Turnip Bharta

In my childhood and youth I used to dislike turnip.  The very sight of turnip casserole would make me lose my appetite.  As time passed I started rediscovering turnip.  Thanks to Google, now turnip is one of my favorite vegetables and I constantly think of ways to cook this.  This recipe was shared by my sister who often cooks it for our sick old Papa.  I just added some spices and condiments to her recipe to make it more interesting.

Before we get into the recipe of turnip bharta, let us discover the benefits of eating this wonderful vegetable.

Being a starch vegetable, turnips provide only a third of the calories one can get from potatoes.  What’s interesting is, it’s not just the roots but the leafy tops are nutritious too.    It has a high content of vitamin C thus it is anti inflammatory.  People who are deficient in vitamin C are prone to diseases like scurvy and can bruise easily.  Turnips have vitamin E and beta carotene too.  Studies prove that carcinogens present in cigarette smoke leads to deficiency of vitamin A which leads to lung inflammation, emphysema  and other lung problems.  But vitamin A found in turnips helps in counteracting such effects thus maintaining healthy lungs.  Turnip is a good source of calcium and copper.  Calcium is necessary for healthy joints and other osteoporosis problems and copper is one mineral which helps in the body’s production of connective tissues.  Another health benefit of eating this humble root crop is its role in the proper functioning of the body’s immune system.
Bharta means mashed.  Turnip bharta is a delicious casserole which can be eaten with chapatti or rice.  It is a semi dry casserole.

 Ingredients:

4-5 medium turnips, 2 small carrots,  1/2 cup boiled peas, 1 big onion, 3 cloves of garlic, ½ inch piece of ginger, 2 medium tomatoes, one green chilly(optional), ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp caraway seeds(ajwain), ½ tsp dry mango powder(amchoor), ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ¾ tsp garam massala or any curry powder, ½ tsp of sugar, salt to taste, 1tbsp of cooking oil,  1tbsp of chopped and washed green coriander leaves(optional).

Method:

Peel off turnips and carrots and chop them into medium size pieces.  Boil them in a pressure cooker for five minutes.  If you don’t use pressure cooker, boil these in a pan till they get very tender.
Drain water but don’t discard it as it has lot of nutritional value and we can use it for cooking. Take out the turnip and carrot pieces and mash them with the potato masher.
Chop onion, grate ginger and crush garlic.  Cut tomatoes into very small pieces and keep these aside.
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil, put cumin seeds and caraway seeds.  When they stop spluttering, add grated ginger and chopped onion and garlic to the oil. Reduce the heat to medium.  Add turmeric, sugar and salt to the mix.  When onion mix turns light brown, add tomatoes and add half a cup of drained water from the vegetables. Cook till everything is well blended.
Now add mashed turnip and carrot to the mix and cook for another five minutes. Add boiled peas to it.
Add coriander powder and cook on the slow flame for another three four minutes.
Sprinkle garam massala or curry powder and turn off the stove.  If you want you may garnish it with the chopped green coriander leaves before serving.