This week in all our Vegboxes another one of our favourite winter root vegetables: the Parsnip. Very similar to a carrot but with a white creamy colour you can find this vegetable from September to March. It makes a good addition to soups and roasts, but you can also eat it raw in a salad finely grated or add it to a patty or a pancake such as this one.
Make sure to choose them small or medium and firm, beware of brown patches on the skin as it may indicate that they could be rotten.
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp vegetable or sesame oil
- 5 curry leaves
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 250g Greek yogurt, whipped
- 1 tbsp honey
For the pancakes
- 175g parsnips, grated
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g gram (chickpea) flour
- 50g semolina
- small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
Preparation method
- To make the dressing, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the curry leaves and mustard seeds for 1 min. Stir in the chilli, turmeric and ginger, then cook on a low heat for 2-3 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Stir the cooled spice mix into the whipped yogurt along with the honey, then chill until you are ready to serve the meal. Can be made a day ahead.
- To make the pancakes, combine all the ingredients, except the oil, with 200ml cold water and a pinch of salt. Mix until a thick batter is formed. Can be prepared several hours in advance and chilled.
- About 15 mins before you want to serve the pancakes, heat a large non-stick frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, place a few tbsp of the mixture in the pan to form a round pancake about 1-1.5cm thick. You can cook 2 or 3 at a time and keep them warm in a low oven while you make the rest. Cook for 2-3 mins until golden brown, then flip over and cook the other side until browned. You should make 8 pancakes in total. Serve the pancakes with the honey and mustard dressing and the Curried chickpeas (see ‘Goes well with’) if you like.
Recipe and image from BBC Goodfood