Besan bhaji with brussels sprout tops and cranberry jelly
I love cooking world-inspired dishes with local, seasonal ingredients. Besan bhaji is a traditional Indian dish made with besan, or gram flour, and fried vegetables. It’s traditionally made with green peppers and/or methi (fenugreek leaves), spinach and beetroot leaves. I’ve given this recipe a seasonal twist by swapping out the usual greens for sprout tops. If you don’t have access to these, the sprouts themselves work well. Sprout tops are delicious but often wasted as they’re chopped off and left in the field. They can be used to replace cabbage or kale in any dish, and work really well in this Indian-inspired brunch. Cranberry jelly gives it added sweetness and a Christmas twist. Besan bhaji is similar to scrambled eggs in texture, so it’s a nutritious plant-based alternative. It becomes especially egg-like when coloured with turmeric and seasoned with kala namak salt. 25 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY |
gram flour 40g
extra-virgin olive oil for frying
ground turmeric 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
garam masala 2 tsp
garlic 4 cloves, roughly chopped
red onion 1, finely sliced
green chilli 1, finely chopped
coriander 6 sprigs, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
spinach 100g, shredded
brussels sprout tops 300g, shredded, or 150g brussels sprouts with 150g spinach, shredded kala namak salt or sea salt, chapatis, natural yogurt, unwaxed lemon wedges and cranberry jelly to serve
1 Toast the gram flour in a dry pan over a medium heat until it begins to smell aromatic and turns light brown, then set aside.
2 Heat a glug of the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium heat and add the spices, garlic, half of the sliced onion, half of the chilli and the coriander stalks. Stir-fry for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the sprout tops and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the toasted gram flour and cook for a further 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through. Add 2-3 tbsp of water to loosen the mixture.
3 Season with kala namak salt, then pile onto chapatis and scatter with the coriander leaves, remaining onion slices and chilli. Serve with the yogurt, lemon wedges for squeezing over and cranberry jelly.
PER SERVING 263 kcals | fat 10G saturates 1.3G | carbs 23.9G | sugars 9.8G fibre 13.3G | protein 12.8G | salt 0.1G
Tom Hunt is an award-winning chef, columnist and climate change campaigner. He owns acclaimed Bristol restaurant Poco Tapas Bar and has written two cookbooks, Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet and The Natural Cook. pocotapasbar.com