I didn't have paneer and our last basket had no milk in it, so I didn't have what I needed to make it from scratch, so I decided to "veganize" the recipe. Looking at Isa's veg korma and some others, I decided I was too lazy to steam my veggies and do all of the other elaborate steps (and I couldn't find any raw cashews). The result went something like this:
Navratan Korma
3 T. Oil
1/2 t. cumin seeds
1 T. Coriander, ground
1/4 t. Turmeric
1/2 t. Cayenne
1 T. minced ginger
1 minced (seeded) chile (serrano)
1/2 t. garam masala
2 Bay Leaves
A dash of onion powder (I have no Hing).
I followed Manjula's process for this part. Heat the oil, mix the spices other than the bay leaves and cumin with 2 T. water to keep them from burning and then saute that until it gets good and fragrant. I then threw in a good bunch of prepped fresh green beans, 1/2 a chopped red bell pepper, about 3 sliced carrots, and a bag of frozen cauliflower. I stirred everything together and slapped a lid on it for about 7 minutes. I then added some frozen peas and about a 1/4 c. ground almonds mixed into a can of coconut milk.
I had blanched the almonds and peeled them (see how crazy I am?) and let them soak while doing other things in the kitchen. I then ground them in a food processor and used a bit of the soaking water to get a good paste. This went in the coconut milk to help add even more body and thickness to the gravy.
While that was getting all happy in the pot and heating up, I also made Manjula's Aloo Paratha and her Cilantro Chutney. I had brown basmati rice in the rice cooker going, and I garnished the plates with fresh cilantro and chopped tomato.
I would have taken pictures, but curries really are not pretty. Tasty, yes.