Sweet potato, rocket and goats cheese salad

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, diced into 2.5cm cubes
1 small red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp panch phoran (see Know-how)
15g whole almonds
40g watercress
50g soft goat’s cheese

For the dressing

2 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp garlic paste (or ½ tsp freshly crushed garlic)

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, diced into 2.5cm cubes
1 small red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp panch phoran (see Know-how)
15g whole almonds
40g watercress
50g soft goat’s cheese

For the dressing

2 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp garlic paste (or ½ tsp freshly crushed garlic)

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Put the potato and onion in a small baking tray. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the panch phoran. When the seeds have sizzled for 10 seconds, pour the oil and seeds over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, then mix well to coat. Transfer to the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes until soft and sweet.
To make the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
When the vegetables are 5 minutes away from the end of their cooking time, put the almonds into a small pan of boiling water and blanch for 45 seconds, then drain and transfer to a small baking tray. Spread into a single layer and toast in the oven for the last 2-3 minutes of the vegetable cooking time.
When cool enough to handle, split the almonds in half lengthways using a small knife. Put the vegetables in a serving dish, pour the dressing straight onto them, then toss well to coat. Add the almonds and watercress, then stir until well coated. Top with crumbled goat’s cheese to serve.

Learn about Ayurveda and find out your body type here.

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Put the potato and onion in a small baking tray. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the panch phoran. When the seeds have sizzled for 10 seconds, pour the oil and seeds over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, then mix well to coat. Transfer to the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes until soft and sweet.
To make the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
When the vegetables are 5 minutes away from the end of their cooking time, put the almonds into a small pan of boiling water and blanch for 45 seconds, then drain and transfer to a small baking tray. Spread into a single layer and toast in the oven for the last 2-3 minutes of the vegetable cooking time.
When cool enough to handle, split the almonds in half lengthways using a small knife. Put the vegetables in a serving dish, pour the dressing straight onto them, then toss well to coat. Add the almonds and watercress, then stir until well coated. Top with crumbled goat’s cheese to serve.

Learn about Ayurveda and find out your body type here.

delicious. tips

Anjum says: “Sweet potatoes are prized in Ayurveda for being nourishing and easy to digest. This salad is good for vata and pitta body types but if you’re kapha I recommend you eat it only occasionally. The watercress is great for all three doshas, particularly kapha and vata. This recipe is a starter size, but I often make bigger batch and eat it as a main meal.”
Panch phoran (which means ‘five spices’) is also sold as Bengali five-spice mix. Unlike most spice mixes, the seeds here are all used whole – usually cumin, fennel, fenugreek, black mustard and nigella (kalonji). It’s available at Waitrose, Ocado, Asian grocers, spice shops and online at spicemountain.co.uk. Or make your own using equal amounts of nigella, black mustard, fennel, cumin and fenugreek seeds.

Blanching almonds in boiling water before roasting gives them a pleasing chewy texture. It also stops them becoming brittle and makes them easier to halve in step 4.

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