Veg Kadai Recipe

Veg Kadai Recipe

Prep Time : 30 mins
Cook Time : 30 mins
Total Time : 1 hr
 

Ingredients

For kadai masala

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • ½ inch cinnamon
  • 3 to 4 dry kashmiri red chilies – broken and seeds removed
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
  • 8 to 9 cashews – whole and not halved
  • 4 to 5 black peppercorns

Vegetables

  • 100 grams carrots or ½ cup carrots cut in batons
  • 100 grams potatoes or ½ cup potatoes cut in batons
  •  cup green peas – fresh or frozen
  • 100 grams bell pepper or 1 medium-sized or ½ cup sliced bell pepper (capsicum), any colored variety
  • ⅓ cup sliced onions
  • 1 tablespoon oil – for sautéing bell peppers and onions

Other ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ¼ cup chopped onions
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or ½ inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic – crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
  • 200 grams tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes pureed – about ⅔ cup tomato puree
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1.5 to 2 cups water or as required
  • salt as required
  • 3 tablespoon light cream or cooking cream (low fat) or 1.5 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 inch ginger – julienne for garnish, optiona
 

Instructions

making kadai masala

  • Heat a small frying pan. Keep heat to a low and add the following spices – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon, dry kashmiri red chilies, kasuri methi, cashews and black peppercorns.
  • Stir often and roast on a low heat until the spices become fragrant. No need to brown the spices. Set aside.
  • When the ingredients cool at room temperature, add all of the roasted ingredients in a mixer-grinder or spice grinder.
  • Grind to a fine powder. Remove the kadai masala in a bowl and keep aside.

Preparing vegetables

  • Blend tomatoes and make a smooth puree in the same mixer-grinder if its big enough or in another blender or mixer. No need to blanch tomatoes before pureeing. Set aside.
  • In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and add the sliced onions and sliced bell pepper. Use any colored bell pepper.
  • Stir very well and saute the onions and bell pepper on a low to medium heat.
  • Saute till the bell peppers are half cooked. Some crunch is desirable.
  • Remove the sauteed onions and bell peppers aside. Chop the potatoes and carrots in 2 inches batons and keep them aside too.

Making veg kadai

  • In the same pan, then heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir and sauté for some seconds on low until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
  • Next add finely chopped onions.
  • Stir and saute the onions on medium-low to medium heat until they become light golden.
  • Add the prepared tomato puree. If using ready tomato puree, then add ⅔ cup tomato puree.
  • Add turmeric powder and red chili powder or cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Sauté the masala stirring often on low to medium-low heat till the tomato puree cooks, the masala thickens and you see oil releasing from the sides.
  • Then add the potato, carrot batons together with the green peas.
  • Stir and saute for a minute.
  • Add 1.5 to 2 cups water or as needed. Season with salt according to taste. Stir well.
  • Cover the pan. On a medium heat simmer and cook the veggies. Check from time to time and if required, add more water.
  • The veggies need to be cooked well yet still retain shape. They should not become too soft.
  • Then add the ground kadai masala reserving 1 teaspoon of it for garnish. Stir very well.
  • Add the sautéed bell peppers and onions. Mix and stir again.
  • Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on low to medium-low heat. If the kadai vegetable gravy looks dry, then add some water.
  • Then add 3 tablespoons of light cream or low-fat cream or 1.5 tablespoons of heavy or whipping cream.
  • Stir and mix the cream with the rest of the gravy. Switch off the heat.
  • Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. Stir again very well.
  • Serve veg kadai gravy hot garnished with some chopped coriander, ginger julienne and sprinkled with the reserved kadai masala. 
  • Accompaniments for veg kadai are tandoori roti, naan, chapati, paratha, bread. Also goes well with steamed rice, jeera rice or saffron rice.

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