Parsnip Kadhi

Whether you know it or not almost every single one of you has been to a Buddhist restaurant at some point in your life, in fact I imagine most of you eat from Siddhartha’s kitchen at least once a month, and potentially on a Sunday like my family does, somewhat religiously.

 Almost exactly a year ago today my girlfriend and I were standing underneath the very same Bodhi tree that Prince Siddharta Gautama plonked himself under and became enlightened many, many moons ago. At the time food wasn’t the first thing on my mind, it wasn’t the last either, it never is; however when I was learning about the struggles and epiphanies of this Jesus of the eastern world, it wasn’t his influence upon my weekly Sabbath staple that came to mind.

The realm of Buddhist food encompasses more than half of humanity. From its birth in India, the gospel spread to Sri Lanka with Mahendra and Sangmitra, the children of Emperor Ashoka. In the centuries that followed as the new faith spread to South East Asia, so did the concepts and ideas behind the Buddhist kitchen. Through Burma, Thailand and Cambodia, intrepid monks and scholars conveyed the message of The Enlightened One to China via Tibet, to the vast expanses of Mongolia, and as far as Korea and Japan in the east.

In one of his sermons Buddha compares the human body to the string of a musical instrument – if it is stretched too tightly imposing on it a hard aesthetic discipline of self-denial, it may break. On the other hand if it is allowed to hang loose, following the path of least resistance, it cannot create any music. An individual aspiring to achieve nirvana – blissful liberation – cannot afford to forget this.

The essence of Buddha’s teachings is encapsulated in majjhima patipada – ‘The Middle Path’. If desire, the root of all distress and misery is to be conquered, we must lead perfectly balanced lives, avoiding all excess and ensuring that nothing disturbs the tranquillity of our mind. The body, according to the Buddhists, must be properly nourished and kept free from painful diseases that can only distract the mind from sadhana – practice. So basically if you go out and nail a meat feast pizza, make sure you chase it with a Caesar salad, and hold the dressing. 

I have to say that with the above in mind I wouldn’t make a very good Buddhist, which isn’t to say I’m not partial to a veggy stir fry from time to time, however I do draw the line at the waste of stomach space that is Tofu, and the idea of boycotting beans and denying my frequent cravings for pate and McCain smiley faces (although never together), I find utterly depressing. So the interpretation I have made of the Buddhist legacy is not to eat on ‘The Middle Path’ as recommended, but rather veer violently off it in either direction with the hope of establishing some sort of inner karma somewhere in my lower intestine. Which on a Monday morning after the Sunday spice, is a far cry from reality.

The Buddhist mantra doesn’t only apply to food but rather to all aspects of your life, so whilst you fill your belly with goodness you should fill your head with happiness and your heart with love. With that in belly, mind and chest, I decided to adapt a classic Indian ‘peace recipe’ made with lotus stems, and make it with parsnips instead, because they’re my favourite vegetable and make me happy; and whilst I eat it I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my family and latest entrant to my heart – the coolest dude that you ever did see, so sweet he’d have Hitler swooning. The awesome: BOOM.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

For the Dumplings:

3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of corn flour

2 tspns garlic, crushed

1 tspn ginger, finely chopped

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Salt and Pepper

For the Sauce:

15g salted butter

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn garlic, crushed

1 tspn tumeric powder

1 tspn medium chilli powder

2 cups yoghurt, beaten

60ml double cream

Fresh coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. Boil the parsnips and carrots in water for 10 – 12 minutes or until soft enough to mash, remove from the heat, strain and mash with a little butter, season to taste.

2. Heat enough oil in a sauce pan to submerge a ping pong ball sized dumpling over a medium high heat.

3. Sautée the red pepper, ginger and garlic over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until softened. Pour into the mashed parsnip / carrot mix and stir through. Add a tablespoon of corn flour to the mix and stir thoroughly. Season again if necessary. Set aside.

4. Roll the mash mix into dumplings and carefully lower into the oil, deep fry until golden and drain on kitchen roll.

5. Whilst the balls are frying heat the butter in frying pan over a medium heat; add the cumin seeds and brown, then add the garlic and sautée for a couple of minutes before adding the tumeric and chilli powder, mix well. Add the yoghurt immediately and lower the heat, cook until the yoghurt smell disappears and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the double cream.