Vegetable Kurma without coconut

My mom makes the most delicious korma. At least I've not come across one better than that. It has the subtle hint of spices, nothing overpowering, and vegetables cooked just right.

I am yet to master the art of making such a korma. If you would ask me whether I would like to change anything about my mom's korma then I would say the addition of coconut. I used to replace coconut with ground roasted channa dal (pottu kadalai) but the taste was not satisfactory. As I didn't want to use cashews, I turned to another healthier nut out there - almond. Adding ground blanched almonds gave it the richness but the grainy texture that the korma gets from added coconut was missing. So the search was on for the perfect replacement for coconut.

I found one. One day I was making a cake but with a little twist. I used almond meal/flour instead of the regular wheat flour.


Store bought almond meal

Almond meal slightly resembles desiccated coconut in texture. Don't you think so? So I thought why not? Replacing the whole lot of the roasted channa dal with almond meal will add a lot of fat, even though its good fat. So I substituted half of it with almond meal. Test and see for yourself if this works out for you. It definitely works for me.

Vegetable Korma

Ingredients
2 bay leaves
2 inch cinnamon broken into smaller pieces
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 green chillies slit
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 medium tomato chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup of chopped veggies of your choice
A few mint and coriander leaves
1 ½ tbsp roasted channa dal
1 ½ tbsp almond meal
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp poppy seeds

Heat oil in a kadai and add bay leaves, cinnamon and cumin seeds. After the spices become slightly brown, add the green chillies and sauté for a few seconds. Then add onions. After the onions become soft add and sauté the ginger-garlic paste till the raw smell of the paste goes. At this point add a cup of water, the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Simmer till the tomatoes become mushy. Now add all the veggies. Close with a lid and cook till the veggies are almost done.

Meanwhile grind together with little water, roasted channa dal, fennel seeds and soaked poppy seeds. When it becomes a fine paste add the almond meal and grind it till it resembles a coarse paste. Add the paste to the korma and mix it thoroughly. Add the mint and coriander leaves. Simmer for a few more mins. Serve with rice or roti.

Vegetable korma without coconut

Almond meal can be found in the flour/baking goods section of your supermarket. It is traditionally used for gluten-free baking. I find almond meal to be slightly expensive so I buy it mostly during Christmas sales. If you cannot find it you can prepare it at home. Soak a few almonds in hot water overnight and remove the skin. Completely dry them with paper towel and carefully grind a few nuts at a time till it becomes a coarse powder. Store the leftover flour in the fridge. I'll post the recipe for the cake made with almond flour soon.