Navratan Korma (Delicious and Rich Curry)
User Reviews
4.9
82 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
40 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
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Servings
5
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Calories
374 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Navratan Korma (Delicious and Rich Curry)
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Navratan Korma is a rich vegetable curry made with a medley of mixed veggies gently cooked in a creamy sauce thickened by a unique paste of soaked nuts and seeds. The sauce is flavored with whole aromatic spices and seasoned with yogurt and cream for a smooth texture, delivering a complex and mildly spiced dish that combines nutty, sweet, and savory notes. The dish is garnished with nuts, raisins, pineapple, and fresh mint, adding texture and bursts of sweetness.
Description
The recipe involves soaking almonds, cashews, poppy seeds, and melon seeds, then grinding them into a smooth paste. Whole spices including cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and mace are toasted in ghee to release their fragrance. Onions are cooked until golden before adding ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. The nut and seed paste combined with beaten yogurt is stirred into the pan on low heat to avoid curdling, creating a creamy base for the vegetables.
The mixed vegetables—carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, cauliflower, and baby corn—are added along with water and spices such as turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala, then simmered until tender. The curry develops a creamy consistency and rich flavors from the nuts and spices. The final touch includes garnishing with blanched nuts, raisins, pineapple pieces, melon seeds, mint leaves, saffron strands, and ginger julienne for added aroma and texture.
This dish is ideal as a festive or special occasion curry that pairs well with rice or Indian breads. The combination of various vegetables and nuts offers a rich experience with a balance of textures and sweet-savory flavors. The notes mention optional ingredients like pineapple and paneer and provide alternatives if melon seeds are unavailable.
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Ingredients
Mix veggies
- 2 carrot peeled and chopped or 70 grams carrots or about ½ cup chopped carrots, medium
- ½ cup peas shelled or frozen
- 1 potato or 2 medium potato or ¾ cup chopped potatoes or 150 grams potatoes, large
- ¼ cup Green bean or 40 to 50 grams beans or 10 to 12 beans, chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower optional, chopped; gobi florets
- 8 to 9 baby corn chopped (optional
Other Ingredients
- 2 onion sliced or ½ cup thinly sliced onions, medium sized
- 2 to 3 green chili peppers chopped, aka hari mirch
- ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste or 5 to 6 garlic and ¾ inch ginger - crushed to a a paste in mortar-pestle
- ½ cup curd (yogurt) or 100 grams curd
- ⅓ cup cream or 3 to 4 tablespoon whipping cream, fresh, low fat
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 cup water or add as required
- salt as required
For the nuts and seeds paste
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (khus khus)
- 10 to 12 almonds
- 10 to 12 cashews
- 1 tablespoon melon seeds (magaz)
- ¼ cup water or add as required, for grinding to a paste
Whole Spices
- 2 to 3 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 mace single strands
For garnish
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 6 to 7 almonds - blanched and peeled
- 10 pistachios
- 10 cashew nuts
- 10 walnut halves
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- ½ cup pineapple or 2 to 3 pineapple slices - chopped, chopped
- ½ tablespoon melon seeds
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
- saffron pinch of strands
- 2 teaspoon ginger julienne
Instructions
Preparing nuts and seeds paste
- Soak all the dry fruits and seeds in hot water for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the peels from the almonds and add the peeled almonds in a grinder or blender jar.
- Then drain water from the remaining nuts-seeds mixture and also add them to the grinder jar.
- Add ¼ cup water and grind to a smooth fine paste. Add more water if required while making the paste. Keep this paste aside.
Making navratan korma
- Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pot or a deep pan. Add all the "whole spices" mentioned above and fry till they crackle and become aromatic.
- Add the sliced onions and saute them till they turn golden stirring often.
- Now add the ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies. Saute for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Now add the nuts-seeds paste and curd. Mix well. When you add the curd then either keep the heat to low or switch off the heat. Make sure you beat the curd before you add and mix it quickly as soon as you add it.
- Then add turmeric and red chili powder. Stir again.
- Stir and saute for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat. Do stir often so that the mixture does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Then add the mixed veggies. Stir.
- Next add 1 cup water. Season with salt. Mix very well.
- Cover and simmer the veggies till they are cooked and fork tender. Take care not to overcook them.
- Once the veggies are cooked, add the cream and stir it with the rest of the gravy. Switch off the heat.
- Sprinkle garam masala powder. Cover and keep aside.
Garnishing navratan korma
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small frying pan. Add 6 to 7 blanched almonds (you can soak these almonds when soaking the nuts for the paste and then peel them).
- Saute almonds till they turn a pale golden.
- Take them to one side of the pan and now add 10 pistachios, 10 cashews, 10 walnut halves. Saute till the cashews turn a light golden.
- Now add 1 tablespoon raisins and ½ tablespoon melon seeds. Saute for some seconds.
- Then add ½ cup chopped pineapple cubes. Saute for a minute.
- Next add 1 tablespoon mint leaves, a pinch of saffron strands and 2 teaspoon ginger julienne.
- Saute for half a minute.
Serving navratan korma
- While serving garnish the korma with the sauteed nuts, seeds and pineapple cubes. Serve it with indian flatbread like tandoori roti, naan, chapatis or parathas. It also goes well with cumin rice.
Notes
- If melon seeds are unavailable, increase almonds and cashews by 1 tablespoon each as a substitute.
- Always soak poppy seeds before grinding to ensure a fine paste and ease of blending.
- Adding pineapple is optional; omit it to avoid sweetness, or substitute with apples or grapes as preferred.
- Paneer can be added for additional protein and texture, and you may customize the vegetable mix with your choice of nine different veggies.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
374kcal
(19%)
Carbohydrates
35g
(12%)
Protein
10g
(20%)
Fat
24g
(37%)
Saturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
5g
(29%)
Monounsaturated Fat
8g
(40%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
35mg
(12%)
Sodium
350mg
(15%)
Potassium
746mg
(16%)
Fiber
8g
(32%)
Sugar
12g
(24%)
Vitamin A
4569IU
(91%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
2mg
Vitamin B6
1mg
Vitamin B12
1µg
(42%)
Vitamin C
42mg
(47%)
Vitamin D
1µg
(5%)
Vitamin E
1mg
Vitamin K
16µg
Calcium
132mg
(13%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
66µg
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Magnesium
110mg
(28%)
Phosphorus
269mg
Zinc
2mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 5Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 374 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 374kcal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 35g | 12% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 35mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 350mg | 15% |
| Potassium | 746mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 8g | 32% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
| Vitamin A | 4569IU | 91% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 2mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B12 | 1µg | 42% |
| Vitamin C | 42mg | 47% |
| Vitamin D | 1µg | 5% |
| Vitamin E | 1mg | |
| Vitamin K | 16µg | |
| Calcium | 132mg | 13% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 66µg | |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
| Magnesium | 110mg | 28% |
| Phosphorus | 269mg | |
| Zinc | 2mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
82 reviews
Excellent
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