Vegan Royal Navratan Korma
This Vegan Royal Navratan Korma is luxuriously creamy, full of complex spice flavors, and is surprisingly easy to make! This fragrant and flavorful Indian curry is vegan, oil-free, and layered with fresh vegetables, fruit, and nuts!
Servings: 7 servings
Equipment
- 1 High Speed Blender
- 2 Large pots
Ingredients
Toasted Spices
- 1 green cardamon pod
- 6 whole cloves
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick or ½ tsp ground and add later with other spices
Creamy Curry
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, medium dice, divided
- 4 large tomatoes, diced about 2 ½-3 cups
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2" ginger, minced
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼-¾ tsp cayenne or chilli powder (Indian chilli powder, not chili powder)
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ cup water divided
Sautéed vegetables + fruit (*See notes below for other veggie options)
- 1 large golden potato cut into 1" cubes
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups broccoli cut into medium-sized bites
- 2 cups eggplant cut into 1" cubes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¾ cup pineapple cubed, fresh or canned
- ½-¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup raisins
Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice, dry
- 4 cups water
Garnish
- chopped cilantro
- chopped cashews
Instructions
- Prep everything first. Measure out spices, chop the vegetables, and gather your ingredients before you start cooking. This curry comes together quickly once you begin.
- Toast the whole spices. Place the cardamom pod, whole cloves, coriander seeds, and cinnamon stick in a large dry pot over medium heat. "Toast" spices 1-2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant. Don't let it scorch; burnt spices will make the korma bitter.
- Build the creamy base. Add half of the diced onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, cashews, ¼ cup water, and the ground spices: allspice, turmeric, garam masala, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until the onions and cashews are very soft. Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry.
- Blend the sauce. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Transfer to a high-speed blender with 1 cup water and blend until smooth. Don't forget to remove the cinnamon stick!
- Cook the vegetables. In the same pot, add ¼ cup water and the cubed potatoes. Cover and cook on medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the remaining diced onion, broccoli, and eggplant, and continue cooking until all vegetables are tender.
- Combine everything. Pour the creamy blended sauce back into the pot. Stir in the peas, pineapple, salt, and return the same cinnamon stick to the pot. Simmer for at least 15 minutes, or until heated through and flavors meld. Add any more salt or spice to taste.
- Cook the rice. Meanwhile, cook 2 cups basmati rice according to package directions.
- Serving. Stir in ½ cup raisins. Serve Navratan Korma over basmati rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and cashews. Enjoy!
Notes
*Feel free to mix up the veggies however you'd like! Other great options:
- cauliflower
- green beans
- corn
- sugar snap peas
- carrots
- bell peppers