In the film The Hundred Foot Journey, Indian restaurateur Mr. Kadam clashes across cuisines with his traditionalist French neighbor and rival restaurateur, Madame Mallory. To impress their differences upon her, he yells in exasperation, “If you have a spice, use it! Don’t sprinkle it. Spoon it in!” Vive la difference! Moosewood fell in love with curries over forty years ago, and mise en place for us means curry spices are ready at hand in soup cups. But you may not need so much.
Parsnips, carrots, celeriac, and sweet potatoes make this a sweet, cold-weather root vegetable stew with hot-climate spices. Use a little more cayenne pepper to suit your taste. At the end, a squeeze of tart lemon juice and dollop of tangy yogurt are perfect contrasts to the hearty, spicy curry.
Yields about 8 cups
Serves 4
Time: about 1 hour
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ cups peeled and chopped parsnips
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
1½ cups diced celeriac
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup raisins
1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Plain yogurt
Lemon wedges
Heat the vegetable stock in a small saucepan so it will be hot when you add it to the stew.
In a large pot on medium heat, cook the onions in the oil for 8 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and turmeric. Cook, stirring continually for a minute. Add the hot vegetable stock and the parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, and celeriac, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Stir in the mustard, raisins, and apples and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley if using. Season with salt to taste.
Serve with yogurt and lemon wedges.
Try this stew served with fluffy millet (see here), brown rice, naan bread, papadums, or whole wheat couscous. Mango-Spinach Salad with Spicy Dressing is an excellent accompaniment.