My Greek origins have followed my every step in the kitchen, and having had Indian friends since I can remember, I was always fascinated and enthralled watching their mothers cook with a plethora of magical spices. This enduring passion for Indian food, together with my Mediterranean roots, has resulted in a fusion of these two cuisines that has been a recurrent theme in my kitchen for the last few decades. So, please consider this dish a celebration of east and west, and enjoy sharing it with your loved ones.
This rustic stew is rich and hearty, full of exotic flavour, and easy to make. It looks absolutely beautiful, with its sensual, appetising colours, and it has a wonderful spicy aroma. It is also packed to the brim with vitamins, minerals, plant-based protein and goodness. The vegetables should burst in your mouth with their own flavour, quickly followed by the juices from the stew. I precook the beans separately to ensure they soften enough, and the carrots should be steamed separately, as they need to be tender. I suggest serving this dish with non-dairy plain yoghurt, raw onion and your favourite fresh bread. This stew heats up well the next day too – if there’s any left!
INGREDIENTS
150g black-eyed beans, soaked overnight
100g black beans, soaked overnight
3 carrots (mixed colours if you wish), roughly chopped
2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5cm fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp coriander seeds
1–2 chilli peppers, cut lengthways – remove seeds for less heat
1 stick green-leafed celery, chopped
1 large courgette, roughly chopped
1 Romano pepper, cut into 4 or 5 pieces lengthways
2–3 tbsp tomato purée
250ml vegetable stock, made with organic miso or an organic vegetable cube
120ml water
250ml tomato passata
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)
2 cinnamon sticks
flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnishing
(Use organic ingredients wherever possible)
METHOD
Boil the soaked beans until slightly softened (using a pressure cooker if you wish), drain and set aside. Steam the carrots until soft, and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare and assemble the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium to large saucepan, heat up the oil. Gently sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, chilli peppers and celery, stirring so that they do not burn. Once the onions have become translucent, spoon the mixture into a bowl.
If need be, add a further teaspoon of oil to the pan. Sauté the courgette until golden, and set aside. Repeat with the Romano pepper, sautéing until the pieces have wilted.
Return the onion mix to the pan, and after 2 minutes stir in the tomato purée.
Return the other vegetables to the pan together with the remaining ingredients, adding the water a little at a time to give the sauce a chance to thicken. Allow the stew to simmer gently on a low heat, with the pan half-covered, for 20–30 minutes, stirring carefully every now and then and adjusting the seasoning if necessary.
Garnish and serve.
