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Navratan korma is made from a combination of paneer and different vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, capsicum, and more, slightly blanched before. The rich and thick gravy is made from fried onion and cashew paste along with a spicy Dahi mixture along with a variety of powdered and whole spices. Slow cooked over a medium flame, the steps to make Navratan korma at home are very easy, as you will discover in my recipe.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Navratan korma is a Shahi dish known for its heavenly taste and aroma.
Serve it hot with chapati, naan, lachha paratha, plain paratha, tandoori roti, pulao, jeera rice, or steamed rice.

Navratan korma tastes slightly sweet, nutty, creamy, tangy, earthy and savory.
Other similar recipes are vegetable korma, vegetable handi, Mughlai vegetable curry, kadai paneer, mixed vegetable curry, and vegetable kofta curry.

The Ingredients:

To blanch the veggies:

1 cup cauliflower (small florets)
½ cup carrots (diced into small pieces)
½ cup beans (diced into small pieces)
1 piece potato (small size, peeled and diced into small pieces)

1 cup green peas
4 cups water

To fry the cashew nuts and raisins:

2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
10 cashew nuts
10 raisins

To make the onion and cashew paste:

2 tbsp ghee (to fry the onions only)
2 pieces onions (medium size, finely sliced)
20 pieces cashew nuts (soaked)

To make the curd mixture:

1 cup curd
2 tsp coriander seed powder
2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder

To cook the Navratan Korma:

4 tbsp desi ghee
2 pieces bay leaves
6 pieces cloves
6 pieces green cardamoms (whole pods)
1 piece cinnamon stick (1 inch in size)
1 tsp cumin seed powder
10 pieces black peppercorns
2 pieces green chilies (finely chopped)
1 piece ginger (1 inch in size, finely chopped)
200 grams paneer (cut into small pieces)
2.5 cups water
1.5 tsp salt
1 cup capsicum (small, cut into small pieces)
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp Kasuri Methi (crushed)
1 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
2 tbsp saffron water
Coriander leaves (a few, finely chopped)

I learned this recipe from a cooking show I was watching a long time back on the TV. The visual appeal of the dish excited me, and so I wanted to give it a try. Luckily my habit of watching such shows with my kitchen diary in hand helped me to note the ingredients and steps roughly, which I refined later.

I tried it the next Sunday, and everyone in my family was amazed at the result, especially my husband and two sons, who are not very fond of vegetables and paneer. Their asking for a second helping encouraged me to try new dishes similar to these. I thanked God for having watched that particular show that day, or else I would have missed out on these wonderful moments of joy.

How to Make Navratan Korma? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Fry 10 pieces of cashew nuts and 10 pieces of raisins in 2 tbsp of hot ghee.

Step 2: Put 2 tbsp of ghee more and fry 2 pieces of onions.

Step 3: Add 20 pieces of soaked cashew nuts and blend them.

Step 4: Make a mixture of 1 cup of curd, 2 tsp of coriander seed powder, 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder.

Step 5: Boil and remove 1 cup of small florets of cauliflower and ½ cup of carrots, ½ cup of beans and 1 piece of small peeled potato, all diced into small pieces, along with 1 cup of green peas in 4 cups of water.

Step 6: Heat 4 tbsp of ghee again and fry 2 pieces of whole bay leaves, 6 pieces of cloves, 6 pieces of green cardamom (whole pods), 1 piece of cinnamon stick (1 inch in size), 1 tsp cumin seed powder, and 10 pieces of black peppercorns for 10 seconds. Then, add 2 pieces of finely chopped green chilies and ginger.

Step 7: Add the Dahi masala paste.

Step 8: Then put in the onion and cashew nut paste and 1.5 tsp of salt.

Step 9: Add the blanched veggies along with 1 cup of capsicum and paneer.

Step 10: Pour 2 cups of water, cover and cook on a low to medium flame for about 10 minutes. Then, add the fried cashews and raisins.

Step 11: Add 1 tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of crushed Kasuri Methi, and 1 tsp of nutmeg (jaiphal) powder, followed by 2 tbsp of saffron water.