On a recent trip to Houston, our families went to dine at a Northern Indian-style Punjabi cuisine restaurant. (That is, the kind of Indian food you get at virtually most Indian restaurants in America). One of the dishes we ordered was Navrattan Korma, literally translates into 9 jewels or 9 vegetables.Now this is NOT a Gujarati dish (a post on Guju food coming next week!!), and even if it were, it would have been a BAD Gujarati dish. Not one of us enjoyed the curry at the restaurant, because all could be tasted was the sweet profile. For a curry to work well if it’s sweetened, you must be able to taste the fiery heat and complex flavors concurrently–and often the sour or bitter component as well.
My version of Navrattan Korma, a classic Punjabi dish, gleans its mild sweetness only from a handful of raisins. The 9 jewels outshine the sugar and the spices balance the sweetness.
Navrattan Korma
Serving size: 4
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- ½ onion, grated
- 2 teaspoons ginger/garlic paste
- 8 ounces tomato sauce (preferably no-salt-added)
- ½ teaspoon Indian chili powder (personally, I would double this amount)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Punjabi garam masala
- 3 cups assorted vegetables (all chopped in ½ inch pieces) such as:
- carrots potatoes cauliflower
- green beans peas edamame
- bell pepper asparagus corn
- mushrooms zucchini
- 3-4 tablespoons golden raisins (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup paneer cubes (see how-to below), sautéed and browned in 2 teaspoons canola oil
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Scrape in the watery grated onion and beware of oil splash.
- Saute the onions for about 5 minutes; slight browning of onions is okay.
- Stir in the ginger and garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. This may stick to the pot so turn heat to low.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and 1 cup water.
- Stir in all the spices.
- Add in the raw vegetables and bring heat to medium-high.
- Add the raisins if using. Add the salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
- Add salt and paneer cubes.
- Simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes or until dense vegetables like carrots are done.
- Stir in the milk and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and season to taste.
Notes
To prepare paneer for a curry, slice the block of paneer horizontally/lengthwise into thirds. Then cut each third into ½ inch wide strips. Then cut each strip into ½ inch cubes.
To fry paneer, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet, preferably nonstick. Carefully, add the paneer with flat metal spatula or tongs. Every few minutes, rotate the cubes in the hot oil until lightly browned. Keep a lid nearby because the paneer will splatter. Drain on paper towel.
Garam Masala: there are many varieties, but they all have many of the same spices. Some blends just have more aromatic spices like star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Punjabi garam masala is one of those blends. Any store-bought garam masala would do, but stay tuned for a recipe to make your own!
To fry paneer, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet, preferably nonstick. Carefully, add the paneer with flat metal spatula or tongs. Every few minutes, rotate the cubes in the hot oil until lightly browned. Keep a lid nearby because the paneer will splatter. Drain on paper towel.
Garam Masala: there are many varieties, but they all have many of the same spices. Some blends just have more aromatic spices like star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Punjabi garam masala is one of those blends. Any store-bought garam masala would do, but stay tuned for a recipe to make your own!
I tried this reciepe , we all loved it, you are the best:)
Thanks Bijal for letting me know how it turned out! Look back soon for more recipes!
this is best curry I ever had. I do not care for any other vege or dal. this is good with flat bread or rice and yogurt. I always wanted to learn this.
Shef –
I love this recipe! Just this morning we picked three zucchinis from the garden and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. We actually have all the ingredients you list, so I might be able to attempt this soon. (I’m also curious about how to make my own garam masala.)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
[K]
Thanks Kim! I was actually thinking of calling it a Summer Seasonal Curry, but decided against it……mostly because I really don’t know much about gardening, just about what’s in the markets right now. I bet your beautiful veggies will turn out awesome in this dish. I do have a garam masala recipe, and I can post that closer to when I’m doing my “Indian Pantry” class in the Fall. Or I can email it to you if you want!
A curry of 9 jewels : An apt description to this dish! A lot of times the essence is lost in translation to another language, but not this one! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! Will certainly try this one!
Thanks Amit–would love to know your thoughts on the dish too! Though, I suppose you get it EVERYWHERE in Mumbai!!