STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

i have been on a quest to simulate vegetable korma i get from a restaurant near my house. i came across this cream sauce recipe from the book "flavors of india: vegetarian indian cuisine" by shanta rimbark sacharoff. it tastes pretty close to what i was going for. for future reference, next time i would make it spicier, because it was pretty mild.

indian cream sauce:
1/4 c ghee or oil
1/4 c minced green or white onion
1/2 c ground cashews, almonds or pistachios (freshly ground to a fine meal)
2 c cream, half & half, left at room temperature or heated briefly (to veganize - use coconut milk)
1/2 tsp each: garam masala, turmeric, ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 tsp salt

heat the ghee or oil, and saute the onion until limp and translucent. add the nuts and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until the nuts change color and are fragrant. then add the cream, spices and salt. cook briefly until all the ingredients are well-blended. if the sauce is not smooth, the nuts may have been ground too coarsely. put items in blender and blend very briefly. adjust seasonings to taste.

i served this over cubed small red potatoes (with skin), diced carrots, cauliflower florets, diced celery and minced garlic that had been sauted for about 20 minutes. (enough for the potatoes to soften) probably a pressure cooker would have been nice in this instance.