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5 from 3 votes

Baked Navratan Korma Vegan

Restaurant-Style Baked Vegan Navratan Korma made in the oven using just one dish! Tofu and veggies in rich cashew cream sauce served with chopped nuts and raisins! Serve with rice or naan. Glutenfree, options for Soyfree and Nutfree
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: baked korma, Navratan Korma
Servings: 8
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the onion mixture:

  • 3 teaspoons oil
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 green cardamom pods , partially opened
  • 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick optional
  • 2 cups chopped white onion
  • 1 inch ginger finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the vegetables:

  • 1 1/2 cups cauliflower Small florets
  • 1 cup potatoes cubed small
  • 1/2 cup chopped green beans
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2-1 cup vegetables such as zucchini, peas, squash etc
  • 1 cup of pressed and cubed firm or extra firm tofu or use more veggies or chickpeas

For the spices:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup cashews (raw, unroasted unsalted) see notes for Nutfree
  • 1 teaspoon flour or use tapioca/cornstarch for Glutenfree
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk

For the garnish:

  • 3 tablespoons nuts such as cashews and pistachios (I love pistachios in the Korma)
  • 2 tablespoons raisins
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil
  • Optional: add in 3 or 4 strands of saffron
  • Optional add in :3 tablespoons tomato purée
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large baking dish, 10 by 14 inches or similar size, add 1 tsp oil and spread evenly. To half of the baking dish, add the onion , ginger, garlic . To half of that onion ginger garlic mixture, add in the whole spices and fenugreek leaves.
  • To the rest of the baking dish, add the vegetables and tofu. Then in a small bowl, mix your ground spices. The coriander, cumin, cardamom, cayenne and salt and then sprinkle it all over the vegetables.
  • Drizzle oil all over the vegetables as well as the onion mixture. Toss the veggies well and spread them evenly. Add in sprinkles of water to help the spices stick to the veggies if needed.
  • Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (206 degrees Celsius ) for 25-30 minutes or until the onions starts to turn golden. Stir once in between
  • Remove pan from the oven, transfer half of the onion mixture into a blender. (Transfer the half which does not have the whole spices. Whole spices don’t get blended. Leave that onion mix in the pan. Remove bay leaves etc just before serving)
  • Blend the sauce: Then add the water, cashews, flour, salt, sugar and blend until the mixture is incredibly smooth. ( I usually blend it for a minute then let it sit for 5 mins then blend again for two to three cycles. So that the cashews are blended into the water really well.)
  • Then add that sauce to the baking dish. Optionally add  3 tbsp tomato purée or 1 tbsp tomato paste , and mix everything really well.
  • Put it back in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are cooked to preference.
  • The sauce might thicken too much so you can add 1/2 - 1 cup or more of non-dairy milk while it's still baking in the last five minutes or so, or add when you just take the pan out of the oven. Taste and adjust salt and flavor( depending on the type and amount of veggies, I usually add another 1/4 tsp salt)
  • Variations: You can also add in a few strands of saffron to 1/4 cup of warm milk and then add that to the baking dish for even more flavor.
    Kormas also bave chopped pineapple added. I don't particularly like pineapple in the Korma so I don't add it. You can add 2-3 tbsp if you like.
    You can also garnish the korma with some fresh pomegranate seeds and some pepper flakes.
  • Toast the nuts and raisins in the oil in a small skillet over medium heat until the nuts are golden. Then add half of them to the Korma and mix in and use the other half for garnishing.
  • Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month. Reheat in a skillet with additional non dairy milk as needed. Fish out the whole spices before serving if needed.  
    Serve the Korma with Naan (regular or glutenfree) tandoori roti, roti or flatbread or rice. 

Video

Notes

  • To make this nut-free, use 3/4 cup of silken tofu and blend it with 2 cups of water instead of 1/2 a cup of cashews and two and a half cups of water. You can also use 3/4 cup of non-dairy yogurt instead. Or use a mix of seeds (pumpkin, hemp and melon seeds)
  • To make this Soyfree- use 15 oz can chickpeas or just more vegetables instead of tofu
  • To make this Onion garlic free: Omit the onion and garlic. Add 1 cup peeled and thinly sliced zucchini instead. Add 1/8 pinch asafetida and increase fenugreek leaves to 1.5 teaspoons 
  • For a tomato cream Korma : add 10-14 oz tomato purée along with cashew cream. 

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1425IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg