Vegetable Korma with Homemade Curry Paste & Warm Naan

[nverland]

Vegetable Korma with Homemade Curry Paste & Warm Naan
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the paste:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
3 tablespoons neutral oil, like safflower
2 fresh serranos, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons raw cashews
Most of 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, including stems (save some for garnishing the finished curry)

For the curry
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like safflower
1 onion, halved and sliced
1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 head broccoli, broken into florets
1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces, then halved lengthwise
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons Thompson raisins
1 14-ounce can chickpeas
1 14-ounce can whole coconut milk
Salt
Toasted cashews, for serving
Naan, for serving

Make the paste: in a dry pan, toast the cumin and coriander. Add to a mini food processor with the coarse salt and grind to break up. It’s okay if a few are still whole. Add the garlic, ginger, oil, serranos, cashews, and cilantro and pulse to turn into a rough-textured paste.

Make the curry: heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Lower the heat to medium, then add the onion and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the can of coconut milk, then fill up the can with water and add that too. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the paste in the water/coconut milk.

Add the cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, sweet potato, raisins, chickpeas, and ½ teaspoon salt. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered until all vegetables are soft and stew has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with toasted cashews and a few leaves from the reserved cilantro. This can be made ahead and is arguably better the next day.