The kormas of India, serene, rich, silken, have much in them that works with the sweetness of the parsnip—cream, yogurt, nuts, sweet spices. The Mughal emperors who originally feasted on such mildy spiced and lavishly finished recipes may not have approved of my introduction of common roots but the idea works well enough. Despite instructions the length of a short story, I can have this recipe on the table within an hour. For those who like their Indian food on the temperate side.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4 with rice or Indian breads

　　onions – 2 medium

　　ginger – a fat, thumb-sized piece

　　garlic – 3 cloves

　　a mixture of parsnip, rutabaga, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes – 2 1/2 pounds (1.5kg) in total

　　cashews – 2/3 cup (100g)

　　green cardamom pods – 6

　　cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons

　　coriander seeds – a tablespoon

　　vegetable or sunflower oil, or butter – 2 tablespoons

　　ground turmeric – 2 teaspoons

　　chile powder – half a teaspoon

　　a cinnamon stick

　　green chiles – 2 smallish ones, depending on their heat, thinly sliced

　　light or heavy cream – 2/3 cup (150ml)

　　thick plain yogurt – 2/3 cup (150g)

　　cilantro, chopped

　　

Step 1

Peel the onions, cut them into large pieces, then blitz in a food processor until coarsely minced—you don’t want a sloppy purée. Peel and coarsely grate the ginger on the coarse side of a grater. Peel and finely slice the garlic cloves. Peel and coarsely chop the vegetables. Coarsely chop half of the cashews.

　　

Step 2

Now deal with the spices: open the cardamom pods with your nails and scrape out the seeds, then crush them to a gritty powder. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds to a fine powder.

　　

Step 3

Put the oil or butter into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan and stir in the onions, letting them soften but not color. Stir in the grated ginger and sliced garlic, continue cooking over gentle heat for a couple of minutes, then introduce the spices—cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chile powder, and the cinnamon stick. Continue cooking, stirring for a couple of minutes, until the fragrance of the spices begins to rise, then add the chopped root vegetables and the chopped nuts. Season with the thinly sliced chiles, salt, and black pepper.

　　

Step 4

Stir in 3 cups (750ml) water, partially cover with a lid, and let simmer gently for forty-five to fifty minutes, until the roots are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Toast the reserved whole cashews.

　　

Step 5

Carefully introduce the cream and yogurt to the pan, letting them heat through but not boil. Should the mixture boil, it will curdle, and though the flavor will be fine, the grainy texture will be offputting. Check the seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Scatter over the toasted cashews and some chopped cilantro.

　　Tender