Carrot and Beetroot Curry
The idea for this dish came to me after receiving my weekly produce box. For a few solid weeks we had carrots and beetroot (beets) and I was stumped on ideas for using these beautiful vegetables. I always roast beetroot and throw them in a salad. Usually, I boil carrots or roast them in the oven. But instead, I decided to box-grate them, then sauté with some coconut oil and curry spices. The result was pure magic. After mentioning this revelation to a friend, his response was, ‘that’s very Sri Lankan’. He was right, so although my creativity took a bit of a hit, it was also confirmed by a culture that has been doing this much longer than I have!
The beauty of this dish lies in the sweetness of the vegetables. When cooked this way, their juices are reduced and their sweetness actually becomes the thing that balances the curry without the need for sugar or honey, which many curries will ask for. The result is savoury and satisfying. Rather than rice, I serve this with lettuce cups, a boiled egg, yoghurt and lots of raw, crunchy vegetables. You could serve it with a delicious dosa or poppadom on the side. It feels so nourishing and healthy that it has now become one of my most trusted weeknight meals.
Ingredients 24
12 heirloom carrots
10 beetroot (beets), small
1⁄2 lime, juiced
1 tbsp coconut oil, heaped
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, large, minced
2 cm fresh turmeric, piece
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1⁄4 tsp anise seeds
Pinch cayenne pepper
1⁄2 tsp nigella seeds
50 ml coconut cream
200 ml vegetable stock
To Serve All Optional
lime
yoghurt
butter lettuce leaves
radish
cabbage
cucumber
eggs, boiled
coriander (cilantro)
poppadom
dosa
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Method 4
Peel the and , then coarsely grate them on a box grater. Reserve some of the raw beetroot and squeeze the juice of half a over the top. Add a bit of salt and set it aside as a crunchy condiment.
In a wide sauté pan, heat the and sauté the and minced on a high heat for 1 minute. Add the , , , , chilli and and sauté those for another minute or two until the mustard seeds pop. Then add the and and sauté for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt while they cook.
Next, add the and and set a lid, slightly ajar, on top of the pan. Leave to simmer over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have softened.
Serve with the reserved beetroot and lime slaw and some crunchy vegetables, half a boiled egg per person, lettuce leaves, a dollop of yoghurt and perhaps a crunchy poppadom or soft .
