Vegetable Korma

Easy “Vegetable Korma” for a quick weeknight dinner using your favorite vegetables. It is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

No matter what I do, I just can’t seem to make curries look pretty (remember – tofu tikka masala). Vegetable korma made with homemade korma paste may not look attractive but you are gonna have to take my word for it and add this to your weeknight dinner rotation. One of the reasons I enjoy cooking (vs. baking) is the freedom to tweak the recipe and swap ingredients depending upon what I have. It tends to work out in most cases and this vegetable korma is no different. You can use whatever vegetables (or even chicken) you have on hand and adjust the cooking time so that vegetables are fully cooked.

If you have homemade korma paste ready, I am talking 30 minutes from start to finish in just one pot!! It is also vegan and gluten-free. Because of weddings and whatnot, I haven’t been eating at home so this was a great opportunity to utilize all the vegetables that needed to be used. I encourage you to use different colored vegetables if you can because each color has a different nutrient (antioxidant) which are beneficial for your health. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables or a combination of both but whatever route you go, make sure you get your mis en place (French term for “set in place,” and it refers to having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking).

Cut your fresh veggies roughly about the same size so that it cooks evenly and add frozen vegetables slightly towards the end because it cooks quicker compared to the fresh ones. Some other veggies I’d like to use next time for vegetable korma are mushrooms, corn, cauliflower, peas and squash. Almost all korma recipes use either cream or yogurt because korma originated during the Moghul empire which is famous for their rich, luxurious cuisines. I won’t stop you from finishing your vegetable korma with heavy cream or yogurt if you desire but I skipped it.

It does not have a creamy mouthfeel but for a weeknight meal, I am okay eating simple, nutritious vegetable korma with my rice. Also, if you are making a big batch, do not add heavy cream before hand. In my past experience, I have found cream based curries to curdle/separate and even go bad quicker. Simply finish with heavy cream while reheating your food.

Vegetable Korma

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot

• 1 bunch asparagus, trim the woody part and cut remaining part into equal length

• 1 red or orange bell pepper

• 1 cup frozen spinach

• salt, as needed

• 4 tablespoon homemade korma paste, divided

• 3-4 cups water, divided

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft.

2. Add potatoes to the pot and allow it to saute for 4-6 minutes.

3. Add carrots, asparagus, bell pepper, and salt to the pot and let it cook for an additional 5 minutes then add 2 tablespoons of korma paste and 2 cups of water. Let it simmer then add spinach and the remaining korma paste.

4. Depending upon how thick or thin you want your vegetable korma, start with 1 cup of water and only add as needed.

5. Continue to simmer, stirring every now and then until all the vegetables are fully cooked.

6. Remove from heat, adjust the seasoning, and serve it hot.

7. Note: If adding cream, let it simmer on a very low heat and add only few minutes before removing from heat.