Four chefs share some of their favourite Christmas eve dishes to serve up the night before the big day
Bob’s Parsnip Dal
Bob Andrews, chef at organic veg box company Riverford (riverford.co.uk), shares his parsnip dal recipe – ideal if you’ve bought too many parsnips for the big day!
“This earthy bowl of lentils and winter roots is perfect prior to the lavish indulgence of Christmas day itself, like building solid foundations to deal with all the fat, sugar, and fizz. You can make a large batch and save some until Boxing Day, at which point you can stir in some shredded leftovers from Christmas day. If the toasting and grinding your spices seems excessive when you have so many presents yet to wrap, you can use a few tablespoons of good curry powder or paste instead, to taste.”
Serves: 4
Prepare: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
500g parsnips, peeled and chopped
into small chunks
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, grated
Thumb size piece of ginger, grated
1 hot red chilli, finely chopped
50g butter, or dairy-free alternative
200g tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 x 400g tin puy lentils, drained
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
Desiccated coconut, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Toss the chopped parsnips in a roasting tray with a little oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until soft.
2. In a hot, dry saucepan, heat the spices until they release their aromas, then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
3. Gently fry the diced onion and carrot in a little oil, until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, butter and spices to the pan and stir for a couple of mins. Next, add the tomatoes, sugar, lentils, coconut milk and roasted parsnips. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve topped with a little desiccated coconut and lime wedges. A couple of naan breads are the perfect accompaniment.
Stuart’s Tempura Prawns with Harissa Mayonnaise
Stuart Gillies (pictured above), owner of Number Eight (no8sevenoaks.com) and Bank House (bankhousechislehurst.com) and regular on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch shares his tempura prawns recipe
Serves: 4
Prepare: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
For the prawns:
1kg frozen large tiger prawns, peeled, but leave a little of the tail shell on, head off and deveined
