Sunday, December 20, 2015

Roots Manoeuvre Curry with Swede and Leeks

I typically post about restaurants here, but there is always some serious cooking, and recipe testing going in our place. So, I decided to add the dinners we created starting with this curry recipe.

This is an Abel & Cole recipe - slightly modified. This was the first time we were cooking swede, and given that we got this root vegetable from Abel and Cole, it made sense to try their recipe first.
Their recipe is a generic root-veg recipe by the way, so it is possible to try with different vegetables and roots.

First ingredients:

  • A few good splashes of oil
  • 6 large handfuls of swede peeled and dices (or any root vegetable)
  • 2 heaped tsps of cumin seeds
  • 2 heaped tsps of coriander (I used ground, you can use seeds)
  • 1 heaped tsp of fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp of tikka masala paste
  • 2/3 medium shallots, roughly chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin of coconut milk
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 leeks (or any other vegetable)
  • A handful of fresh coriander
  • 1/2 lime, juice
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Heat up a roasting tin/dish. 
In a bowl, coat your chopped roots with oil, salt and pepper. 
Add the roots to the heated dish, and roast for 45 mins. 

Toast the cumin and fennel seeds (and if you are using coriander seeds, them too). 
When they become fragrant, grind them to a rough powder.  Mix in the ground coriander and garam masala.  Add the chilli flakes.

Make a paste of onion, garlic, and ginger. 



Heat a splash of oil in medium temperature and fry the spices for a min. Add the onion paste. Stir for 5 mins. Stir in tomatoes. coconut milk, tikka masala paste and cinnamon sticks. 
Add the leeks. Cook around 10 mins. 

Then, add the swede simer around 20 mins. We cooked until the swede is al dante and the sauce is thick. 

Finished with lime juice, fresh coriander and a dollop of a yoghurt. 

Enjoy with some naan!