Root vegetable kurma

Beetroots. *drool*.

Every once in a while, I dream of frolicking in this endless vegetable garden. And my garden is teeming with beets - those fabulous crimson nether parts :)

Red beets, sugar beets, chiogga beets, they all taste fabulous - earthy, sweet, succulent, flavorful, pungent, I could go on, huh? Apparently, there are the globe-shaped varietals that we regularly encounter, and then there are the cylindrical ones that I haven't seen yet - these carrot-shaped beets are apparently more common in intensive vegetable plots.

Beet Etymology Trivia:

* Maybe from an imagined resemblance to the greek letter beta - this sounds like a serious stretch of imagination!
* Maybe from the Celtic word "bett" meaning red - a little more plausible, I guess.

Parsnips. *drool*.

My dream garden is also teeming with parsnips - easily one of my favorite vegetable smells.

They make for fabulous soups, taste divine when roasted. the options are endless! And the nutrition value is a total bonus - it is replete with potassium and dietary fibre. I'm definitely planting some of these next year.

Random Parsnip Trivia:

* Considered to be an aphrodisiac by the Romans - more reason to eat them, Yay!
* In Ireland, it was used for making beer and wine


So, what could be better than a dish that combines beet and beet greens and parsnips?! Wooooo!! This was another quick recipe that exploded with earthy flavours, meant to be made
again and again.

Root Vegetable Kurma
Beets, Parnips, Onions ... Yum!

Servings: 2

1 yellow onion - sliced long
1 red beet - julienned
2 medium chiogga beets - julienned
2 small parsnips - julienned
a handful of chopped beet greens
7-8 curry leaves
1 large vine tomato - chopped
1 T grated ginger
4 cloves garlic - smashed
4 green chillies - sliced long
1 T sesame oil
salt

Masala:
1/2" stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1 cardamom pod
1 t turmeric
1 T grated coconut
1 t khuskhus

Dry roast all the masala ingredients and grind to a coarse powder.
Heat the oil in a wok and saute the onions and curry leaves till they start to brown.
Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Now toss in the beets and parsnips and cook covered on low for 5-6 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and beet greens along with the ground masala and salt and stir.
Simmer covered for 7-8 minutes.

Serve with rotis - we ended up making rolls stuffed with the kurma - worked really well :)