Indian-style Butter Carrot

Research shows getting plenty of fibre in your diet can help protect against colorectal cancers. This delicious recipe is packed with veg and is a tasty way to boost your fibre intake.

Serves eight people (or four hungry people!)

Ingredients

– 2 tablespoons olive oil

– 50 g butter

– 1 cup raw cashews

– 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

– 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

– 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

– A handful of fresh or dried curry leaves

– 1 bunch of coriander

– 3 teaspoons garam masala
– 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
– 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

– 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder

– 1½ cups Greek-style yoghurt

– 250ml coconut cream

– 800g carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces

– 1 tablespoon brown sugar

– 700 g tomato passata

– Basmati rice, to serve

– Naan or roti bread, to serve

1. Heat the oil and butter in a wide saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the cashews and toss for 3 minutes, or until toasted and golden.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until aromatic. Set aside half the cashew mixture for serving.

3. Add the coriander stems and spices to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

4. Stir in the yoghurt until combined, then add the carrot and stir to coat. Stir in the sugar, passata, coconut cream and 1 cup (250 ml) water and bring to a simmer.

5. Partially cover the pan with a lid. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until the thickest piece of carrot you can find is fork-tender, and the gravy has thickened and reduced slightly.

6. Serve drizzled with extra coconut cream and scattered with the reserved cashew mixture and coriander leaves, with rice and naan or roti bread.

This recipe is an extract from In Praise of Veg by Alice Zaslavsky. Photography by Ben Dearnley.

– To make this meal more complete, try adding some lean protein (such as cooked chicken breast, fish, tofu or chickpeas)

– For even more fibre, serve with wholegrain rice instead of white rice.

– To reduce the cost of this meal, use dried herbs and spices instead.

– You can also add extra veggies such as baby spinach and green beans. The more the merrier!