Tandoori celeriac, kale saag paneer and turnip sabzi: Ravinder Bhogal’s vegetarian recipes for Diwali

Diwali, the celebration of light, arrives just as we need hope. It marks the triumph of good over evil and reminds us that light will prevail. It’s a time for sensory overload – fireworks, colour, partiesand food, which is traditionally vegetarian. And this isn’t difficult, because Indian cooking naturally brings plants to the centre of the table in smart ways. Wishing you a very happy Diwali: may the year ahead be full of light, love and delicious things!

Turnip sabzi (pictured top)

Turnips have a dowdy reputation, but cooking them with spices to lend some interest gives these plain Janes of the vegetable world a sexy makeover. Panch phoran is an Indian five-spice mix; if you can’t find it, you can make it yourself with equal parts fennel seeds, cumin, black mustard seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 6

2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp panch phoran
10 fresh curry leaves
1 red onion, peeled and very finely chopped
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves
1 green chilli
1 tbsp tomato puree
100g passata
½ tsp turmeric
Sea salt
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1kg turnips, cut into 1cm cubes
Juice of ½ lime
Finely chopped coriander
Chapati, to serve

Melt the ghee in a wide pan or casserole over a low heat, then add the panch phoran. When that starts to splutter, add the curry leaves and onion, and saute over a low heat until the onions are caramelised.

Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic and chilli in a food processor, blend to a fine paste, then add to the pan and cook until soft and fragrant. Add the tomato puree, passata and turmeric, season with salt and sugar, and cook on a medium heat for six minutes, until jammy.

Add the turnips and 30ml water, stir to coat the turnips in the masala, then cover and leave to cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes, until the turnips are tender. Pour over the lime juice, sprinkle over the coriander and serve with chapati.

Tandoori celeriac with coriander and peanut chutney

Celeriac’s sweet, earthy flavour and robust texture stand up to this spice-laden marinade and zesty chutney.

Prep 15 min
Marinate 4 hr
Cook 45 min
Serves 6

3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 green bird’s eye chillies, very finely chopped
Sea salt
1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder, or paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch saffron strands, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
200g Greek yoghurt
1 large celeriac (about 900g), peeled and cut into thick steaks
30g melted ghee
Chaat masala, to finish

For the chutney
100g fresh coriander, including stalks
25g fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp peanuts, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
1-2 green chillies
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp caster sugar
Chaat masala, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
75ml ice-cold water

To make the chutney, put everything in a food processor with half of the ice-cold water and blend to a smooth paste. Add the remaining water, blend again, then transfer to a bowl or a jar, and keep in the fridge.

Make the tandoori marinade by mixing the garlic, ginger, chillies, salt spices, lime juice and yoghurt. Slather this over the celeriac steaks, then cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least four hours, and preferably overnight.

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Lift the celeriac out of its marinade and lay the slices on a lined baking sheet. Season with plenty of sea salt, drizzle over half the melted ghee, then roast for 15 minutes. Flip over the celeriac steaks, brush with the excess marinade and drizzle over the remaining ghee, then roast for another 15–20 minutes, until slightly charred and tender. Sprinkle with chaat masala to taste, then serve with lime wedges and the chutney.

Kale saag paneer

A wonderful way to consume Popeye-pleasing amounts of greens. Feel free to use any combination of greens you like: chard, sorrel, collard greens and turnip tops (if you can find them) all work well here.

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

300g paneer, cubed
500g spinach, washed well
500g kale , ribs removed
2 tbsp ghee
1 onion, peeled and very finely chopped
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
200g passata
½ tsp ground turmeric
Sea salt
Paratha, chapati or flatbread, to serve

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the paneer, boil for five minutes, then fish out with a slotted spoon. Blanch the spinach and kale in the same boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh and cool in ice-cold water. Squeeze out the excess liquid, then roughly chop the greens, put them in a blender and puree until smooth.

Melt the ghee in a large, heavy-based pan on a low heat, then fry the onion and cumin until the onion is caramelised. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, fry until fragrant, then add the passata and turmeric, and cook for five minutes more. Fold in the pureed greens, cook for five minutes more, then fold in the paneer and season with salt.

Cover the pan, cook on a low heat for a final 10 minutes, then serve with your bread of choice.