Vata · dinner
Vata-grounding Root Vegetable Stew
This Vata-grounding root vegetable stew is a warm, slow-cooked dish of earthy roots and warming spices, eaten to steady the body in cold weather.
- Suits
- Vata
- Type
- dinner
- Time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Serves
- 3
- Season
- autumn, winter
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 small beetroot, peeled and cubed
- 1 handful pumpkin, cubed
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp rock salt
- 3 cups water
- Fresh coriander leaves, to finish
Method
- Peel and chop all the root vegetables into even, bite-sized pieces.
- Warm the ghee in a heavy pot and add the cumin seeds and hing. Let them sizzle until fragrant.
- Stir in the ginger, turmeric and ground coriander.
- Add the chopped vegetables and turn them in the spiced ghee for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the water and add the salt, then bring to a gentle boil.
- Lower the heat, cover, and simmer slowly for about thirty minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
- Mash a few pieces against the side of the pot to thicken the stew.
- Finish with fresh coriander and serve warm with rice or on its own.
Slow cooking and ghee make this deeply grounding, which suits Vata. Eat it warm and freshly made.