O Kūmara

WORDS AND IMAGES EMMA GALLOWAY

Spiced Kūmara + Red Lentil Soup

This flavoursome soup uses pantry staples and is super easy to pull together, making it perfect for mid-week meals or leisurely weekend fare. If you’d like, a handful of roughly chopped greens, such as spinach, silverbeet or kale, can be added in the final 5 minutes of cooking.

Serves 4–6

2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely diced 1 large (approx. 500g) orange (Beauregard) kūmara, peeled and finely diced 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp dried chilli flakes + extra to serve (optional) 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained well 2 tbsp tomato paste 6 cups vegetable stock thick plain or coconut yoghurt, to serve coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often for 1–2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, carrot and kūmara, stir well and cook for a further minute before adding the spices and cooking for a further 30 seconds. Add lentils, tomato paste and stock. Mix well, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 20–30 minutes until vegetables and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with a dollop of thick plain or coconut yoghurt, some coriander leaves and a pinch of dried chilli flakes, if you like.

Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

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Kūmara Tempeh Burgers

I use the standard red (Owairaka) kūmara in these patties as orange (Beauregard) kūmara contain too much moisture. These can be prepared up to three days in advance and makes use of leftover cooked brown rice. If you’re using ground cumin, add to the onions along with the turmeric instead of adding to the kūmara.

Serves 4

1 medium (approx. 300g) kūmara, unpeeled cut into bitesized chunks (see note above) 1 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin) olive oil 1 x 250g packet tempeh, roughly chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 red or green chilli, finely chopped (or use a pinch of chilli flakes if you don’t have fresh) ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 cup leftover cooked medium-grain brown rice 1 tsp white miso paste mixed with 1 tsp warm water handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped 4 x burger buns (gluten-free if needed), mayonnaise (vegan if needed), tomato relish and salad greens or sliced avocado, to serve.

Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Place kūmara onto a tray, scatter over cumin seeds, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well to coat. Roast 20–25 minutes or until the kūmara is tender and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat, add a little olive oil and cook the onion, while stirring for 1–2 minutes or until tender, add garlic, chilli and turmeric and cook for a further 30 seconds.

Blend tempeh in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer roasted kūmara to a large bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Add ground tempeh, cooked brown rice, miso mixed with water, coriander and cooked onions. Using your hands, mix well, squishing it all together until it holds. Shape into 4 patties, transfer to a tray and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight. To cook, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and cook over medium heat until the underside is deeply golden, before carefully flipping and cooking the other side. Serve in a lightly toasted bun with mayonnaise, tomato relish and salad greens or avocado (or both!).

Emma Galloway | mydarlinglemonthyme.com | @mydarlinglemonthyme

Emma Galloway is a former chef, food photographer and creator of the multi-award winning food blog My Darling Lemon Thyme. She is the author of three cookbooks, her latest book Every Day was released in April 2021. She lives in Raglan with her husband and two children.