Plain Onion-Tomato Korma:

Hot and Spicy:(version 3)

Ingredients:

Onion 2 large chopped(maybe 1/2 inch sized bits)
Tomato 2 large chopped(same as onion size)
Fresh ginger-garlic paste 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 3 slitted
Cas cas/poppy seeds 2 spoons
Fresh Coconut 1/2 a nut
Cinnamon sticks 3
Cloves 3-5
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Curry leaves few
Coriander finely chopped 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a large non-stick deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds to this. Fry them for a while.

Add green chilies to this. Let them splutter well. Then add onions and fry for a while.

Now add ginger-garlic paste to this and fry till the raw smell leaves. Try to maintain the stove over medium heat during this whole process.

Further add tomatoes, salt, turmeric and chili powder to this. Cover and cook for a while. Maybe one can add 1 cup of water and cook for 3-5 minutes.

In a separate pan roast the poppy seeds. Over medium heat. Don’t roast till they turn color. Just roast them for a while. Remove them from heat, when it is still white in color.

Powder the poppy seeds in a blender and set aside.

Now remove the coconut from the shell. Scape down its thin brown layer, using a peeler/knife. Chop them into tiny bits and wet grind them in a blender. Maybe using limited water. Set aside this coconut paste.(If the coconut is too hard and ripe….extract only its milk)

To the above korma add this poppy seeds powder and coconut paste. Boil them well for 3-5 boil.

Garnish them with crisply fried curry leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Idly, Dosa, Appam, Iddiappam, Pulka roti or Chappathis.