Meals · Chettinad

Chettinad Veg Curry

Chettinadu mixed vegetable curry built on a freshly roasted masala of pepper, fennel, kalpasi and coconut. Dark, peppery and fiercely aromatic.

Chettinad Veg Curry

Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min · Total 55 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Chettinad masala

  • 1 tsp Oil
  • 1 ½ tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 5 Dried red chillies
  • 1 tsp Kalpasi (stone flower)
  • 1 Marathi mokku
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 3 Cloves
  • 2 Green cardamom
  • 1 Star anise
  • 1 tsp Poppy seeds
  • ⅓ cup Fresh grated coconut
  • ½ cup Water

Curry

  • 3 tbsp Gingelly (sesame) oil
  • ½ tsp Fennel seeds
  • 2 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 10 Shallots, sliced
  • 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 Tomatoes, chopped
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 Potato, cubed
  • 1 Carrot, cubed
  • 10 Green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup Cauliflower florets
  • ½ cup Green peas
  • 1 ½ cups Water
  • 1 ¼ tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

  1. Roast the masala. Heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy pan over low heat. Roast the coriander seeds, pepper, fennel, cumin, red chillies, kalpasi, marathi mokku, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and star anise, stirring constantly, until the coriander is a shade darker and the kitchen smells of pepper. Add the poppy seeds and coconut and roast until the coconut is light brown.
  2. Grind. Cool the roasted spices, then grind them with 1/2 cup water to a fine paste.
  3. Shallots and tomatoes. Heat the gingelly oil in a kadai, add the fennel seeds and curry leaves, then the shallots. Cook until golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste for a minute, then the tomatoes and turmeric. Cook until the tomatoes collapse.
  4. Add the masala. Stir in the ground masala and fry over medium-low heat, stirring, until it darkens a little and the oil starts to separate.
  5. Cook the vegetables. Add all the vegetables, salt and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the gravy is thick, stirring now and then so nothing sticks.
  6. Finish. Scatter with coriander and rest for 5 minutes. Serve with rice, chapati, appam or dosa.

Tips

Roasting on low heat is the whole recipe: burnt pepper or coriander turns bitter, under-roasted masala tastes raw. Kalpasi gives Chettinad food its woody, smoky note, so it's worth seeking out at an Indian grocer.