Vegetable Korma is a mildly-spiced, rich, and creamy curry that's loaded with colorful vegetables. Here's a 30-minute Instant Pot and stovetop recipe for this popular Indian delicacy.
½teaspoonground cardamom(seeds from 4-6 pods). If using store-bought, add ¼ teaspoon and check for taste
1tablespooncashews, halved and roasted
1teaspoonhoney or agave (optional, skip for low-carb or keto)
Instructions
Prep
In a small bowl add cashews and water, and microwave it for about 1 minute. Traditionally, cashews are soaked in water for 30 minutes till they plump up. But, by taking this microwave short-cut, I achieved the same results in 1 minute or so.
Blend Sauce
In a blender jar, add the cashews (with water), tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, kashmiri red chili, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin. Blend everything till the sauce becomes smooth. Keep aside.
Instant Pot Method
Preheat the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Add 1 tablespoon ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the reserved cashews for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them for burning. Remove as they begin to turn a light golden color and keep aside.
While saute mode is on, add the remaining tablespoon of ghee (or oil) and add the blended sauce. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes. This cooks off the raw taste of ginger and garlic.
Turn off Saute and add ½ cup water (or as needed) to scrape off any bits of sauce stuck at the bottom (deglaze).
Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and adjust the pressure setting to LOW. Cook for 1 minute.
When the cooking time is done, release pressure manually. Open the lid after the pin drops.
Turn on Saute. Add heavy cream and ground cardamom, and stir. Simmer the curry for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens to your liking. Serve warm with cumin rice, naan, or paratha.
Stove-Top Method
Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the reserved cashews for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them from burning. Remove as they turn a light golden color. Keep aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee (or oil) and add the blended sauce along with water. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes.
Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or till veggies are fork tender.
Open the lid, stir and check for seasoning. Increase the heat to medium-high and add heavy cream. Substitute coconut cream to make this vegan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens to your liking.
Add ground cardamom and stir. Serve the curry warm with cumin rice, naan or paratha.
Video
Notes
Vegetables are the stars of this recipe. I like using a combination of cauliflower, carrots, and peas, but you can use any assorted vegetables. Other popular choices are green beans, potatoes, and sweet corn.
If you don’t like cashews or are allergic, you can use blanched almonds instead.
To make this recipe vegan, substitute ghee with any clear cooking oil, like avocado or olive oil. And instead of heavy whipping cream, add coconut cream. For that, open a can of any high-fat coconut milk brand, without shaking it. Using a spoon, skim off the cream at the top of the can. Use that cream to thicken the korma.
To add protein to this curry, chop paneer (Indian firm cheese) in ½-inch cubes and add it along with the vegetables. You may need to adjust salt accordingly.
If your blended korma sauce looks thick, add ½ cup water to it to avoid a burn message.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates, and do not include the garnishes or brown rice. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.