Kurma is a very popular dish in South India often served in restaurants as a side for a variety of breads such as parotta, chapathi, dosa etc. It is predominantly a mixed vegetable melange with a rich creamy gravy often made with coconut as the base. The south indian kurma is off-white in color and is very unique in flavor and unlike any of the popular gravies which are found in usual Indian cuisine offerings.
Today’s recipe is a truthful replication of the authentic South Indian kurma with minimal substitutions. Two key ingredients are poppy seeds and fennel seeds. Both are mandatory in this recipe. In order to provide a healthier option, I am replacing coconut with baby carrots. One would be completely surprised by how the texture and taste is so similar to fresh coconuts. Carrots bring in the mild sweetness of coconuts and the chewy texture. I made this dish completely in the InstantPot.
Start by grinding the paste. Saute onions and tomatoes directly in the InstantPot. Add the paste, add the mixed vegetables and couple of powders. Put the lid on and cook. The flavors are preserved under pressure and the dish is ready in 10 minutes. Absolutely divine taste, brings back old childhood memories of eating kurma in restaurants 😀 Goes well with rice dishes as well – I served it with Eggplant and purple yams mixed rice – recipe in my next post !
South Indian mixed vegetable kurma
Equipment
- InstantPot
Ingredients
- 4 cups Mixed vegetables Potato, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, pea etc.
- 1 Onion chopped finely
- 1 Tomato chopped
- 1 tsp Red Chilly powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- Cilantro (chopped coriander) garnish
- Oil
To be ground into a paste –
- 1 Shallot large
- 6 Baby carrots
- 6 Green chillies
- 2 inch Ginger piece
- 5 pods Garlic
- 10 Almonds
- 2 tbsps Poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
- 3 inch Cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Blend all the gravy ingredients into a smooth paste with water and set aside
- Start InstantPot on SAUTE mode, add oil and cumin seeds
- Next add the chopped onions and fry for 2 mins
- Next add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 mins
- Finally add the paste, the vegetables, 2 powders, salt to taste and mix very well
- Close the InstantPot and cook with Pressure for 8 minutes
- Let cool for 10 minutes before releasing pressure
- Stir well, garnish with chopped cilantro
Looks great!!
Thank you so much 🙂