Happy Memorial Day - Mixed Vegetable Korma
Salutations this Memorial day - a day on which we honor the men and women who give their life to serve in the US military! This year, I am also honoring the health care warriors who fought the COVID war and lost their lives.
It is because of the sacrifices of these brave men and women that we are able to live safely. Initially, I was struck in awe at how such a tiny, invisible virus could have such a global impact. Once the initial hysteria passed, though, I was able to settle into this new way of living, and I realized that life will never be the same again, and this was my wake up call. I took the opportunity to reflect on all of the blessings that I have in life, and I reconnected with friends and family, embracing technology in a way that I otherwise would have resisted. While the creativity in cooking has always appealed to me, I was excited to see many others embrace this art form and proudly share the joy of their creations through pictures on social media outlets and deliveries at my doorstep. I was reminded of the days of my childhood when my grandmother would share her special meals with our neighbors and friends.
As I reflect, I am reminded of the serenity prayer that allows me to better cope with these times and perform my duties.
"Accept with serenity what you cannot change, have courage to change what you can and develop wisdom to know the difference".
Of these duties, feeding the family is one that four hungry mouths would not let me fail. Due to social distancing, our grocery store trips have been few and limited, so I opened the freezer to see what I had stored away. At first glance, I saw a bag of mixed vegetables, and my thoughts immediately went to the sweet, comforting taste of Navratan Korma. I had never made the dish as it traditionally calls for heavy cream, but I was able to modify it to a healthier, no-cream version and my family loved it!
Cooking with the instant pot requires some creativity and experimentation until we become comfortable, but once we are accustomed to its use, it saves time and creates efficiency. While the pot has seven features, I mostly use the sauté, steam, slow-cooking and manual pressure settings.
Mixed Vegetable Korma
Total Cook Time: Approximately 30 minutes
Ingredients:
5 cups mixed vegetables
15 almonds
2 dates
1/4 cup cashews
1 tablespoon raisins
1 large onion
1 tomato
2 green chillies
1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 1/2 cups water
chilli powder
salt
turmeric
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons ghee
chopped cilantro
3 cardamoms
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 anise flower (I replace cloves and cinnamon with star anise as it has a sweetish taste and lighter spice)
Directions:
Soak Almonds and Dates in separate containers with water for 3 hours. Drain the water and blend to paste with 1/4 cup water.
Turn on the instant pot, set to sauté, and add 2 table spoons oil, cumin, anise flower and cardamom.
As the cumin is bubbling, add chopped onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add ginger garlic paste followed by the chopped tomatoes.Stir for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the instant pot to off setting and transfer the contents to blender.
While the onion is cooling, replace the pot, pour the vegetables along with a cup of water, cover and set instant pot to manual setting for 4 minutes with vent turned to "sealing".
Blend the onion mixture to paste. Add a little water if needed while blending.
Once done, remove vegetables from instant pot and drain them. Do not discard the water.
Replace the pot, set to sauté mode and add ghee. Lightly roast the cashews and raisins in the ghee and remove.
Pour the onion mixture into the remaining ghee in the pot. It will start to bubble, stir and add coriander powder, salt and chili powder. Stir so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan, for about 2 minutes.Then add the drained vegetables.
Pour in the blended date, nut paste and continue stirring. Add the vegetable water and more water if needed until the korma reaches your desired consistency. Once it bubbles and comes together add the roasted cashews and raisins.
Turn off the Instant pot. Serve warm with rice or chapati, garnish with cilantro.
Healthy Tip from Dr. Mom
Star Anise helps with digestion and also acts as an antioxidant.
This can be a plant-based recipe, by replacing the ghee with oil.