South Indian style Vegetable Kurma

South Indian Style Kuruma for Parotta, Idiyappam

I haven't really had this south indian kuruma much. Whenever I order parotta kurma or idiappam kuruma in restaurants I tend to opt for the Channa Masala instead of the kuruma . I generally prefer the North Indian kuruma which has Garam Masala rather than the coconut based gravies of the South. Recently my mother in law made this when I was pregnant and I really started developing a taste for this. It makes for a wonderful combo with Parotta (Tried it once but nowhere near what its supposed to be!) or Idiyappam/Sevai.

The best part is that you can customise it to the way you like it, in terms of the veggies you add or even making it richer by adding cashewnut paste generously etc. This is the recipe I used, it wasnt spicy at all despite adding a lot of green chillies. I always think that salt and spices should be added to taste as everyone tolerates different amounts. This can also be made without onion and garlic too so I can make this for my husband too!(he eats only satvik food)

Here's what you will need to make this gravy. 

Ingredients

• Mixed Veggies 2 cups (Carrots, Potatoes, Beans, Cauliflower and Peas)
• Tomatoes 3
• Onions 1
• Minced Garlic 1 tsp
• Capsicum 1 medium 
• Salt to taste

To Temper

• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Fennel Seeds 1 tsp
• Bay Leaf 1
• Cinnamon Stick 1 inch piece
• Cloves 3
• Green Cardamom 2
• Oil 2 Tbsp
• Curry Leaves

To Grind

• Roasted Channa Dal 1 Tbsp
• Green Chillies 8
• Ginger 1 inch piece
• Cashewnuts 6
• Poppy Seeds    1 Tbsp
• Coconut    2 Tbsp
• Fennel Seeds 1 Tbsp

Note: 

Some tend to soak the cashewnuts and poppy seeds in warm water before grinding to ensure a smooth paste and not grainy texture. I added it as is and didn't face any issues.

Method

Heat a pan and temper the mustard seeds. Once they pop, add the other ingredients under the to temper column. 

The above ingredients would start giving off a nice aroma, then add onions with a pinch of salt and fry. Add some chopped garlic and fry until they are are cooked and the raw garlic smell goes away.

Once they turn brown add in the tomatoes. Cook the onion tomato till it forms the base of the gravy. I added the cauliflower and peas at this stage to cook with the gravy. I do not like to pressure cook cauliflower as it gets mushy and also influences the flavor of the dish.

Add the boiled veggies and the ground mixture to the pan and mix well. Now add some water and cook everything until the ingredients mingle with each other. Add in the salt and mix well.

Let it come to a boil, I added in fresh coriander leaves and switched off the flame. I served it with some malabar style parotta. I tend to cook a no onion no garlic version for my husband first before sautéing the onions and adding some garlic and then mixing the entire gravy together. But you can always grind 2 garlic cloves with the rest of the ingredients and add it to the gravy.

 

Tips:

1. This makes for an excellent side dish for Idiyappam (Boiled rice noodles), poori and set dosa.
2. Instead of adding the coconut itself while grinding, you can also add some coconut milk too. If you are not a fan of coconut style gravies, you can also add milk to give some of the creaminess but it wont guarantee the same flavor. 

Pav Bhaji Masala

Pav Bhaji Masala

Who doesnt like Pav Bhaji? Well I dont know anyone that dislikes it to be honest!. I first had it when I was really young and my mom kept teaching me how to eat it by adding some bhaji onto a bun, add some fresh chopped onions and coriander leaves to it!

Buttery buns with a fiery bhaji is such a beautiful combination. Its no wonder that this dish is a top seller in street food. I always have a feeling these dishes taste better on the streets than in gourmet restaurants. On my last trip to Mumbai I visited a hotel and they had 27 different varieties of pav bhaji on the menu! Thats right 27! They put all sorts of things on the pav bhaji including cheese! Cheese!!!

Anyways this variety doesn't have any cheese, just the usual stuff. Its mostly supposed to have just potatoes in it but I like to make it with many veggies just to make it more healthy plus it tastes better. Here's how its done.

Ingredients

• Potatoes   3
• Onions     1
• Capsicum 1
• Tomatoes 4
• Mixed Veggies (carrots, peas, beans and cauliflower) 1.5 cups
• Green chillies 4
• Ginger Garlic Paste 1 Tbsp
• Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder 1/2 tsp
• Pav Bhaji Masala 1.5 Tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Lemon Juice 
• Butter 3 Tbsp, plus some more to add while serving
• Cilantro For garnish

Method

Roughly chop the carrots, beans, cauliflower and Fresh Peas(if using, i used frozen blanched peas). Cube the potatoes and pressure cook all the veggies with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles.

Heat a pan and add 3 tbsp butter to it. I add some butter for the smell and add oil too, just to reduce the quantity of butter added to the dish. For the authentic pav bhaji, you should go the all butter route though. Add cumin seeds. Once they splutter add in a full diced onion.

Adding a pinch of salt with the onions makes the moisture come out of the onions and hastens the cooking process. Add some turmeric powder with the onions and saute it in the oil to cook it well. Once the onions turn brown, add ginger garlic paste. Saute the paste until its cooked and the raw smell goes away. Now add the capsicum. Give it a quick sauté, I prefer my capsicum crunchy not cooked all through. Add the tomatoes in and let it cook. 

While the tomatoes ooze out some moisture, add salt, chilly powder. Add in the Pav Bhaji Masala at this point and cook until it oozes fat from the sides. I also add in some tomato puree to intensify the flavor of tomato. Here in the US, they are not as flavorful as they are in India hence the addition of the puree.

Cook the tomatoes until they are well combined and resembles a gravy. It will start oozing oil or butter from the sides. The tomatoes have to be well cooked to ensure that the gravy has the right taste and texture. Once the gravy is well cooked, add the cooked veggies in and mash well along with the peas. I use frozen blanched peas so i just let it boil with the gravy as it cooks.  Mix it thoroughly with the gravy. You can add some water and cook it for sometime, until all the veggies are well combined and the flavors intermingle with one another. 

Finish by adding lemon or lime juice and freshly chopped cilantro. Also you can add some butter to the gravy now to give that shiny finish and rich texture.

To serve the pav bhaji, toast some pav buns with butter and serve with hot steaming bhaji on the side with chopped onions, fresh cilantro/coriander and a slit lemon with a dollop of butter on the Bhaji. I make my own dinner rolls with Chefinyou's recipe for white dinner rolls.

Tips:

1. Left over pav bhaji masala tastes great as a filling for a veggie puff. The gravy will be watery as a bhaji but this needs to be reduced to a nice pasty consistency to use as a filling for puffs.

2. It can also be used as a base for a pizza. With an Indian twist, this can be used instead of the traditional tomato sauce!

3. You can make a panini style sandwich too with the filling!