This Phool Makhana Curry, or lotus seed curry, is made of puffy, crispy lotus seeds and green peas in a creamy sauce of cashew nuts, tomatoes, and spices. A vegan, gluten-free, soy-free recipe.
So it's time to say goodbye to another year, time to make new resolutions, time to lose weight, time to read more books, time to take longer walks with the dogs, time to cook more delicious vegan food, and yes-- time to blog more.
This past year's been a rocky road for Holy Cow! She turned three in November, which seemed like a pretty big milestone considering I have rarely stuck to any one project for that long. But there were obstacles that kept me from giving her as much attention as I should have-- I was juggling a new job, the long and arduous road to recovery that followed Lucy's diagnosis with osteosarcoma, Freddie's slow decline as he struggles with cancer, and two repeated mishaps with the camera that made it impossible to post, along with about two dozen other things.
But for those of you who've missed seeing me online, I have good news: I am going to be around much more-- perhaps more than you'd like-- in 2011. Because I've missed you even more.
So here I am, with the final post of 2010-- a creamy, delicious, almost incredibly exquisite curry made with an ingredient that may not be familiar to some of you: lotus seeds, or phool makhana.
Lotus seeds are a wonderful treat and you can buy them at any Indian grocery store here in the United States. When I started to cook with them, I discovered they make a wonderful meat substitute. The seeds, dalmatian-like with a creamy color mottled with black specks, are puffy and light. You would usually cook them by frying or roasting them first in a little oil which makes them rather crispy and delicious and subtly flavorful-- almost a wonderful snack in their own right. But an even more delicious treat is to dunk them in a spicy curry which changes their texture to slightly chewy.
I use a paste of cashews to make the makhana curry creamy, but coconut milk would work too although, of course, it would alter the flavor.
This is a great recipe for winter-- it's healthy but you practically don't need any fresh ingredients. Even the peas are frozen, and everything else came from the pantry.
For those of you who were expecting my vegan custard tart post, sorry, but I am going to undertake that project only after Desi gets his camera back from the repair shop-- heaven knows why it's taking them that long! The pictures for today's post were taken on my phone which, although not a great substitute for the real thing, makes a pretty decent picture, especially in the very talented Desi's hands.
More Vegan Curry Recipes
Creamy Phool Makhana Curry (Lotus Seed Curry)
Ingredients
- 2 cups phool makhana or lotus seeds (they keep in the pantry forever)
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (use less for less heat, more for more)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup tomato puree
- ¼ cup kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- ⅓ cup cashews
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
Serving suggestions
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet and add the lotus seeds. Stir-fry them, stirring constantly, until they turn golden-brown and crisp. You don't want them to blacken.
- Put the lotus seeds in a bowl and set aside.
- Make a paste with the cashews and 1 cup of water and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet (if you used a cast-iron one to roast the lotus seeds, replace it with a nonstick or stainless steel one for the rest of the recipe. You're using tomato in the recipe and acidic ingredients don't react happily to cast iron).
- Add the onion and saute over medium heat until it turns transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the powdered spices and saute another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato puree and mix thoroughly. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes darken and the oil begins to express itself.
- Add the lotus seeds, the frozen green peas, and the kasoori methi. Give it all a good stir and add a cup of water.
- Once the curry comes to a boil, add the cashew paste and salt to taste. If the curry is too thick, add some water. I like my curry rather thick-- perfect to scoop up with an oven-fresh naan.
- Spritz in a few drops of lemon juice for some added complexity. Garnish with chopped coriander.
Anni
Hi Vaishali
A friend gave me some lotus seeds she purchased at a Chinese grocer. They are not puffed, but are dried white seeds with the inside part removed (it looks like). Will these work in this recipe, do you know? There seems to be some confusion out there about lotus vs water lily seeds and I’m struggling to find a recipe without the puffed version of this seed. Help please!
PS Love your recipes.
Best Regards
Anni
Vaishali
Hi Anni, honestly I don't know much about this either, but from what I understand, the lotus seeds used in Chinese cuisine need to be peeled, hulled and cooked before using in order to soften them. I would advise doing that and then adding the softened seeds to the curry. Try boiling them for a bit until soft but don't overcook because I believe they will disintegrate.
