Korma is a creamy, rich vegetable stew — Indian comfort food worthy of a dinner party, but easy to throw together for mid-week supper as well. This version comes from Nigel Slater’s fabulous cookbook come memoir, Tender: A Cook and his Vegetable Patch. Serve with rice or naan (in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s).

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds mixed roots: parsnip, rutabaga, carrot, turnip, potato or such
• 2/3 cup cashews
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, coarsely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• ½ teaspoon chile powder
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 small green chiles, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup cream
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• Chopped cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Peel and cut the vegetables into uniformly sized cubes, ¾ inch or so.
2. Coarsely chop half the cashews. Toast the whole cashews in a small dry skillet until spotted in areas with golden brown.
3. Open cardamom pods. Remove seeds. Crush with a mortar and pestle into a gritty powder.
4. Warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and stir in the onions. Cook until soft, but not colored. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over gentle heat for a couple of minutes. Add the cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chile powder and cinnamon stick. Cook the spices for a few minutes until their fragrance is noticeable.
5. Add the vegetables, chopped nuts and chiles. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 3 cups water, partially cover with a lid and simmer gently for 45 minutes until roots are tender.
6. Carefully add the cream and yogurt to the pan, letting them heat through, but not boil (or the mixture will curdle). Check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. Scatter the toasted nuts and some chopped cilantro on top before serving.