This delicious Mughlai dish gets the name navratan, meaning “nine gems,” from its nine different veggies, fruit and nuts. Potatoes, French beans, carrots, green peas, cauliflower and bell pepper are parboiled to hold their texture and crunchy cashews fried for a deep nutty flavor. But this dish really starts to sing when you toast the spices, perfuming your kitchen with heavenly aromas of garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, red chile powder and garam masala. The whole dish comes together with a few tablespoons of rich cream and sweet, plump raisins. Serve with warm naan or basmati rice for a hearty, veg-filled Meatless Monday. Get the recipe here, and learn more about curries here.
-photo by Carmen Troesser
This article appears in August 2014.