Vegetarian Korma

We have a favorite date-night location in town that just so happens to be an Indian Bistro.  The gentlemen who run Indigo are always welcoming, comical and never forget a face.  They fed me throughout my pregnancy and made sure I consumed plenty of spinach and spices.  Even when I experienced difficulty consuming an entire meal in one sitting, they would sit down at our table and make sure I finished my plate!  I sent Bryon to get takeout from them when Maks was just a few days old; Bryon came home beaming and talking about how excited they were to hear about our new addition.  I'll never forget the first time we visited with Maks in tow: "You are loved, little Maks.  You have Indian food in your blood."  

Clearly, we cannot afford to go out to eat every night of the week.  And, obviously, there is no true substitute for the delicious food at Indigo.  However, I've tried to piece together a dish that will satisfy my palate between our date-night escapades.

This recipe is wonderful as a vegetarian or vegan centerpiece (simply use your preferred heavy cream substitute).  I serve with brown basmati rice that I make in our rice cooker.  I use about 1-1/2 rice cooker cups, which is a little bit less than 1-1/4 cups uncooked rice.  It'll all depend on how much rice you like to enjoy your korma with, though.  If you want to go all out, prepare some naan and serve that with the meal, too.   

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

2 tsp fresh minced ginger (use fresh ginger, the kind that comes in the tube just isn't the same)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large (or 3 small) russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 carrots, peeled and cubed

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

3 Tbps raw cashews, ground (I throw the raw cashews in our Magic Bullet)

4 ounces tomato sauce

2 tsp fine sea salt

1-1/2 Tbsp curry powder

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1-1/4 cup heavy cream (or vegan substitute)

freshly cracked sea salt and cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  

Stir in the onion, and cook until tender.  

Mix in ginger and garlic, and continue cooking 1 minute.  

Mix in potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, cashews and tomato sauce; season with salt and curry powder.  Cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Stir peas, green and red bell peppers and cream into the skillet.  

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Plate upon rice, garnish and serve!  Flavorful and fulfilling!

*original (non-vegan) recipe from allrecipes.com*