Sheetal Shivani
Hi
Thank you for this lovely recipeis it possible to get freezing and reheating methods please.
Rajan Rajendran
Excellent recipe! Comes out great every time I make it! Tastes great, goes well with rotis and rice! And freezes very well! Thanks for sharing this!
Jason
Just getting ready to make this for the first time, and I'm wondering about the cashew to water ratio to create a "paste". 1/3 cup to 1 cup creates something more like milk.
Vaishali
The cashew will thicken the curry as it heats up. But if you like add less water -- about 1/2 a cup -- to make the paste and then add more water if you want to thin out the curry.
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Rajan!
Kay
Thank you for this delicious recipe - it is easily one of our favorite dishes to have with roti or jeera rice. We make a large batch and freeze in small portions for a quick week night dinner. I love the rich gravy sans cream that I am going to use it for making navratan kurma.
Vaishali
That's so lovely to hear, Kay, thanks for letting me know. I love the idea of using the gravy for navratan kurma.
Vaishali
That sounds like a great idea, Kay! So happy you loved the curry.
Foodie Pradipta
I have not tried makhana so many times. But being a foodie I follow various food dishes. Simple roasted makhana is very popular in many places. I have even tried chole with makhana in Delhi. But I found this phool makhana curry very special. It will be definitely delicious too. So thanks for sharing this.
Vaishali
So awesome to hear!
Yash Pal
Makhana is NOT lotus seed. It is seed/ fruit of a water lily Euryale ferox which is also an aquatic plant like lotus.
Sindhu Gururaj
HI Vaishali,
I am Sindhu from India,Karnataka,Bangalore. I chanced upon this recipe when looking for phool makhana recipie. I had bookmarked this and prepared this today. I used cream and cashew more to make it rich. It tastes amazing. Thanks for blogging such a wonderful recipe. This will be made again and again and again.
🙂
love
Sindhu
Vaishali
So happy to hear! 🙂
Sathya
Wow...finally stumbled upon ur blog when i was searching recipe for phool makhana...Earlier when i was in taiwan...wanted to try this...but never knew dried,unpuffed lotus seeds can be made to puff and use...so i was longing to do this dish..atlast now at UAE...gonna try this...
Need to say...ur blog is such a lovely place with umpteen vegan dishes...Am very happy to follow ur blog 🙂
Supriya
Thanks for this wonderful recipe Vaishali. I had never used phool makhana before, tried it after seeing ur recipe. Came out great. We all liked it very much.
Vaishali
So nice to hear, Supriya!
Kristen
This recipe looked delicious, so I picked up some lotus seeds from a Chinese supermarket where I live. I made the curry, and it was indeed delicious ... except for the lotus seeds, which came out a bit chewy. Now, it's the first time I've cooked with lotus seeds, and I didn't realize that they were sold both dried and puffed! Clearly (as I would have noticed if I read more carefully!), you used the puffed variant here. The curry itself was so tasty, I ate it anyway. Thanks for the recipe -- I'll be sure to make it properly next time!
Srimathi
Seriously, I have looked at these lotus seeds and walked past it a zillion times. I thought they were puffed cereal but I guess they are not. Will buy some and try them out soon.
Susan
Your lotus seeds look amazing - like puffed wheat. I can easily get lotus root, but must look farther for the seeds. Suffice, I want to try them.
Happy New Year, Vaishali. I know 2010 was a tough time with the doggies' illnesses. I can only suggest savoring one day at a time. Please give them big kisses from me.
Anonymous
I cooked this finally. thanks to you Vaishali!!!!!!! it was awesome. even my 18month old loved it. Just thought I should come back and let you know. I had never cooked with lotus seed puffs before. So I bought them and made them. Damn cool. My 5 yr old and husband devoured it in no time. My little one followed suit. Dev boren koro.
Smruti
<br><br><br><br><br>Dr.Sameena Prathap
Hey,
That's an incredible curry...Happy new year to you!!:)
Dr.Sameena@
Cham
That is a rich dish and looks tasty!
Wishing u and ur family a Very Happy New Year!
Miri
Lovely creamy gravy! and good to hear we will see more delicious food from you! Wish you and Desi and your lovely pets a very Happy New Year!