Vegetable Bhuna Curry is a flavourful dish which packs in all the goodness of vegetables and spices to keep you warm during those chilling winter months in Northern India. ‘Bhuna’ literally meaning ‘roasted’ is a style typically reserved for meats but the vegetarians can make their own variation of it by using lots of vegetables and slowly roasting the masalas and the tomato puree to rustle up a delectable dish, which can be enjoyed by everyone.
It is super healthy too as it includes lots of vegetables, spices and ghee.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
Servings: 4-5
Ingredients Bhuna Curry
2 tbsp - Ghee
1 tbsp - Oil
2 tsp – Cumin Seeds
5-6 – medium Onions (chopped finely)
3 tbsp – Garlic (chopped)
1 inch - Ginger (chopped)
2 -3 – Green Chillies (chopped)
½ cup – Curd
½ tsp – Turmeric
1 tbsp + 1 tsp – Kashmiri Mirch / Kashmiri Chilli powder
1 tsp – spicy Chilli Powder
1 tsp – Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 - fresh tomatoes (pureed)
Salt to taste
Hot water as required
Ingredients Veggies & Final Gravy
1 and 1/2 tsp - Ghee
1 and 1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds
1/3 cup - French Beans
1/3 cup – Carrots
1/3 cup – Baby Corn (boiled)
1/3 cup - Broccoli (blanched)
1/3 cup – Sweet Corn
1/3 cup – Onion (petals)
1/3 cup – Capsicum (diced)
1 tsp - Kasuri methi
1 tsp – Garam Masala
handful - Fresh Coriander (chopped)
Method for Bhuna curry
In a large thick bottomed, preheated pan, add ghee and oil, add the cumin seeds and let them sputter. Add the onions, and cook on medium flame till they turn golden brown
Add garlic, ginger, green chillies, stir and cook on medium flame and then turn down the heat. In a separate bowl, take curd and add all the dry spices to it – turmeric, chilli powder, kashmiri mirch, coriander powder, cumin powder and whisk them to a thick paste.
Set the flame on high and pour in the curd mix, and stir continuously until the ghee separates from the masala. However, continue to stir and cook the masala till it has browned nicely. Add the tomato puree and salt to taste, stir and mix well, cook for 30 minutes and add hot water as required, if the paste is too thick. The gravy should become semi-liquid.
Preparing Final Gravy and Veggies
Preheat a thick bottomed pan nicely. Add ghee and cumin seeds to it and let the seeds crackle. Add French beans and carrots, stir and toss on high flame till then turn crunchy, add baby corn, green peas, sweet corn and again toss and stir on high flame. Don’t overdo the veggies since they are already boiled. Add these to the bhuna gravy. Add another ½ tsp ghee, cumin seeds, and let cumin seeds crackle, add onion petals, capsicum. One again toss on high flame for a bit and add them to the veggies and bhuna gravy. Stir and mix very well coating the veggies well. Add kasuri methi, garam masala, chopped coriander and stir once or twice, just so that the seasoning blends well with the veggies and gravy. Serve hot with tandoori rotis or parathas. The Veg Bhuna recipe adds flavours to your regular chapatis and parathas and enhances the taste.