Indian spiced root vegetables

Words: Ross Dobson

Images: Jeremy Simons // jeremysimons

In Western countries, vegetarian food can have a bad rep for being bland, and frankly, boring. There’s only so much roasting, boiling and steaming you can do before veggies lose their flair. But, one country that knows how to do delicious, flavoursome vegetables is India, which is why we’re so excited about this recipe by Chef Ross Dobson. Taking simple root vegetables like pumpkin, parsnip and potatoes, he combines them with a mix of Indian spices for what he calls an “exotic bubble and squeak”. He says, “Starting with raw veggies and giving them an Indian twist, there’s no need to wait until you have leftovers from a roast dinner to give this a try. As well as being a comforting supper, it makes an awesome brunch, topped with your favourite style of egg.”

SERVES: 4

PREPARATION: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 4 hours (approx)

 INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cm (¾ in) piece ginger, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon chilli flakes

3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

4 small waxy potatoes, halved

200 g (7 oz) pumpkin, skin on and cut into wedges

2 small parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 hard-boiled eggs

handful mint leaves

handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

lime wedges, to serve

METHOD:

1. Heat your slow cooker to High.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until aromatic. Stir through the cumin and chilli and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the stock, then remove from the heat.

3. Tumble the potatoes, pumpkin and parsnips into the bowl of the slow cooker.

3. Pour the stock mixture over the vegetables, then cover and cook for 3 hours. Give everything a gentle stir, so you don’t break up the veggies too much, then cover and cook for 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if you like.

4. Transfer to a serving platter. Peel and roughly chop the hardboiled eggs, then scatter over the vegetables, along with the herbs. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

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Images and text fromThe Healthy Slow Cooker by Ross Dobson, Photography by Jeremy Simons.

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