Chapati-kurma is a standard item in the restaurant menu back home. Its an oft-repeated dish at homes too. There are too many versions of this dish, each one twisted and tweaked according to the family’s preference. The common base is that this a mixed vegetable curry with ground coconut in it. Everything from what goes into the ground coconut paste to the kind of vegetables you use is adjustable to your preference.

An aunty had prepared this kurma for a pot luck dinner long back and I got hooked on to it. I have made it several times, but not once had the taste come closer to her preparation. But I keep trying :-). This has become our version of the dish.

Try this kurma, add your own twists to it and make it your family recipe ;-).

Pictorial

Add 1/2 cup coconut, 1 tsp fennel seeds (perum jeerakam) and 1 tbsp roasted chana (pottu kadalai) and grind into a paste. You can add green chillies also, if you want.

Add enough water to make a smooth paste. Keep this aside.

In a thick pan, heat oil. Saute one big chopped onion along with 3-5 green chillies (per taste) and 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic.

Once the onions are cooked, add one diced tomato. Add 2 tsp coriander powder, required amount of salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder(optional). Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add 2 cups cooked vegetables along with the water its cooked (about 1.5 to 2 cups). Bring it to a boil.

Add the ground coconut paste and one big pinch of kalpasi (optional). Mix and cook covered for 5-10 minutes, stirring in between. Taste test and adjust the spices. You can mash the vegetables a bit to thicken the consistency.

Add a handful of chopped coriander leaves and close with a lid and turn off the gas. Let it rest for sometime for the flavors to mingle and serve hot with chapati or parathas. You can add a tablespoon or two of vinegar, if you want to enhance the sourness a bit.

• Recipe source: Our neighbor aunty in DLF 
• Serves : 4-5 

Ingredients: 

For grinding:

• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (perum jeerakam)
• 1 tbsp roasted chana dal (pottu kadalai)
• 2-3 green chillies (optional)

For the curry:

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 big onion, chopped
• 3-5 green chillies or as needed per taste
• 3-5 garlic cloves, crush or minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt as needed
• 2 cups mixed vegetables, cooked ( suggested vegetables: a combination of potatoes, carrot, green peas, beans, cauliflower )
• one big pinch of kalpasi /stone flower/dagad ke phool (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (optional)

Method:

1. Pressure cook the vegetables and keep aside.
2. Grind the coconut with fennel seeds and roasted chana. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, green chillies and crushed garlic. Saute until the onion turns pink.
4. Add the diced tomato. Cook for a minute.
5. Add the coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder, if using. Turmeric powder is optional and you can skip it for kurma. Cook for a minute or two.
6. Add the cooked vegetables along with the water its cooked. Bring it to a boil.
7. Tip in the ground coconut paste and kalpasi. Kalpasi is, again, optional.
8. Mix everything, taste test and adjust the seasonings. Let it cook, covered, for 5-10 minutes. You can mash the vegetables, especially potatoes, to thicken the gravy a bit.
9. Turn off the heat and mix in 1-2 tbsp of vinegar if you want the curry to be a bit more sour. Serve with chapati or parathas.