Root Vegetable Curry, made with SN1

SPICE CURRY SPICE PACK (Spice Curry Spice Pack Symphony No.1 / SN1) — a root vegetable curry.

How about a root vegetable curry, full of nourishing ingredients, for this time of year?

Root vegetables are the ones we eat for their roots and stems, grown under the soil. Root vegetables come into season in the cold of winter, when they taste good and warm you through.

Root vegetables such as burdock, lotus root, broccoli and onion are full of dietary fibre, so cook plenty of them together with the spices and enjoy.

When your spice curry turns out watery Thinking about the chicken skin in chicken curry Are the whole spices in the starter spices meant to be eaten? Which spice do you add when you want more heat?

Ingredients (serves 4)

• SN1 / starter spices (the whole-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• SN1 / powder spices (the ground-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• Tinned tomatoes (whole): 1 tin (400g)
• Onion: 1
• Root vegetables (whichever you like, in whatever quantity you like)
• Carrot
• Gobō (burdock root)
• Renkon (lotus root)
• Daikon
• Broccoli
• Garlic (grated): 2 tsp (1–2 cloves)
• Ginger (grated): 2 tbsp
• Thin-cut pork offcuts: 200g
• Nam pla (Thai fish sauce): 2 tsp (soy sauce also works)
• Miso: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you like. For this recipe we recommend olive oil)
• Water: 200ml

Toppings

We were extremely hungry when we made this, so we put a fried egg on top. Do as you like.

Preparation

• Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order.
  
  

  If you do not have a grater, chop them finely instead

  
  
  
• Cut the onion (halve it, halve it again, then slice)
  
  
  
  
  
• Cut the root vegetables into whatever size is easy to eat.
  
  

Method

1. Put the “oil: 3 tbsp” into a pan over a low heat, and once the oil is warm, add the starter spices (the whole-spice sachet).
   
   
   
   
2. When you hear the “mustard seeds (the small black ones)” start to crackle, add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring them through the spices.
   
   
   
   
3. Add the onion, stir it thoroughly through the spices, then turn the heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes, adding a splash of water often.
   
   
   
   
4. Add all of the root vegetables and keep cooking over a high heat, adding a splash of water as you go, until the onion is deep golden brown.
   
   
5. Once the onion is deep golden brown, turn the heat to medium, push the ingredients to one side, add the “tinned tomatoes (whole): 1 tin (400g)” and “salt: 1 tsp”, crush the whole tomatoes down well, then stir everything together.
   
   
6. Bring it to the boil, then add all of the “powder spices” and stir them in, thinking of it as cooking the powder spices themselves.
   
   
7. Add the “pork” and fry until it has just taken colour.
   
   
8. Add the water: 200ml, nam pla: 2 tsp and miso: 1 tbsp, stir everything together and bring it to the boil.
   
   
9. Once it comes to the boil, turn the heat to low, put a lid on the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.
   
   
10. Taste it at the end and adjust the salt.
    
    

    Season to suit the amount of root vegetables you have used. Adjusting with nam pla (or soy sauce) rather than salt gives more depth, and is what we recommend.

And that is it.

Buy the spice packs here

Inspice spice curry spice sets contain none of the usual sources of heat — chilli, cayenne pepper or chilli powder — so please add heat to your own taste.