I am always on the lookout for good gravies that are tasty and flexible. I have tried different bases for gravies - tomato based, onion, cashew nut paste, peanut paste, and coconut based gravies. Of the lot, I absolutely love this one. It’s a green chutney based gravy that goes best with ghee rice or steamed rice.
I got this recipe while attending a food festival here in the city. The demonstration for that was the same gravy, using chicken as its main ingredient. Since I am a vegetarian, I have substituted chicken with peas and baby corn and also cut short the process a bit to make it easier. However, there really is no limit on the vegetables- you can use this same gravy and add boiled potatoes, cauliflower, paneer, baby corn, peas and even okra if you wish. Best bets are peas, cauliflower, baby corn and paneer in combinations.
Ingredients:
For the masala paste.
One small bunch coriander leaves
One small piece ginger
5-6 garlic cloves
2 medium tomatoes
2 medium sized onions
1 piece cinnamon stick
2-4 cloves.
Green chillies – I add about 10 to the masala paste and one or two more for the curry, but it is up to you. If you don’t like it too spicy, restrict it to about 3 or 4 for grinding and one or two for the curry.
FOR THE CURRY:
Half cup fresh green peas boiled.
6-8 baby corns. You can cut each baby corn in half and further thinly slice them or cut them in rings.
Fresh methi/fenugreek leaves (optional)
½ tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder.
One cup coconut milk – you can get this in any grocery store.
Oil or Ghee for frying.
Salt to taste.
Few sprigs of chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
Method:
Make a paste of coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, one onion, two tomatoes, green chillies, cinnamon and cloves. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the baby corn for few minutes. Do not overcook. It should be light brown at the sides. You may par boil them if you wish so that the raw taste of baby corn goes and yet retain the crunch.
Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Chop the remaining onion and add it to the ghee. Add one or two slit green chillies and fry lightly till onion turns translucent. Do not overcook the onions.
At this stage, you can add a handful of freshly chopped methi leaves if you wish or skip this step.
Add the vegetables – boiled peas and baby corn. You may also add any other vegetable of your choice paneer or cauliflower.
Fry for two minutes.
Add the green masala paste.
Mix in well till all the vegetables are evenly coated with the green chutney.
Add coconut milk, red chilly powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, salt to taste.
Allow it to simmer in the coconut milk till all the ingredients are blended well. Stir well so the curry does not stick to the pan. This should take about five to eight minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or ghee rice.
Everything about this is so versatile. Skip the cinnamon and cloves, add a bunch of fresh pudina/mint leaves and you can use the spicy green chutney on fresh tender cucumbers or make paneer mint chutney. Add less of the coconut milk and make it more like a dry curry. This chutney can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for about a week and reuse whenever you wish.
Whatever the options you use, the smell and taste of this dish is heavenly!!
