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Vegetable korma is made from small pieces and slices of carrots, beans, and potatoes cooked low and slow in a rich and creamy gravy comprising golden brown onions, smooth tomato puree, and a variety of Indian spices. The blend thickens into a rich sauce using blended coconut, cashew nuts, poppy seeds, and fennel seeds. Foam rises gently when milk joins, and a touch of garam masala is added through. The steps to make vegetable korma at home unfold clearly and unhurriedly in the lines below. Keep reading.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vegetable korma is a popular Indian curry loved across homes for its rich taste.
Serve it with steamed rice, vegetable pulao, roti, naan, or paratha for a complete meal.

The taste of vegetable korma is creamy, rich, aromatic, sweet, and gently spiced.
Other similar recipes are Navratan korma, shahi vegetable curry, and malai kofta.

The Ingredients:

1 cup beans (cut into small pieces)
1 cup carrot (cut into small pieces)
1 cup potato (cut into small pieces)
½ cup peas
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 piece bay leaf (large, torn in half)
4 pods green cardamom
2 pieces cloves
1 piece star anise
2 pieces Marathi Moggu (Kapok buds / Indian Capers, inch size)

1 piece cinnamon (2 inch stick, broken into small pieces)
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 pieces green chilies (slit and cut from the middle)
Curry leaves (a string)
2 pieces onions (medium size, finely chopped)
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup tomato puree
Salt as per taste
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1.5 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
Water as required
½ cup coconut (cut finely or grated)
10 pieces cashew nuts
1 tsp poppy seeds (presoaked in water)
½ tsp fennel seeds
Water as required to make paste
½ cup milk
½ tsp garam masala powder
Coriander leaves (a handful, finely chopped)

It all started with talk over the fence with my neighbor. She brought up a vegetable curry, made without recipes. The way it smelled – it felt like a memory taking shape. Eating it, layers unfolded slowly, not loudly, leaving traces on the tongue hours later. While she described how she stirred, waited, and adjusted, when I asked her the recipe and filled pages of my cooking notebook, letters were blurring where hands moved too fast. Bits from her mother surfaced between words – the sort you do not learn, just inherit. That moment stuck.

Lunchtime came around again that next weekend, so I served it with plain rice. Smooth, thick, and tasting deep but not sharp – that veg korma tasted perfect. What my husband enjoyed most was the soft touch of spice, and across the table, neither of my two boys left a bite behind. A stillness followed, one that filled my ribs like sunlight. What makes a thing catch on like that? Hard to say. Relief spills through people, quite like my neighbor. I was not just thankful; it was something deeper than words.

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

Step 1: Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil and 1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter) in a pan over a medium flame and lightly fry 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 piece of bay leaf (large, torn in half), 4 pods of green cardamom, 2 pieces of cloves, 1 piece of star anise, 2 pieces of Marathi Moggu (Kapok buds / Indian Capers, inch size), 1 piece of cinnamon (2 inch stick, broken into small pieces), and 1 tsp of fennel seeds in it. Then add 3 pieces of green chilies (slit and cut from the middle) to it and fry for 10 seconds.

Step 2: Now, add and sauté a string of curry leaves and 2 pieces of finely chopped medium size onions for about 2 to 3 minutes until the onions turn soft and start changing color. Then add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste to it and fry for 2 to 3 minutes more until the raw smell is gone.

Step 3: Now, add 1 cup of tomato puree and sauté for 3 minutes before adding 1 cup each of small pieces of beans, carrots, and tomatoes. Also, add a cup of peas, salt as per taste, and ½ tsp of turmeric powder to it. Mix them all and cook for 3 minutes more. Follow it with 1 tsp of red chili powder, 1.5 tsp of coriander powder, and ½ tsp of cumin powder, and sauté for a couple of minutes more.

Step 4: Now, add water as required, mix well, cover the pan, and let the veggies cook for 7 to 8 minutes.

Step 5: While the veggies cook, grind ½ cup of coconut (cut finely or grated), 10 pieces of cashew nuts, 1 tsp of poppy seeds (presoaked in water), and ½ tsp of fennel seeds in a mixer, adding water as required, to make a creamy paste.

Step 6: Add this paste to the veggies. Mix well, cover, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Step 7: Then, add ½ cup of milk and mix nicely. Also, add ½ tsp of garam masala powder to it. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 8: Finally, add a handful of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to it and give it a nice stir. Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes to attain its authentic color.