Creamy and fragrant stew that is chock-full of crunchy vegetables, which uses a special blend of spices in the form of freshly ground paste. This Chettinad Vegetable Kurma makes for a delicious and healthy side dish that goes well with chapathis, pooris, parottas, and pulao varieties.
This kurma recipe also uses a roasted paste of spices which makes it different from the other mixed vegetable kurma.
If you love Chettinad cuisine as much as I do, then I'm sure you will love this Chettinad Palakkai Kurma and this Chettinad Vazhakkai Kurma
I learned this delicious kurma from my MIL's neighbour. Like she used to say, kurma is one recipe by which you can make the children eat lots of vegetables.
Check out more Chettinad Recipes from the blog.
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About
Chettinad Vegetable Kurma uses a freshly ground paste that consists of roasted spices, coconut, khus-khus, cashews that make the kurma creamy, fragrant, and simply delicious.
Even though the ingredients used in this kurma are almost like the ones used in other varieties of Kurma, there are subtle differences in the ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredients
Vegetables: Predominantly English vegetables are used. I have used carrots, french beans, frozen peas, and cauliflower.
Special Chettinad masala paste: Whole spices like cumin, fennel, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, red chillies along with freshly grated coconut are fried in oil till fragrant and ground to a smooth paste.
Tastemakers: Red chilli powder is used to add much-needed heat to the kurma.
Poppy seeds and cashew nuts are not only added to get the creaminess, but they also act as a thickening agent to the kurma.
Coconut Milk: I have used freshly extracted coconut milk as the liquid for the kurma which adds more depth & creaminess to the kurma.
Instructions
Let's see how to make this yummy Chettinad vegetable kurma by these step-wise photos.
1. Chop the vegetables, parboil them, and set this aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan followed by coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds.
3. Add dry red chilies, cardamom, cinnamon. Fry for 1 to 1-½ min till the aroma arises.
4. Once they are lightly brown add grated coconut.
5. Fry till the colour changes to light brown. Switch off & let cool.
6. Transfer to a mixie jar. Add soaked cashew nuts and poppy seeds.
7. Grind to a smooth paste by adding little water.
8. Heat a pan oil. Season with kal paasi, onions, and curry leaves.
9. Saute till translucent and add tomatoes.
10. Now add the ground masala paste.
11. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt.
12. Mix well and cook till the oil separates.
13. Add ¼ cup water to the mixie jar, rinse and add to the pan.
14. Tip in the parboiled vegetables.
15. Add coconut milk, and mix well.
16. Cover & simmer for 3 to 4 mins.
17. Garnish with coriander leaves & switch off the stove.
18. Cover & rest for 5 more mins.
19. Chettinad vegetable kurma is ready.
Recipe Notes
What makes this kurma so tasty is the parboiled vegetables, as it provides a much-needed bite. You need to make sure not to let the vegetables get fully cooked or till soft.
Whether it is plant-based milk or regular milk, both of them goes very well with this kurma. Just work with whatever you have on hand. I personally prefer using coconut milk.
There is no ginger and garlic used in this kurma. You can add if wish to either grind them along with the paste or add while you are sautéing onions.
The masala paste can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge while the vegetables can be parboiled and refrigerated which will keep them crunchy.
Nutrition Profile
This recipe is
- Dairy-Free
- Diabetic-Friendly
- Egg-Free
- Gluten-Free
- High Fibre
- Low Carb
- Soy-Free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
FAQ's
You can add knol-khol, broccoli, potato, baby potato & mushrooms. But avoid using country vegetables and the ones that are high in water content.
Start by heating a pan with water and bringing it to a rolling boil. Add the veggies and cook for 5 to 7 mins, depending on the quantity.
Once done, drain the vegetables immediately and drop them in ice-cold water. This will prevent them from cooking further and also helps the veggies to retain their crunchiness.
You can also steam in a metal or bamboo steamer for 7 to 10 mins. But the best way is to cook them in a microwave as it takes very little time compared to other methods while doing a stellar job.
If you live in a place where poppy seeds (khus-khus) are not permitted, then you can omit them. Instead, you can either increase the number of cashew nuts or simply omit and make the kurma without it.
The kurma tastes best on the same day it is cooked. However, in case of any leftovers, you can refrigerate them. Make sure to use them on the next day itself & avoid storing them beyond that.
Chettinad vegetable kurma goes well with chapathis, plain parathas, parotta, and pooris. It also pairs well with ghee rice or any other pulaos.
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Recipe
Chettinad Vegetable Kurma Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Par Boiled Vegetables I used cauliflower, carrots, peas & beans
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 2 Tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 2 tablespoon Poppy seeds or Khus-Khus
- 1 tablespoon Cashew nuts
- 1 cup Coconut milk or regular milk
- 1 Pinch Kalpaasi or Black stone flower
- 1 Curry leaves sprig
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- Salt to taste
For chettinad masala paste:
- ½ cup Fresh Coconut grated
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 3 Dry red chillies
- 3 Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
Preparation:
- To parboil the vegetables, you can steam them till they are half cooked. I used the microwave at 50% for 2 to 3 mins. Set this aside.
- In ¼ cup hot water, soak cashew nuts and poppy seeds together for 30 mins.
- I have used ¼ cup of freshly extracted 1st thick coconut milk and ½ cup of 2nd thin milk.
Make Chettinad masala paste:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the ingredients for the paste - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, and fry for 1 to 1-½ min till the aroma arises.
- Add grated coconut and fry over low flame for 3 to 4 mins till the aroma arises and the color changes to light brown color. Switch off the stove and let the ingredients cool down to room temperature.
- Transfer to a mixie jar, add soaking cashew nuts, poppy seeds along with the water, and grind to a smooth thick paste. Add more water if required for grinding. Set this aside.
Make Chettinad vegetable kurma:
- Heat a pan with 2 tablespoon oil. Season with kal paasi. Add onions and curry leaves.
- Saute for few mins over medium flame till the onion turns pink and then add the tomatoes, ground paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Cook over low flame till tomatoes disintegrate, blend well with the masala and the oil starts to separate from the sides.
- Add ¼ cup water to the mixie jar, rinse well, and add it to the pan.
- Add parboiled vegetables, coconut milk or regular milk, and mix well. Cover with lid and simmer for 3 to 4 mins.
- Add coriander leaves, mix well and switch off the stove. Cover and let it rest for 5 more mins for the flavors to fuse well.
- Serve this aromatic Chettinad vegetable kurma with chapathis, pooris, or pulaos.
RAKS KITCHEN
I love chettinad cuisine like anything,I love the fennel the most! I will try this out soon for poori 🙂