When preparing many dishes with sauce, it is customary to start by preparing a paste of ginger and garlic, as it is believed that without them the sauce will not have the necessary aroma and flavor. However, you can prepare a very creamy, spicy, and tangy vegetable side dish with sauce even without using ginger and garlic. It is worth noting that this recipe does not require any ingredients like cheese or potatoes; only two products are needed to achieve a taste comparable to a restaurant's.
This concerns a dish made from corn and bell peppers, which turns out incredibly delicious even without onion and garlic. To prepare this dish, sweet corn and bell peppers are lightly fried first. Tomatoes, dried red pepper, white cabbage, green pepper, and some basic spices are used to create the sauce. Adding homemade cream at the end significantly improves both the taste and texture of the sauce. It can be served with flatbreads, naan, or rice with cumin.
To begin, heat two tablespoons of ghee in a frying pan. Add sweet corn and sliced bell pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes, without overcooking, as a slight crispness in the bell pepper is desirable. After frying, remove the corn and pepper from the pan and set them aside.
Next, fry the cumin seeds in the same pan until fragrant. Then add finely chopped white cabbage, cilantro stems, and green pepper and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Prepare a smooth puree by mixing boiled tomatoes and dried red pepper soaked in water. Pour this puree into the pan and cook until the raw tomato smell evaporates.
After this, add red pepper powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and salt, and mix well. Simmer the spices for 2-3 minutes. Then stir in the homemade cream and one teaspoon of sugar. Add a little water to achieve the desired sauce consistency. Cover the sauce and simmer over low heat for about 3-5 minutes. At the very end, add the pre-fried corn and bell pepper, and gently mix. After an additional 2-3 minutes of cooking, turn off the heat.
The hot corn and bell pepper dish should be served with flatbreads, naan, or cumin rice. It is advisable to add a little fresh cream on top to make it even creamier.
If you prefer a thicker and richer sauce, you can add a paste of 2-3 tablespoons of soaked cashews during cooking. Additionally, pre-blanching the tomatoes helps easily remove the skin, making the sauce smoother.