Navaratan Kurma.

Navaratan Kurma.

Navaratan kurma is a creamy gravy curry made with combination of nine different fruits and vegetables. For navratan korma, all the selected vegetables and fruits are cooked in cashew paste and milk along with some whole and ground spices.
Makes: around 6 Servings of Navaratan Kurma.

Ingredients:

• Apple 1 Small
• Banana 1 Small
• Pineapple (chopped) 1/2 Cup
• Cauliflower Florets 1 Cup
• Carrot 1 Small
• Red Bellpepper 1/2
• Potato 1 Small
• Green Peas 1 tbsp
• Cashews 10
• Raisins 5
• Onion 1 small
• Ginger Garlic Paste 1/2 tsp
• Green Chiles 1
• Cardamom 1
• Cloves 2
• Cinnamon 1 inch Stick
• Garam Masala Powder 1/2 tsp
• Milk 1/2 Cup
• Salt to taste
• Ghee 2 tsps

Method of preparation:

Remove stem, wash and finely chop the green chile.
Wash, halve, remove seeds and chop the apple into small chunks.
Peel and chop the banana.
Peel, remove ends and chop the carrot into small cubes.
Wash, remove ends, remove seeds and chop the bell pepper into small cubes.
Peel, wash and cube the potato.
Reserve 3 whole cashews.

Pressure cook chopped cauliflower, carrot, bellpepper, potato and peas for a whislte.
Alternatively, boil all the vegetables in few cups of water till just soft but not mushy.
Or, microwave all the vegetables with little water for 5 minutes.
Strain the boiled vegetables and keep aside.

Grind cashews into smooth paste adding enough water.
Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan, add sliced onion and fry till translucent.
Make sure onion doesn’t change color, remove from heat.
Grind the onion into smooth paste using a spice blender.

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, reserved cashews and raisins.
Then stir in green chiles, ginger garlic paste, onion paste and salt.
Fry briefly and add all the cooked vegetables and chopped fruits (apple, banana, pineapple).
Stir in cashew paste and milk.
Cook covered on low flame till all the vegetables are cooked.
Finally add garam masala and remove from heat.
Serve navaratan korma with steamed rice or roti.
Notes: Use fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables for better taste.

Suggestions: If vegetables are not cooked well, make sure to add more milk and cook on low flame till all the vegetables are cooked properly. For a complete white color, add the garam masala in limited quantity or discard it. Adjust milk for consistency of the navratan gravy.
Variations: Any combination of fruits and dry fruits and vegetables (except bitter gourd etc) can be used. Coconut milk or yogurt is sometimes added for creamy texture. Paneer or khoya can also be added as a final step before removing the korma from heat. You can also fry the fruits in little ghee before adding to the navratan korma.
Other Names: Navaratan Kurma, Navratan Korma.