Easy Vegetable Stew / Veg Ishtu
- 250 grams Baby potato
- 150 grams Carrot
- 1 Onion (medium, thick slices)
- 1 inch piece Ginger (crushed)
- 6 Green chillies (split)
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 10 Cloves
- 1.5 teaspoons Pepper
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- 3 tablespoons Coconut oil
- 1 cup Veg stock
- Coconut milk (1st and 2nd milk extracted from coconut)
- 10 Shallots
- 6 Cashews (split)
- 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
Wash and peel potatoes. Soak in water for 30 min to remove excess starch. Drain. Slice in half.
Peel and slice carrots into 1 cm thick rounds. Then slice each round in half.
Peel and slice onions. (0.25 thick slices) Peel and crush ginger. Split green chillies.
Extract 1st and 2nd coconut milk and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil, add potatoes. Sprinkle salt and fry until outside of the potatoes are slightly browned.
Add lightly crushed cinnamon, cloves. Add carrots and stir for few minutes.
Add sliced onions, crushed ginger, split green chillies, curry leaves and salt. Saute for a few minutes until onions start to change colour.
Add stock or water and second coconut milk. Lower the flame and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 of first coconut milk and crushed black pepper. Adjust salt. Continue to simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked through.
Now turn off the flame and add the rest of the 1st milk.
Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil saute sliced shallots until it is light brown. Pour over the stew.
Add more oil if needed, then add cashews and fry. Pour over the stew. Serve warm.
How to extract fresh coconut milk
One medium coconut, when scraped, usually yields about 3 cups of grated coconut.
- First (Thick) Coconut Milk
- Add the grated coconut to a mixer jar.
- Pour in 3/4 to 1 cup of water for every 3 cups of grated coconut.
- Grind well until smooth.
- Strain through a muslin cloth or fine sieve and squeeze thoroughly to extract the milk.
This is your first extract - thick coconut milk.
2. Second (Thin) Coconut Milk
- Return the squeezed coconut pulp to the mixer jar.
- Add another 3/4 cup of water.
- Grind again and strain.
- This second extract is the thin coconut milk, perfect for cooking and simmering curries.
Make ahead - Stew can be stored in the fridge (without adding the shallots and cashews) upto three days. Before serving, bring to room temperature and heat it up on low flame. Add fried shallots and cashews just before serving.
Stock - If I am serving guests who eat meat, I like to add chicken stock which gives a deeper richer flavour.
Coconut milk - You can substitute fresh coconut milk with coconut milk powder. For second coconut milk, mix 1 cup coconut milk powder 1/2 cup hot water. And for first milk, mix 1/2 cup coconut milk powder 1/4 cup of hot water.