Vegetable-Chickpea Korma

vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free (potentially), refined sugar-free

Adapted from a recipe on Vegan Richa

I love Indian food, but it's taken me a long time to find a recipe that tastes as good as what you might get in an Indian restaurant yet doesn't require too many complicated spices. Sure, there are still a few spices listed, and if you don't have all of them, don't worry it will still be good. 

Serves: 4-6  / Prep time: 15 min / Total time: 45 min

Ingredients:​
For the Purée:

• 1/4 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, tough peel removed
• 1 green chile or jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut

For the Sauté:

• 1 tsp oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• a dash of black pepper and cayenne for additional heat
• 1/2 head small cauliflower, chopped into bite-size florets
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1/2 to 1 cup other chopped veggies such as carrots, zucchini, bell peppers
• 2 cans chickpeas
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup water or canned coconut milk
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar or sweetener, optional

Directions:

1. Blend onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, chile, fennel seeds and coconut until smooth. Add a few tbsp of water if needed. Blend for a minute, then let sit for 5 mins, then blend again. This will help the coconut and fennel seeds to break down and blend.
2. Add oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add bay leaves and cook for a few seconds. (you can add other whole spices such as 2 cloves or 1 slightly opened cardamom pod here for variation). Add the ground spices and mix in. Quickly add the blended mixture(so the ground spices dont burn) and mix in. Add a dash of salt, Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally so the onion gets well roasted.
3. When the onion tomato mixture is thick and starts to get fragrant(spice and roasted smell), add the veggies and chickpeas and mix in. Add water or coconut milk and salt and cover and cook for 13 to 15 minutes or until the veggies are cooked to preference. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
4. Add in the peas. Add more coconut milk/cream if needed or some cashew cream for creamier. Simmer for a few minutes. Add 1/4 tsp sweetener if needed and mix in. Garnish with roasted cashews, cilantro, garam masala and sliced green chilies or cayenne for heat. Serve hot with Naan, roti flatbread or rice.

*I like to soak my lentils and rice together for an hour or so before making the soup. This step is unnecessary, but helps them cook a little faster.

​**Using Better than Bouillon is a convenient way to make tasty broth. This "No Chicken" flavor is my favorite!