This dish shows how easy it is to give a fresh verdant lift to a mélange of vegetables or ingredients – and to ramp up the nutrient content: just open a bag of baby spinach, swirl it in and serve.
Ingredients
—300g (10 oz) button mushrooms 2 cups frozen baby peas 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 Tbsp coarsely grated fresh ginger 3 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) ½ tsp chilli powder ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander 1 tsp turmeric ½ tsp salt 600g (about 1 lb 3 oz) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks 2 large tomatoes, skinned and halved 130g (4-5 oz) bag baby spinach leaves (or 225g / 8 oz) full-size spinach, prepared as described in method) Plain unsweetened yoghurt and dukkah, to serve
Method
—1 Trim the mushrooms and wipe them clean with damp paper towels.
2 Tip peas into a sieve and wash off ice crystals under running hot water. Drain.
3 Heat oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a low heat. Add onion and cook for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic. Squeeze over juice from the ginger and add coriander. Cook for a minute, stirring, then add chilli powder, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and salt. Add mushrooms, pumpkin and tomatoes. Stir well, then add ½ a cup of water.
5 Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add peas, shake pan to blend ingredients, then cover again and cook for 10 minutes more, or until everything is tender. If there is too much liquid left, cook for a further 5-10 minutes, uncovered and stirring gently, or if the liquid dries up, add a little more water. Stir in spinach (if using large leaves, trim and remove coarse stems, wash well and chop finely), let it wilt, then serve immediately, if liked with dollops of yoghurt and a sprinkle of dukkah.
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