QORMA WITH JICAMA! :)

Qorma is my contribution to Nupur from "One Hot Stove" blog's "A to Z Indian Vegetables"'s event.This week's letter "Q" which is pretty tough to come up with a Indian veg,but I made it with a Qorma instead! Thanks for hosting Nupur:)

Introducing Jicama:
I know it's nothing to do with Indian vegetable but just wanted to try the new veg in Indian Qorma!:))

Jicama is a popular vegetable in Latin America and are mainly grown in Mexico and Central America. They are also called the Mexican potato, Mexican yam bean, Chinese turnip,the Chinese potato etc.Jicama looks similar to a turnip or a large radish,does not discolor when exposed to the open air.,can be used raw in salads.Jicama is a very versatile vegetable that contains a high amount of vitamin C,is low in sodium, and has no fat. More info here.


Jicama is pronounced as "HI-KA-MAA" in Spanish! When Jicama is used in cooking it absorbs the flavors of the ingredients.Because of this quality,you can use this vegetable in any Stir-fry and spiced gravy with other vegetables too.It is crunchy,juicy and very tasty in any gravy based dishes,can be stored in the fridge for a while covered with plastic.So here it is, Qorma for "Q"!!;D


Jicama Qorma:

This is a Kurma,Kuruma,Korma or Qorma dish as some Muslim countries call it,goes very well with rice or Rotis.Most Indian Kurmas are made with yogurt or coconut sauce.Since Qorma in this recipe is Afghanistani,they mostly use yogurt as the base and add Nuts for more flavor.Either way,it tastes great.Enjoy!:))

How to make Qorma:

Peel and cube 1 large Jicama(or any veg you like),cook in the microwave for 10mins with enough water until somewhat soft.It will still be little crunchy when cooked.Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil/ghee,add 1 tsp cumin seeds,1 red dry chilly,1 onion finely minced,fry until little reddish.Put in 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste,stir-fry.





Pour in 1/4 cup Yogurt or sour cream and stir until the sauce is thick on medium heat.After that,put in 2 tsp Coriander seeds pd,1 tsp Fennel seeds pd,1/4 tsp Cardamom pd,1/4 tsp Turmeric,1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli pd or paprika for color,1/2 tsp sugar and salt.Add the cooked Jicama with 1/2 to 1 cup of it's water,1/2 tsp garam masala,Cilantro.Cover and cook until oil shows up on top.



Note: Make the sauce thicker for Naans and Parathas/Rotis and thiner sauce for rice.Little Saffron mixed with milk and some Almond or Cashew paste can be added for an authentic rich Afghani Qorma for special Sunday lunch!I made it the easy and simple way skipping all that.If you don't want to use Jicama,you can use any vegetable or even meat you like with the same recipe.Hope you give it a try:)


Qorma with rice and a slice of Lemon:




That's all there is to it.Enjoy the fragrant Indian style Qorma:))