silver beet and chestnut dal with matcha roti

I'm just going to open with - weather. 

I love autumn. The colour of the trees start to change and the valley that we live in, has a gorgeous glow.

But seriously, what's with this cold snap? Did winter start without telling anyone?

We've even had to start the fire!

Luckily in preparation for winter, we had already started to collect fire wood. As we live on a large property in the bush, collecting fire wood isn't too much of an issue. I always feel better when there's an abundant supply of fire wood.

With this cooler weather comes desire for a more warming meal.

Indian based foods work perfectly in a vegetarian, dairy free diet. Not to mention that the spiciness and strong curry flavours make for a whole body warming experience.

Bare with me, the list of ingredients is long, but the process is pretty simple.

Ingredients

(serves 4-6)

Dal

1 bunch of silver beet, roughly chopped

1 sprig of garlic, peeled

5 cm of fresh ginger, roughly sliced

20 chestnuts (or so), de-shelled

water

1 c chickpeas (soaked for 12 hours)

1 large turnip, cubed

1 bunch snake beans, sliced into 2 cm lengths

pinch of hot hot ground chili

1 - 2 tblsp of roasted curry powder

1 tblsp garam masala

1 tblsp agave syrup

2 stock cubes

2 tblsp coconut oil

Process silver beet, garlic and ginger in a food processor until there are no chunks.

Empty into a heavy based pot (I use cast iron).

Next process the chestnuts until finely chopped.

Add to silver beet mixture along with approx 2 cups of water and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hour. Check every now and then and stir as required - you may need to add more water if it starts sticking.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Roti

1 c gram (besan) flour

1 tblsp matcha (green tea powder)

1 tblsp wheat germ (omit for gluten free)

1 c water

coconut oil

Combine all ingredients in a small pouring jug.

Whisk together (it should be a batter-like consistency) adding more water if necessary.

Heat up a wok and drop in 1 tsp of oil. 

Next pour in a quarter of the mixture - guide the wok so that the batter runs down the sides. 

Cook until golden, flipping once or twice. 

Keep toasty xo