Did you know I have royal blood running through my veins? I didn't know either until I started eating this rich cuisine. You see, now more than before I have a reason to brag about my origins. I found out our cuisine is widely influenced by the Mughals. Their tastes varied from mild to spicy. Additionally their cooking had an unique aroma where whole and ground spices were infused in their cooking. I've noticed that in South Indian cooking, we use the same kind of spices to make our dishes POP.
So I say to you now, come join me in my conquest of discovering new ingredients and trying dishes...oh and on your way, delight your palate with some "rich" food.
Ingredients:
- 10" long Long Squash, also known as Lauki
- 2/3 cup Frozen peas and carrots
- 2 Green Chilies, cut in half
- Handful Cashews, split in half
- 2 tbsp Raisins or Craisins
- ½ cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Salt, or as needed
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Whole Cumin seeds
Procedure:
1) Peel the lauki and cut it into 1-inch cubes. In a pressure cooker or sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and season with mustard and cumin seeds. When they splatter, add turmeric powder, cubed lauki, green chilies (chopped), and salt.
2) Pressure cook or cook on stove top on medium heat until the lauki is soft but not mushy. Please note if using pressure cooker, turn off the heat after one to two whistles.
3) When the lauki is cooked, add the remaining ingredients: peas and carrots, halved cashews, golden raisins, evaporated milk and garam masala. Cook well for 5-6 minutes on medium heat until the korma thickens.
***Quick Tip: To add more richness to the korma, you can grind the cashews and add the mixture.
****We recently submitted this recipe for the Lufthansa: Flavors Of India promotional contest and received a generous amount of votes. We thank all our fans, friends and family for their support****
