When I was a student in India studying for finals, we had a ritual that in the middle of the night to keep us awake, we would all go to the only shop that would be open during those wee hours. It was a small roadside restaurant that served not only tea, but also a locally famous street food called ‘salna’ with parottas. Many would stay awake just to have a taste of this dish, as it was served only at night at this shop. Salna, in those days, was served in roadside restaurants in the districts of Arcot and Madurai. The origin of this dish comes from its sophisticated cousin Korma (derived from a Persian word for braising), and the best of its kind is called ‘Shahi Korma’ or the Royal Korma. As the name suggests, the dish utilizes a braising technique that involves three stages to prepare it correctly. In the early stages, vegetables (and/or meats) are cooked at high temperatures in a spicy sauce to blend in the flavors. This is followed by an extended slow cooking at a much lower temperature. I combined the ‘Royal Korma’ and ‘roadside salna’ recipes to create a democratic version of this dish that is aptly called Korma.
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Vegetable Korma (Salna, Shahi Korma, Stew)
Korma is an excellent side dish for Rotis, Chapatis, Parottas, and Biryanis. It is a very popular Indian dish. I combined the 'Royal Korma' and 'roadside salna' recipes to create a democratic version of this dish that is aptly called Korma. This recipe is vegetarian and gluten free.
Grind all ingredients for 'Masala Paste – I' in a blender by adding half a cup of water and grinding to a paste consistency. Set aside.
Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more’. This is the high setting for sauté.
Pour the vegetable oil and add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (IP). Fry them in the hot oil for a few seconds.
Add onions, butter and fry them until the onions become soft. It does not need to become golden brown, just soft and transparent.
Add tomatoes and cook them together for a minute until they become soft and lose their shape.
Add the paste (Masala Paste – I), and mix thoroughly.
Add all the vegetables and sauté them until they are blended well with the spices, and the potatoes become somewhat soft. Add water if necessary.
Turn the IP off. Add two cups of water and cool down the base for about 10 minutes.
Add ½ cup of water to ½ cup of yogurt and mix them together thoroughly. Using a spoon, make a fine liquid puree without any lumps of yogurt.
Once the base has cooled enough, slowly add the yogurt to the IP and mix gently without curdling the yogurt.
Close the lid with the vent open. Turn on the IP and change the setting to ‘slow cook’ ‘high heat’ and the set the timer for two hours. Let it cook for two hours.
Once in a while (every half an hour or so) open the lid, and stir the pot well.
Grind the coconut and the cashews together with water to make the second paste. Add the coconut milk to it and dilute it, if necessary. Set aside.
After two hours, open the lid, add the ground coconut mix into the IP. Add water if needed for consistency. Continue to slow cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.
Once done, garnish it with cilantro and serve it as a side dish for Biryani or Parottas.
