Wednesday 13 April 2011

Nine-Jewelled Vegetables with Wholemeal Chapatis

Kitchen Play List:  Enrique Igleslas ~ Somebody's Me
                                     Martina McBride ~ Some Say I'm Running
                                     The Quireboys ~ You Shook Me All Night Long
                                     Don Williams ~ I'll Be There
                                     Madeleine Peyroux ~ The Summer Wind
                                     Freemasons ~ Uninvited
                                     Bowes & Morley ~ Better Times

This wonderful dish has been enjoyed in our home many times and I have served it to many guests. All have enjoyed it and I have been asked for the recipe a lot. The recipe comes from The Low-Fat Indian Vegetarian Cookbook 

Don't let the long list of ingredients put you off! It's just a matter of getting organised with four bowls. Put on some good music and enjoy a glass of wine or a bottle of beer and get chopping, although the music alone does it for me. lol. Bowl one, chop and toss in the shallots, chilli and ginger...bowl two, chop and toss in the potatoes, carrots and green beans....bowl three, chop and toss in the aubergine/eggplant, butternut squash and turnips...bowl four, chop and toss in the cauliflower and mushrooms...and have the spinach chopped and ready on your chopping board. Then the recipe doesn't take that much effort after that. I also mix up my spices in a tiny glass bowl so they can just be tossed in too! But that's only for this recipe...I'm not that organised usually. lol. 

This was the first recipe I made after buying this book. I cooked it up and served it with a rice dish and chapatis but we both agreed that it really didn't need the rice. As there are a lot of starches in this dish we felt bloated and heavy afterwards. The next time we tried it I served it with just the chapatis and it was a totally different experience. We found it to be a light and very tasty meal and since then that is how we have it...

May just look like a pile of veggies and a chapati but it tastes like heaven! 
Nine-Jewelled Vegetables
(Recipe from The Low-Fat Indian Cookbook)

1 tbsp unsalted cashews
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
200ml/7fl oz/ 3/4 cup warm water

2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 green cardamons, bruised
1 2" piece of cinnamon stick

5-6 shallots, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped (de-seeded if that's your pref)
1" piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp tumeric

450ml/16fl oz/ 2 cups of luke warm water

175g/6oz/1 cup potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" cubes
125g/4oz/ 2/3 cup fresh green beans, chopped into 2 inch pieces
90g/3oz carrots, cut into chunks

150g/4oz/1 cup aubergine cut into 2" pieces
150g/5oz/1 cup butternut squash cut into 2" pieces
125g/4oz/1 turnip cut into 1" cubes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar


125g/4oz/1 cup cauliflower florets, divided into bite sized pieces
90g/3oz/1 cup of button mushrooms, halved


125g/5fl oz/2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped down


140ml/5fl oz/ 2/3 cup soya cream
50g/2oz/ 1/4 cup soya yoghurt


1 tbsp lemon juice


In a large skillet, dry roast the cashews and sunflower seeds until lightly browned. Remove, cool and then puree in a blender with the warm water and set side. (Mine never 'purees' but is more liquid..and does separate but just give it a quick stir when needed! It's fine!)

In the skillet, heat the oil gently and add the cinnamon stick and the cardamon. Let them sizzle in the oil for 30-40 seconds. 

Add the shallots, ginger and chilli pepper. Increase the heat to medium and fry until the shallots are soft and translucent. (3-4 minutes)

Add the spices and stir, then add the potatoes, carrots and beans. Pour in the lukewarm water, stir to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the aubergine, pumpkin, turnips, salt and sugar. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the cauliflower and mushrooms and stir. Pile the spinach leaves on top of the vegetables and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the (stirred) cashew/sunflower puree, cream and yoghurt. Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes. (I sometimes find that the potatoes and turnips need a little longer cooking time..but no more than an extra 4 minutes..) 

Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Spoon into bowls and serve with chapatis or naan. 

Enjoy!