To the West and slightly up North, from the kitchens of Maharashtra, Kauvery Hospital brings to you this specialty dish of rich flavours. Laden with vegetables immersed in a spicy tomato sauce, every bite, leaves your taste buds tingling with the burst of the different flavours in the dish.
This dish has 9 different types of fresh vegetables and herbs and is dense in nutrients. Consumption of vegetables in the long run improves the overall health, improves the functioning of the internal system, and maintains the blood pressure levels. A diet rich in vegetables provides the body with plentiful antioxidants, which help prevent diseases such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, and strokes. Additionally the watermelon seeds in this dish provide the body with additional arginine which helps regulate blood pressure and treat coronary heart diseases.
Nutritional Value and Calories:
Calories 224; Cholesterol 3mg; Total Fat 17g; Potassium 0mg; Dietary Fiber 4g; Sodium 623mg; Carbohydrates 11g; Proteins 4g; Sugars 6g, Vitamin A 50%; Vitamin C 101%; Iron 17%; Calcium 14%.
Preparation Time – 15 minutes; Cooking Time – 30 minutes; Serves – 4
Ingredients:
Vegetables:
- Onions – 2 large sized
- Tomatoes – 2 large sized
- Green Peas – Shelled ¼ cup
- Cauliflower Florets – 8
- Green beans – 8
- Carrot – 1 medium size
- Green Capsicum – 1 large size
- Fresh Coriander Leaves – ½ cup (diced)
- Curry Leaves – a few fresh leaves
Dry Ingredients
- Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp
- Cumin (Jeera) powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
- Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
- Red Kashmiri Chilies (whole) – 5
- Bay Leaf – 3 small size
- Cinnamon sticks – 5
- Cloves – 5
- Black Cardamom – 4
- Asafetida – a pinch
- Kasuri Methi – ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Cashew nuts – 8
- Water Melon Seeds – 2 tbps
Additional Ingredients:
- Paneer – ¼ cup
- Ginger Garlic paste (freshly ground or crushed) – 1 tbsp
- Green Chilies – 3 or 4 (depending on spice level required), ground to a paste
- Oil – 4 tbsps
- Ghee – 1 tsp
Method:
1. Wash the green beans, capsicum, and carrots and cut into ½ inch cubes.
2. Boil the beans, capsicum and carrots in a pan of water with salt to taste (water must be just sufficient to cook the vegetables). Drain the water and fry the cooked vegetables in oil. Keep aside.
3. Boil the green peas in a pan of water with salt to taste and keep aside.
4. Place the cashew nuts and watermelon seeds in a pan, add water and boil, until the cashews and water melon seeds are soft. Grind the softened, cooked cashew nuts and watermelon seeds in a grinder / blender / mixee, to a smooth paste.
5. Cut the onions and grind them to a paste in a blender. Keep aside.
6. Dice the tomatoes and grind them in a blender. Keep aside.
7. Place a wide bottom pan on the stove on medium heat. Add oil, the cumin seeds, the bay leaves, cinnamon, black cardamom and cloves and sauté, till the aroma of the spices are released.
8. Next add the curry leaves, the onion paste, salt to taste and sauté till the onions turn brown in color.
9. Mix in the ground / crushed ginger, garlic and green chili paste.
10. Next add asafetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well. Then add the tomato puree and blend in. Add a little water and let the mix cook.
11. Add the cooked green peas, 2 tablespoons of the cashew nut and water melon seed paste. Stir and cook on a low flame for 15 minutes, until the oil begins to bubble up and the sauce is a smooth blend.
12. Next add the fried vegetables (cauliflower, green beans, capsicum and paneer and mix well. If the sauce is thick, add some water to dilute it to a gravy consistency and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
13. Then add in the Kasuri methi and stir. Switch off the flame.
14. In a small pan add a teaspoon of ghee and sauté the whole Kashmiri Red chilies. Add this sautéed chilies to the Kolhapuri Vegetable dish and sprinkle the finely diced coriander leaves on top.
Serve hot with poories, or chapattis, roti or parathas or even rice.