. Add the cumin and fry till it becomes brown. Add the rest of the whole spices. Switch off the flames and pour the tempering over the cooked kurma.
- Mix in the curd before serving.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
Classic Combo – Poori with Kurma, and Aamras
