Mixed Vegetables with Coconut

This is one of the most popular ways of serving vegetables in South India.

Ingredients:

1. About 6 cups mixed vegetables cut into julienne strips- carrots, French beans,
zucchini, pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, choko, cucumber, etc.
2. 1/2 cup fresh green peas
3. 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut or 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
4. 1 cup water
5. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6. 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
7. 2 fresh green chillies, seeded
8. 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
9. Salt to taste
10. 6 curry leaves

Method:

In a saucepan bring to the boil enough lightly salted water to cover one kind of
vegetable. Boil each vegetable separately, just long enough to make it tender but
not soft and mushy. Take out vegetables on slotted spoon and put them in a
bowl. Use the same water for all the vegetables, adding a little water at a time as
it boils away, but keeping the quantity small. Save the cooking liquid.
In a blender put the coconut, water, cumin seeds, garlic and chillies. Blend on
high speed until the coconut is very finely ground. Put this into the saucepan with
the vegetable stock, add the coconut milk, salt and curry leaves and bring to the
boil. Add the vegetables, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve hot with rice.