Excerpted from Indian Superfood: Superfood + Superspieces = Indian Superfood, by Gurpareet Bains, with permissions from Absolute Press (c) 2010. The following excerpt can be found on Page 30 to 31.
I’ve always been told that you can put into bubble and squeak whatever you can get your hands on. From leftover veggies to meat, it’s all fair-play. So, I really went to town here. Sweet potato and mooli replace the more traditional English preference towards potato and cabbage. Together, with the sugariness of sweet potato and the slight bitterness of mooli, we have a ‘mismatch’ here that just clicks when the two are brought together with the uplifting superspices.
It’s an ultimate breakfast comfort food, and I would recommend it as part of your lazy Sunday therapy when you are close by to the cosiness of your bed–so, if needed, it can be used as a standby stretcher whilst your body takes the intense therapy in its stride. Try it with a blob of ketchup and poached eggs and, if you really want to, as part of a full English breakfast. And, if you have your heart set on something hardcore Indian for breakfast, serve with Chickpeas with Sea Salad and Star Anise and Tamarind Reduction.
Whilst you’re lying on your Sunday ‘stretcher’, it’s good to know that just one serving of this recipe will provide you with a full day’s requirement of vitamin A. SERVES 4.
• 1 pound 2 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite-size pieces
• 7 ounces mooli, peeled and grated
• 1 small red onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for cooking the patties
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
• 3 tablespoons gram flour
• 1 1/2 ounces dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated (peeled) fresh root ginger
• 3/4 ounces bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 egg yolks
1. Cook the sweet potatoes in a deep pan of boiling water for approximately 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, then rinse the sweet potatoes under cold running water until cool and drain again. Set aside. (To minimise the loss of nutrients, the sweet potatoes may be steamed or cooked in the microwave, instead of boiling.)
In a large bowl, mix together the mooli, onion and half of the salt and knead for 5 minutes, draining off and discarding the excess juices as you are kneading. Transfer the mixture to a sieve and allow to drain for 5 minutes.
2. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil and the cumin seeds in a deep saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the seeds begin to pop – this will take no longer than 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the turmeric and the chilli powder, if using. Mix well. Add the drained sweet potatoes and the mooli-onion mixture and mash together well. Mix through the remaining salt, the gram flour, breadcrumbs, ginger, chopped cilantro and egg yolks, stirring until thoroughly combined. Use the mixture to make 8 patties by forming the mixture into 8 even-sized balls, then flattening each ball a little to form a patty.
4. Heat some extra olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the bubble and squeak patties in batches until they are golden brown, turning once – this should take about 2-3 minutes for each side. Remove with a spatula and drain well on kitchen paper before serving.
One serving = 175%+ RDA antioxidants
ANTIBACTERIAL: chilli, cilantro, cumin, ginger, turmeric
ANTIFUNGAL: chilli, cilantro, cumin, ginger, turmeric
ANTIVIRAL: turmeric
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY: chilli, cilantro, cumin, ginger, turmeric
ANALGESIC: chilli
Click here for the main article, From Our Bookshelf: Healthful Indian Breakfast Recipes.
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