Kurma or Korma is basically a gravy dish where vegetables or meat is cooked or braised in a  sauce with different combinations of spices to go with steamed rice or chappathi. It is made quite spicy and colourful with tomatoes, garam masala and ground coconut paste in tamilnadu. For main courses like Idiyappam or Aappam, chicken or mutton kurma are considered the best combination. I named this white kurma because this was quite different from other kurmas which are red or orange in colour.

When we visited Tamilnadu, one of our friends Shanti served us this dish with ‘very simple’ in looks but ‘can’t stop licking the fingers’ kind of taste.  She offered this kurma with hot idlis or steamed rice cakes. I could’nt really come to a conclusion to whether the colour of it or the subtle taste of the vegetables cooked in coconut paste and spices made it so appealing.

This goes well with aappams or idiyappams too!

Ingredients

• Cubed carrots, beans, potatoes – 1/2 cup each
• Green Peas – 1/2 cup
• Cauliflower florets – 1/2 cup
• Chopped onion – 1 no.
• Ginger – Garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Freshly Grated Coconut – 5 tsp
• Cashewnuts – 7 nos
• Fennel seeds (perunjeeragam – saunf) – 3 tsp
• Green Chillies – 2 nos ( according to the spicce of chilly)
• Lemon Juice – 3 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Cardamom, cloves – 3 nos. each
• Cinnamon – 1 small twig
• Salt  – to taste
• Coriander leaves – to garnish

Method of preparation

1. Pressure cook or steam all the vegetables till done
2. If pressure cooked, use the vegetable stock while cooking
3. Blanch cauliflower separately
4. Grind grated coconut, cashewnuts, fennel seeds and green chillies to a fine paste
5. Make a paste of ginger and garlic separately
6. Take oil in a wide chatti (cooking pan)
7. Add the dry masalas and ginger garlic paste and fry
8. Add the chopped onions and fry for a moment
9. Next, let the cooked vegetables go in
10. Add in the ground paste and mix well
11. Add stock if vegetables were pressure cooked or just water
12. Adjust water according to the consistency
13. Add salt to taste and bring it to boil
14. Simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes
15. Juice of lemon should be added after turning off stove and just before serving
16. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.