Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Fragrant Vegetable Korma
European food is all very nice, but after a while it can get quite samey. Granted, I've nowhere near travelled the full extent of our continent's culinary variety since I've started this blog. My lasagna plates are still laying idle in the cupboard - and I make a great lasagna, even if I do say so myself - and the paella rice has not been touched, either. I've been planning to do a traditional Czech pork roast with dumplings and cabbage and a Bavarian breakfast of Weißwürste with Brezn. (If you follow my link to Wikipedia and wonder what the brown stuff on the plate is, rest assured, Bavarians do not generally relieve themselves next to their food; the mucky mess is in fact very flavoursome whole grain mustard.) Rest assured, all these plans are still alive and well, but tonight I felt like going further afield. And after one look in the fridge, India seemed like the perfect place to go to - with a rich, creamy vegetable korma.2 tbsp butterIf you prefer chicken korma, substitute 4 chopped chicken breasts for the vegetables and chicken stock for the vegetable stock. Or you could be creative and try all kinds of other combinations. Prawns work quite well, as does fish (use fish stock in both cases). The latter should be fried separately and added to the sauce on the plate, otherwise it is bound to fall apart in the pan. Add a pinch of chilli powder or a dash of tabasco if you like it spicier. And for the perfect meal, serve with Pilau rice and Indian Chai.
1 large onion, chopped
4 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods, crushed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 to 1½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground allspice
1½ to 2 tsp ground cumin
½ to 1 tsp ground turmeric
1 to 1½ tsp mild chilli pepper or paprika
150 g green beans, trimmed and chopped
100 g carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, parboiled and chopped
100 g mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
2 tsp tomato purée
75 g ground almonds
250 ml vegetable stock
200 ml oz whipping cream
A good pinch garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
50g/2oz flaked almonds, toasted
Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cloves and cardamom pods. - If you want to save yourself the annoying job of having to fish for the spices at the end, get yourself a small bag made of heat-resistant netting and cook them in that. - Fry until the onions are beginning to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger and, after frying for 4 minutes, add all the remaining spices (except the garam masala). Stir around in the pan, allowing them to release their flavour.
Add the carrots, then, 1 minute later, the beans and mushrooms. Stir fry for another minute, then add the potatoes. Stir for a further minute.
Add the tomato purée, stock and cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until reduced to the consistency of thick cream. Taste and add seasoning if it needs it.
Finally, add the ground almonds and garam masala and cook for a further minute or two to let the flavours mix and the sauce thicken slightly more.
Christine at 7:39 pm
