Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, this recipe is sure to set your mouth watering!

Chef Matt Leahy, from Ultimo Catering, spoke to 6PR’s Chris Ilsley about vegetarian cuisine… and why it’s anything but boring!

Curried parsnip, cauliflower chips, lentils and chickpeas

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs ground cumin
900g canned chickpeas
900g canned crushed tomato
250g red lentils
1 tsp garam masala
?1 head of cauliflower
2 parsnips

For the parsnips:

1 pinch of yellow curry powder
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
50ml olive oil

?Method

Heat oil in a medium pan. Add onion and garlic and saut? until onion is transparent, stirring constantly. Add chili powder, salt, turmeric, paprika, cumin and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add chickpeas, lentils and crushed tomatoes, stir until combined. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garam masala. Simmer, covered, for 10 more minutes.

Quarter the cauliflower and shave one of the cut faces on a mandolin. In a dehydrator, or 60 degree oven
for an hour, dry and crisp the cauliflower into chips

Quarter the two parsnips lengthways. Place in a zip lock bag with the curry powder, salt, pepper and oil.

Submerge the closed side of the bag in water to expel the air from the bag, lowering all the way to the open and seal shut to create a vacuum. Put bag into a barely simmering pot and cook till tender. Remove from water and leave to cool.

To assemble

Heat the lentil and chickpea curry in a pan. Char grill the parsnip quarters on a grill pan.

Place a ladle of lentil and chickpea in the centre of the plate, place two parsnip quarters on top and decorate the dish with cauliflower chips.

Listen to the full interview below:

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