The 5 Types Of Gravies To Accompany Your Veggies
Gravies are a staple part of Indian cuisine. We like to eat our flat breads and rice with some sort of gravy instead of a plate of dry food. You can make restaurant-style gravies at home and add the vegetables of your choice to them, for lip smacking meals. Here are our top 5 Indian gravy suggestions:
#1 White gravy with curd and onions: The white gravy is a popular component of North Indian cuisine. It is made using curd, taking care to see that the curd is not sour — this may turn the gravy sour as well. It also uses liberal amounts of onion, fresh cream, cashews, and condiments like bay leaf, chillies, cloves and cardamom. Cook over a low flame and add the ingredients gradually, and serve the white gravy with chapati, garlic kulcha or herbed rice.
#2 Onion tomato gravy: Onions and tomatoes are staples in Indian cooking, more so for Indian gravies. Onions and tomatoes can also be blended together as a base for Indian gravies and sauces. The onion tomato gravy is a staple recipe that can even be cubed and used for stock, or heated and served with paneer cubes. Add lamb or chicken pieces and simmer in the gravy for a minute, if you want a non-vegetarian option. Serve hot with roti or jeera rice.
#3 Spinach gravy: Spinach is widely used in Indian cooking, whether in fried form or in sauces. Spinach gravy is a popular recipe in North Indian cooking, and it is fairly simple to make as well. Besides, it is quite nutritious and a good base for any other gravies you may wish to make, adding vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, onions, pumpkin, etc. Blanch the spinach leaves (avoid the stems because they make the gravy bitter) to retain the fresh green colour, and put in a blender after cooling. You can now use this as a base for other Indian gravies, adding vegetables as per need. Serve with naan or jeera rice.
#4 Kadai gravy: This gravy recipe uses coriander seeds and red chillies for a spicy and interesting hit of flavours. The recipe also calls for tomatoes, grated ginger, garlic, garam masala, green chillies, salt to taste and water/whole cream milk. It results in a lip-smacking Indian gravy that is a sure hit with party guests and family members alike. Serve it with a dollop of cream as an accompaniment to roti or naan.
#5 Kolhapuri gravy: The fiery Kolhapuri cuisine depends a lot on gravies for both its vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations. The recipe uses onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts and a variety of spices and masalas (Malvani masala is a key ingredient) to impart a juicy, spicy and tangy flavour. Use it as a base gravy and add vegetables of your choice to it, mixing well and simmering over a low flame for about five minutes before serving with steamed rice or chapati.
