Mixed Vegetable Curry

I know I’ve been MIA for quite sometime. I’ve been vacationing down south. Well, more like sweating truckloads & doing absolutely nothing! Since there was no scope for baking, (which I consider to be my specialty! :D) I resorted to writing simple gravy recipes. And now that I’m back from the fiery land of Chennai, I decided to test one of those recipes. A lot of people I know are afraid of making gravies. It is really funny, because there really is nothing simpler than making gravy! I kid you not. How hard is it to throw in some vegetables and spices and give it a quick blend? I hope this recipe will serve as a simple guide to making any gravy, anytime you want.

This curry is quite different from what I’ve been eating and making because I have included roasted capsicum in the gravy. The standard protocol calls for onions, and often tomatoes. I wanted to find out how roasted capsicum tastes when included in gravy. I even thought the idea was cool and innovative, until I found a bunch of gravies using capsicum and all sorts of vegetables on the internet! Turns out, innovation is rare! :-D

But moving on from the not so innovative fact, if you’re looking for a simple and nutritious side dish, this is it! It is a medley of all fresh, local produce and the taste that the curry gives off is purely based on the fresh ingredients used. Unlike my previous attempts at making curries in which I’ve used many dry spices; this dish, devoid of dry spices is really light on the stomach. And you don’t have to stop at the vegetables I’ve used. Feel free to add in as many or as little fresh vegetables as you wish. This is a perfect accompaniment to any kind of rice or bread. And if you're carb conscious, take it as it is and you'll make your belly really happy! :P

Mixed Vegetable Curry Recipe
(Print this Recipe)
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 20 minutes
Makes – 4 cups

Ingredients
For the gravy
1 onion roughly chopped
2 tomatoes roughly chopped
1 capsicum roughly chopped
1 green chili
3 blanched almonds (boil almonds in water for 1 minute to get blanched almonds)
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 teaspoon oil

For the main curry
1/2 cup onions
1/2 cup capsicum
1/2 cup carrot
1/2 cup tomato
1/2 cup white pumpkin
2 green chillies
2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
A small stick of cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
2 teaspoons oil
A pinch of sugar
Water, as required

Method
For making the gravy
1. Heat 1 tsp oil; add garlic, ginger, almonds & green chili. Sauté for around a minute.

2. Add the onions & sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender.

3. Add capsicum and fry for a minute. Then add tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes until tomatoes are cooked a bit.

4. Cool a bit, add to a blender/mixer and grind to a coarse paste.


For the curry
1. Heat 2 tsp oil; add the cinnamon and onions & sauté until golden.

2. Add the gravy paste and mix well. Add red chili powder and turmeric powder and mix well.

3. Cook until the gravy paste reduces in size & the oil starts leaving the sides. (Note: Since the amount of oil used in this recipe is extremely less, the oil only faintly leaves the sides. Keep an eye out for the gravy from drying)

4. Add carrots and mix well. Add 1/3 cup of water and salt and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Next, add the capsicum and mix well. Cook for one further minute

6. Then, add tomatoes, potatoes and white pumpkin cubes and mix well.

7. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and let it boil for 2-4 minutes.

8. Add the pinch of sugar for added flavor. Cook till the water boils and reduces a bit. (Around 3 minutes)

Enjoy with a bowl of Rice or Roti or any kind of bread.


Notes:
> Keep in mind that you add the tougher vegetables first and the tender ones that cook faster in the later stages. That is why, I cooked my carrot longer than the tomatoes.
> You can use ANY vegetable of your choice. Cauliflowers, peas, spinach, artichokes, asparagus, snake gourds, beetroots etc. Just keep the above point in mind.