Kurma

Base

This is the base recipe for any kurma.

1. In a kadai, add oil, curry leaves and fry.

2. Add finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry until onions are translucent.

3. Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are soft, cooked and the oil separates.

4. Add the vegetable or meat and fry until it tosses well wil the gravy.

5. Grind green chillies and cashews into a paste. Add the paste to the kadai. Add salt, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder and fry a little until cashew loses its raw taste.

6. Add lots of water, increase the heat to medium and cook with closed lid. Once oil floats on the top add coriander seeds and remove off the heat.

Mushroom kurma — Chop the mushrooms into big pieces and add at step 4. Wait until mushrooms shrink slightly in size. They should not be shrunk completely.

Potato, cauliflower, carrots — Pressure cook roughly chopped vegetables and add at step 4.

Eggs — Boil the eggs. With a fork, pierce eggs slightly. Toss in oil and spices. Add at step 4.

Chicken — If the chicken is marinated, cook in a kadai and toss the pieces in oil and spices. If chicken is pressure cooked, take just the pieces out and toss in oil and spices. Add at step 4. Add residual water at step 6.

Mutton — Pressure cook the mutton. Take just the pieces out, toss in oil and spices. Add at step 4. Add residual water at step 6.

Aloo Matar Kurma

1. Add oil to a pressure pan. Add chana dal, red chillies, urad dal, jeera, curry leaves and fry well.

2. Add thinly sliced onions and fry. After the onions become transparent, add ginger garlic paste and fry.

3. Add tomatoes and cook until they turn soft.

4. Add roughly chopped potatoes and peas. Toss for a bit.

5. Add some water and pressure cook.

6. Open the lid, add quite a bit of water, turmeric, salt, paste of cashew + geen chilli, garam masala and bring to boil.

7. Remove from heat once the gravy thickens.

Beetroot Kurma

1. In a kadai add oil and finely chopped onions, salt and ginger garlic paste and fry until the onions are cooked.

2. Add tomatoes and fry until they turn soft. Add beetroot cubes and cook on a medium flame with a closed lid. Once the beetroot is cooked, add turmeric, coriander powder, and garam masala and cook until the masalas lose their raw taste.

3. Make a paste of coconut, little poppy seeds, fennel seeds, green chillies. Add the paste to the cooked vegetable and cook with a covered lid until the mixture starts leaving oil.

4. Add water, coriander, pudina, kasuri methi and cook until the gravy reaches the consistency you want.

Jackfruit seeds — Panapikkala Kurma

1. Peel the outer skin from the jackfruit seeds, chop roughly and pressure cook.

2. In a kadai, add oil, onion, salt, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and fry.

3. Make a paste of green chillies, coconut, saunf. Add this to the onions and fry. Add turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, and kashmiri chilli powder and fry some more.

4. Add the jackfruit seeds and mix. Fry for a few minutes.

5. Beat curd and add. Cook on high until gravy thickens, adjust spice level and garnish with coriander leaves.