(Above): Bhuna Vegetables [Photo: Amar D. Gupta/Siliconeer]

If you are in the mood for a romantic dinner with just one or two veggies, consider this to be one of them. Chef Sanjay Patel shows you how make it.

Ingredients

  • For the Sauce:
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1 tbsp margarine
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 serrano chili pepper, seeded
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • ½ cup yogurt (whisked until smooth)
  • 3 cups water
  • For the Vegetable:
  • 1 medium potato
  • 2 carrots
  • 100 gm parsnip
  • 150 gm cauliflower
  • 150 gm broccoli
  • 100 gm green capsicum (bell peppers)
  • 400 gm canned tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp red chili
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 garlic florets
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 1 spray of oil
  • 1 tbsp garam masala powder
  • 2 cardamom pods

Method:

For the Sauce:
Heat oil and margarine in a small skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until very brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add ginger and garlic to onion and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Process onion, ginger, garlic mixture in food processor until smooth. Do not rinse food processor. Place onion mixture in a large saucepan. Stir in the cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook over low heat until mixture is thick and has the consistency of a paste. Puree tomatoes, chili peppers and cilantro in food processor until smooth. Add to onion mixture and stir well over low heat, cooking off moisture from tomatoes and cilantro. Add yogurt a little bit at a time, stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Blend the whole mixture in food processor to puree it (for a very smooth sauce). Return to saucepan, add water and increase heat to high; bring sauce to a rolling boil. Cover saucepan and boil for three to five minutes. Reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency is reached.

Use 1 cup when says to add Curry (Sauce).

For the Vegetables:

Chop the vegetables (except 1 Capsicum) to size about 4mm cubed. Bring a pot to the boil with a little salt and then boil the vegetables for 5 minutes. Make a paste of the curry powder, cardamom pod seeds and chili powder with a little water. Chop the pepper into 1 inch square pieces. Fry the onion until translucent in the oil. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper and chili and stir fry on medium for a further 2 minutes.

Add the Curry (Sauce) and chili powder paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs. Add the vegetables. Add the tomato and water and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add garam masala and stir in well.

Reduce the heat, cover the pan, cook for three minutes without stirring.

Serve hot with rotis on the side.