Mark Hix recipe: Beetroot curry

Serves 4

Whether you are a veggie, or not, a beetroot curry goes down a treat (Jason Lowe)

Whether you are a veggie, or not, a beetroot curry goes down a treat. It can be a dish in itself or used nicely in a selection of other mains or starters; it's even delicious served cold like a salad.

2tbsp vegetable or corn oil
½tsp cumin seeds
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp fenugreek seeds
1tsp black mustard seeds
½tsp turmeric
The black seeds from 6 cardamom pods
1tbsp fenugreek leaves
1tbsp curry leaves
2 large red onions, peeled, halved and roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2-3 medium chillies, sliced
½tbsp tomato purée
1ltr vegetable stock
400-500g red beetroots, cooked, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3tbsp chopped coriander
2tbsp thick yogurt

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the curry spices on a low heat for a minute. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking on a low heat with a lid on for a couple of minutes.

Add the chillies, tomato purée, vegetable stock and beetroot, season, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 45 minutes or until the beetroot is just coated in the sauce. If the beetroots are getting dry, just add a little more water.

Add the coriander and simmer for another minute; serve with a spoon of the yogurt on top.