Sensationally Spiced Root Veges

Tangy & savoury, this is flavoursome comfort food. Cumin, ginger & cayenne give a wonderful aromatic warmth, but the star spice is amchoor, or dried mango powder, which is magnificently tart, fruity & sour. When combined with naturally sweet veges like carrot & parsnip, it’s finger-lickin’ delicious.I serve this dish with a simple raita – thick coconut yoghurt, cucumber, lemon juice, cumin & salt – which is a lovely tart yet cooling accompaniment.

Substitute the vegetables if you prefer – using only potatoes works well too. To make a full one-pot meal of it, feel free to add more ingredients at the end – consider stirring through some cooked vegetables (broccoli, peas, cauli, spinach…) and a legume like tinned chickpeas. Yum!

The vegetables

3 medium potatoes

2 medium carrots

2 medium parsnips

The spice mix

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

1 heaped tsp dried mango powder, or amchur/amchoor *

2 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1 heaped tsp grated fresh ginger

2 T lemon juice

few grinds of black pepper

For cooking & serving

3 T neutral cooking oil (I use coconut or olive)

chopped coriander for garnish

optional slices of fresh chilli

* I get mine either from an Indian store or my local bulk foods supplies. It’s very cheap and oh-so-delicious. Citrusy, complex, slightly sweet…

Start by dicing the root vegetables (leave the skin on – remember the expression “Mrs Peeler is the vitamin stealer!”) Boil or steam until tender. Drain and put aside.

Now make the spice paste. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl & mix well – amchoor can be clumpy so be sure to ease out any lumps. Your resulting paste will be thick & packed with flavour. My mouth waters at this stage.

Heat the oil in a large fry-pan on a medium heat. Add the spice paste – spread it across the pan & stir for a few seconds, letting it sizzle a little. Those wonderful flavours will be released into the oil. Add the cooked root veges & stir well, allowing the spice paste to smother each chunk. Keep frying for another 5-7 minutes, stirring well to prevent sticking. Keep going until everything is well combined & the veges are fully heated through.

If you’re adding any extra ingredients, now is the time.

Garnish generously with coriander & any optional chilli, and serve.