Tag Archives: Mixed Vegetables

Vegetables in a Caramelised Onion and Saffron Gravy

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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

Recipes: Veg Jaipuri

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I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while now and was searching for a good recipe to play with when I came across this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor’s website. I mostly adhered to his recipe, but to make it healthier, omited khoya or dried evaporated milk solids and fresh cream, but instead used a low fat home made yoghurt to replace the cream.

Veg Jaipuri

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup chopped mixed vegetables (I used cauliflowers, potatoes, frozen peas, french beans and green bell peppers, but you can use others also to give it more colour)
  • 1 cup frozen paneer
  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 6-8 cashew nuts
  • 4 green chillies
  • a few strands saffron
  • 3 medium sized onions, chopped finely
  • 5-6 pods garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup beaten plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

  • Chop the vegetables into bit sized pieces. Soak the paneer in hot water for 20-30 minutes, then chop them into bit sized pieces and keep aside.
  • Heat a pan and when warm, add one tbsp ghee and sauté the coriander seeds, cashewnuts and green chilliesfor two minutes. Grind all of this with saffron into a smooth paste.
  • In another smaller blender, blend together the ginger and garlic into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the remaining ghee in a pan. Sauté the onions till they turn translucent. Add the the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a few minutes till they turn light golden in colour. Add tomatoes and garam masala powder and cook till the tomatoes are pulpy.
  • Add the chopped vegetables, salt, the ground paste, raisins and one cup of water and simmer for five to seven minutes.
  • When almost done, add the beaten yoghurt and the paneer and let it come to a slow simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes and switch off the gas.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.

Recipes: Vegetable Jalfrezi

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This ubiquitous dish found in most restaurant menus has its origin in colonial British India. The word Jalfrezi comes from the Bengali word jhālpharezī, which can be broken down jhāl meaning spicy food in Bengali and parhezī means suitable for a diet in Persian. Jalfrezi is usually prepared by stir-frying ingredients, a technique introduced to the region by Chinese cuisine.

I’ve never made Jalfrezi before and tried it one evening for dinner. This dish is not in a gravy form and could be best described as semi-wet. Since this is not a gravy dish, I decided to have rotis or Indian flatbread to go with it. If you want to have it with rice, either make it slightly more watery or pair it with any dal.

Vegetable Jalfrezi

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1/4 cup carrots, chopped lengthwise into 1.5-inch sticks
  • 1/4 cup potatoes, chopped lengthwise into 1.5-inch sticks
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup paneer, chopped lengthwise into 1.5-inch sticks
  • 1 large green bell pepper sliced lengthwise into 1.5-inch sticks
  • 1 garlic
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped roughly
  • 2-3 green or red chillies
  • 3 medium-sized onions
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Chop two onions roughly and keep aside. Cut the balance onion into two and slice the two halves into thin slices and keep aside.
  • In a blender, blend together the chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies into a fine and smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and lightly fry the paneer till they become slightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen tissue and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add the butter and add the chopped vegetables and stir fry on high heat for around 5 minutes, stirring continuously till the vegetables are almost cooked, but still crunchy. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and keep aside.
  • Now add the sliced onions and stir fry till the onions become translucent. Then pour in the blended paste and stir well. Let it come to a rolling boil.
  • Add the spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder plus salt and mix well. Let it boil until the oil separates. We don’t want the gravy to be thin, so let it boil down until you can just coat the vegetables.
  • Then add the stir-fried vegetables and the paneer and give it a quick stir to coat the vegetables with the gravy evenly. At this point, you need to have a semi-wet kind of gravy, more dry than wet actually.
  • Check for seasoning and add the kasuri methi after crushing it with your palms to release the oils.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or any kind of Indian flatbread.

We really loved this dish and this is a keeper for sure! I would also use beans, baby corn and even mushrooms in the future.

Recipes: Mixed Veg Jodhpuri Sabzi

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The second largest city in the western state of Rajasthan, is well known as a tourist spot with tourists flocking to the city during it’s peak tourist season to see its forts and palaces. The food of the city is also quite famous with this dish a fixture in most restaurant menus. I tried recreating this menu after having it at my local restaurant. This may not be the most authentic recipe, but was very tasty and the pot was finished with no leftovers. Do try my version and let me know how you liked it.

Mixed Vegetable Jodhpuri Sabzi

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used a mixture of carrots, sweet potatoes, peas and cauliflower, but you can also use other vegetables like potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, sweet corn etc)
  • 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
  • 5-6 pods of garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 5 green chillies
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 1 large green capsicum, finely chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp ghee or oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 3-4 cardamom pods
  • 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 whole red chillies
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 10 -15 cashew nuts
  • 1 small can of tomato paste or puree
  • 2-3 tbsp milk
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp chat masala powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seed powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp kasoori methi ( dry fenugreek leaves)
  • 2-3 tbsp whipped yoghurt
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Soak the cashew nuts in hot water for 20-30 minutes till it becomes soft, then blend it to a fine paste with the milk and two of the tomatoes. Keep aside.
  • Blend together the garlic, ginger and 3 of the green chillies into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Finely chop the remaining tomatoes and keep aside.
  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil in a large pan and fry the mixed vegetables you have chosen for this recipe. Cook covered till they are about 80% cooked.
  • Remove the vegetables and in the same pan heat the balance oil or ghee and when the ghee warms up, add the whole spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, red chillies and the bay leaf). Once the spices crackle, add the asafoetida powder and stir.
  • Slit the balance green chillies and add it to the pan. Then add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and stir well for a few minutes.
  • Now add the chopped onions and stir until the onions become translucent. Once translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and capsicum and cook for a few minutes till the tomatoes are mushy and cooked. You can add a pinch of salt to this to help the process.
  • Sprinkle little water if the masala starts to get dry and burn. Now add the cashew-tomato paste and stir it into the gravy. Add the tomato paste or puree and stir. Add enough water to make the gravy as thick as you like and let it come to a rolling boil and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the balance spices – salt, sugar, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, chat masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasoori methi and stir it into the gravy. Add the butter into the gravy and let it cook.
  • Stir in the semi-cooked vegetables into the gravy and let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes. If you are adding cream to the recipe, remove the gravy from the flame before adding the cream. If you are using whipped yoghurt, add it in, stir well and remove the gravy from the flame.
  • Serve garnished with coriander leaves. Serve hot with any Indian flatbread or jeera rice or even plain basmati rice.