Vegetable Kadai

I seem to have run out of words, and my thought flow is gone. I've been trying hard to contribute something to this space, but have been postponing it continously. I know I've been disappointing my good friends by deserting my blog for several months now inspite of receiving several requests and reminders for recipes. So, yet nother try to get started again, a short post just with a recipe - may be thats what can help me get back to my pace.


Here is a recipe I made today - Vegetable Kadai - an all in one side dish for rotis. A traditional Punjabi dish with a nice blend of spices giving that unique flavor. I used to enjoy this dish back in India in restaurants, although its usually floating on oil. We get a decent version of this dish in our local restaurants here as well, but I can't match it with the taste in India. I got this recipe from a cooking show a few years back, and have tried it at home too a few times now, ofcourse a low calorie version. You can modify it as you want.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Carrots/Beans - chopped - 1 cup total
• Capsicum - chopped into squares - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1 medium - chopped into squared petals
• Onion - 1 medium - chopped finely
• Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup (I make them fresh - boil 2 medium tomatoes for 5 mins, cool and peel the skin, puree it in a blender)
• Ginger/Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Cashews - 10
• Corriander seeds - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
• Red Chillies - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Corriander leaves - to garnish

Procedure:

• Soak the cashews in warm water for 10 mins. Then grind and make a smooth paste. Set aside.
• Heat a pan, Dry roast Redchillies, Cumin and Corriander seeds until you get the nice aroma. Cool and powder them.
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the capsicum and the onions petals until they start browning a bit. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In the same pan, add 1/2 of the corriander/cumin/chilli powder and fry for a min.
• Add ginger/garlic paste and saute well. Then add the chopped onions and fry until onions change color.
• Add tomato puree, garam masala and salt and boil it for 3 mins.
• Now add the vegetables, 1 cup water, mix well and cover until they are almost cooked. Don't fully cook them yet.
• Add the cashew paste and mix well, add the fried capsicum and onion petals, mix and boil for a few more mins until veggies are fully done.
• Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with corriander leaves and finally add the remaining corriander/cumin/Chilli powder on the top and immediately cover it.
• Just before serving, mix the spices and corriander leaves together to the gravy. This gives a nice and fresh aroma while serving. Serve hot.

Enjoy with Naan, Rotis or White rice.