Nigel Slater's beetroot recipes

The root of all good: brown lentil curry with a bowl of beetroot raita.

Brown lentil curry, beetroot raita

Serves 4

large green or brown lentils 250g

fresh ginger or galangal a 60g piece

garlic 4 cloves

cumin seeds 1 tsp

ground coriander 1 tsp

garam masala 3 heaped tsp

red chillies 2 small

ground turmeric 1 tsp

rapeseed oil about 2 tbsp

onion 1, medium 

tomatoes a 400g can, chopped

For the raita:

yogurt 200ml, natural and unstrained

beetroot coarsely grated, 4 heaped tbsp

coriander to taste

Bring the lentils to the boil in a pan of deep, unsalted water, then let them simmer for 20-25 minutes, until they are quite soft.

Peel the ginger or galangal, roughly chop it then put it into the bowl of a food processor with the peeled garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, garam masala, red chillies, ground turmeric and enough vegetable oil to make a soft, but not runny, paste.

Peel and finely slice the onion. Warm a tbsp or two of oil in a medium, heavy-based casserole over a moderate heat. Add the onion and let it colour, stirring from time to time. When it is fragrant, golden and almost soft pour in the chopped tomatoes and a can of water, add salt, and the drained, cooked lentils and leave to simmer for half an hour or so. The lentils should be soft but still retaining a little of their texture; the sauce thick.

To make the raita, put the yogurt into a small bowl, add the grated beetroot and a few leaves of coriander if you wish, then very gently fold the beetroot through the yogurt with a fork. Try not to over mix, unless you actually like vivid pink.

Beetroot fritters, gravlax

Makes 6, enough for 2 or 3 people

red or golden beetroot 350g

onion 1

plain flour 2 tbsp

egg 1, beaten

oil for cooking

gravlax or smoked salmon 500g

For the dressing:

grain mustard 1 tbsp

smooth Dijon 1 tbsp

dill 2 tbsp, chopped

rapeseed oil 5 tbsp

water 1 tbsp 

Make the dressing by gently whisking together (or shaking in a tightly lidded jar) the mustards, chopped dill, oil and water. Set aside.

Scrub the beetroots thoroughly, then grate them coarsely. The medium grater on a food processor may be best to get thin, long shreds. Peel the onion and slice it finely, stirring it into the beetroot. Season, then stir in the flour and egg.

Warm a shallow film of oil in a nonstick frying pan. Carefully drop generous spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil, flattening them down with the back of the spoon as you go. Leave them to cook over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes until just starting to crisp a little, then with the help of a palette knife or fish slice, turn them over quickly and cook the other side. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Cut the gravlax into large slices and divide among the fritters. Spoon over some of the dill dressing

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