While thinking of lunch options over the weekend, I thought of a gravy made of caramelised onions and saffron. I googled to see if there was any recipe online with this gravy and realised that there were middle eastern recipes which had something similar. I saw a Moroccon recipe for Onion Mezgueldi as well as Tfaya, which used caramelised onions as a base.

While the middle eastern recipes were not what I was looking for, I experiemented in my kitchen and the result was this slightly creamy with hints of sweetness from the caramelised onions and raisins and an undertone of the saffron. It was a huge it at home and a definite keeper. But note this recipe uses more than the usual amout of oil and butter and takes longer than usual to make.

I used a mixture of carrots, cauliflower, brocolli, potatoes, green bell peppers and paneer to make the recipe, but you can play around with vegetables of your choice. The recipe is also not very thick, so you could possibly add some thickening agent if you want it thicker.

Vegetables in a Caramelised Onion and Saffron Gravy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed vegetables chopped into bite sized pieces (I used carrots, cauliflower, brocolli, potatoes and green bell peppers)
• 1 cup paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
• 2 tsp raisins, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi
• 2 generous pinches of saffron
• Salt to taste
• 3 – 5 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Method:

• Slice the onions and keep aside.
• Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces and keep aside
• Heat 2 tbsp oil and the butter in a large pan and when the oil heats up, fry the onions in batches until it is crispy and caramelised. Add more oil if needed. Remove, drain and keep aside.
• In the same oil (adding slightly more if needed), fry the garlic and ginger until golden. Drain and keep aside.
• Drain the raisins and in a blender, blend together the crispy onions and the raisins with some water to a smooth paste. Remove into a container and keep aside.
• In the same blender, blend the fried ginger, garlic and sesame seeds into a fine and smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Heat another tbsp oil in a pan and when it warms up, add in the chopped vegetables and cook until the vegetables are about 70% cooked. Remove and keep aside.
• In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil and when the oil warms up, add in the ginger, garlic and sesame seed paste. Let the paste come to a boil and then add the caramelised onion paste.
• When the pastes start bubbling, add the dry spices – turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala and stir well. Crush the saffron strands in your palms and add it to the gravy.
• Add water to thin the gravy to suit your taste and when the gravy has simmered for around 10 minutes, add in the half cooked vegetables.
• Chop the paneer into bite sized pieced and add it to the gravy.
• Stir well and then crush the kasuri methi in your palms and add to the gravy. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, then garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.

I served this with a peas pulao