Vegetable Korma (Salna, Shahi Korma, Stew)

Vegetable Korma (Salna, Shahi Korma, Stew)

Korma
Korma

When I was a student in India studying for finals, we had a ritual that in the middle of the night to keep us awake, we would all go to the only shop that would be open during those wee hours. It was a small roadside restaurant that served not only tea, but also a locally famous street food called ‘salna’ with parottas. Many would stay awake just to have a taste of this dish, as it was served only at night at this shop. Salna, in those days, was served in roadside restaurants in the districts of Arcot and Madurai. The origin of this dish comes from its sophisticated cousin Korma (derived from a Persian word for braising), and the best of its kind is called ‘Shahi Korma’ or the Royal Korma. As the name suggests, the dish utilizes a braising technique that involves three stages to prepare it correctly. In the early stages, vegetables (and/or meats) are cooked at high temperatures in a spicy sauce to blend in the flavors.  This is followed by an extended slow cooking at a much lower temperature. I combined the ‘Royal Korma’ and ‘roadside salna’ recipes to create a democratic version of this dish that is aptly called Korma.

Print Recipe
Vegetable Korma (Salna, Shahi Korma, Stew)
Korma is an excellent side dish for Rotis, Chapatis, Parottas, and Biryanis. It is a very popular Indian dish. I combined the 'Royal Korma' and 'roadside salna' recipes to create a democratic version of this dish that is aptly called Korma. This recipe is vegetarian and gluten free.
Korma
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
For Masala Paste - I
For Grind II
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
For Masala Paste - I
For Grind II
Korma
Instructions
  1. Grind all ingredients for 'Masala Paste – I' in a blender by adding half a cup of water and grinding to a paste consistency. Set aside.
  2. Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more’. This is the high setting for sauté.
  3. Pour the vegetable oil and add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (IP). Fry them in the hot oil for a few seconds.
  4. Add onions, butter and fry them until the onions become soft. It does not need to become golden brown, just soft and transparent.
  5. Add tomatoes and cook them together for a minute until they become soft and lose their shape.
  6. Add the paste (Masala Paste – I), and mix thoroughly.
  7. Add all the vegetables and sauté them until they are blended well with the spices, and the potatoes become somewhat soft. Add water if necessary.
  8. Turn the IP off. Add two cups of water and cool down the base for about 10 minutes.
  9. Add ½ cup of water to ½ cup of yogurt and mix them together thoroughly. Using a spoon, make a fine liquid puree without any lumps of yogurt.
  10. Once the base has cooled enough, slowly add the yogurt to the IP and mix gently without curdling the yogurt.
  11. Close the lid with the vent open. Turn on the IP and change the setting to ‘slow cook’ ‘high heat’ and the set the timer for two hours. Let it cook for two hours.
  12. Once in a while (every half an hour or so) open the lid, and stir the pot well.
  13. Grind the coconut and the cashews together with water to make the second paste. Add the coconut milk to it and dilute it, if necessary. Set aside.
  14. After two hours, open the lid, add the ground coconut mix into the IP. Add water if needed for consistency. Continue to slow cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.
  15. Once done, garnish it with cilantro and serve it as a side dish for Biryani or Parottas.

Pongal

When it is gloomy, cold and raining, it is time to reach for my pot. Oh shush, I am speaking of my Instant Pot!

Pongal
Pongal

When I was growing up in my village, during the winter months of December/January, if we went to the temple early in the morning, the priest would serve us a hot cup of Pongal. Ever since then, I have always associated winter mornings to the taste of a good Pongal. Over the years, I have ever so slowly perfected my own homemade Pongal. Recently, I have updated my recipe to make this cooking very simple using an Instant Pot.
For my non-South Indian friends, Pongal is the South Indian equivalent to a spicy western porridge. It has become a national breakfast food in India, and a very popular dish in the South. You can make this recipe a vegan dish by simply substituting the butter with a suitable vegetable oil. It is gluten free if you avoid the hing.
Here is my recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Print Recipe
Pongal
Pongal is the South Indian equivalent to a spicy western porridge. It has become a national breakfast food in India, and a very popular dish in the South. You can make this recipe a vegan dish by simply substituting the butter with a suitable vegetable oil. It is gluten free if you avoid the hing.
Pongal
Course Rice
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Rice
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Pongal
Instructions
  1. Put moong dhal in a small pot on medium heat and dry roast until it is hot to touch. Do not over roast it. Make sure you turn the moong dhal over constantly so as to make the roasting uniform.
  2. Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to change the digital display to ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté. In the Instant Pot inner pot, add the butter. Once it is melted, add hing, add finely chopped ginger, sauté for 2-3 seconds, then add pepper (best if you have freshly ground pepper) and cumin seeds. Add salt. Add the green chilie. If you want to add more flavor, add a bit of ground cumin powder. Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min. You can add fresh curry leaves. Make sure nothing burns or stick to the bottom of inner pot. Add roasted moong dhal and the rice.
  3. Add three cups of water. The amount of water you add would vary based on the rice you use. I use Thai Jasmin rice for my cooking. Adjust as needed.
  4. On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 8 min. Let it cool down naturally.
  5. Open the lid, add the Cashew nuts, and thoroughly mix.