Truth is I always end up with a lot of extra carrots when catering. Not sure why, but it is a constant invititation for me to find new ways to use up carrots. So, what to do with carrots ay? One of my favourite things is to make up my roast carrot and parsnip curry recipe. Perfect for a vegan curry night!

Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but roast carrots and parsnips give this curry recipe an earthly sweetness that is hard to beat. 

If you don’t want to use parsnips, or don’t have them available, then simply swap out for sweet potatoes, celeriac, swede (rutabaga) or more carrots.

Can you put carrots in a curry I hear you ask?

Absolutely you can put carrots in a curry! And if you roast your carrots first you transform your curry into an awesome pot of divine deliciousness.

Carrots are the perfect addition to a curry, because they have a nice bite and have a lovely flavour. They are usually inexpensive to buy and go a long way!

Is it better to roast or boil your carrots for curry?

In this case roasting your carrots is much better than boiling. Definitely roast your carrots. Roasting will bring out a natural, earthy sweetness that is a world apart from boiled carrots. 

You can roast them to perfection within about half an hour. The best thing to do is to cut them up into small cubes. This makes perfect bite sized pieces of carrot that get coated nicely with the tomato curry sauce that you make. 

How to cut your carrots into small cubes?

I see all sorts of carrot chopping going on. Most often making hard work of it haha.

If you use the following method, you can chop your carrots up into small cubes quickly and efficiently. This will also help your carrots to roast quickly and efficiently for your curry. 

It helps if you have a sharp knife to do it with. And it is also easier with a larger knife if you have one. There is no need to peel your carrot either. You’ll find a lot of goodness in the skin. It saves effort not to peel too. 

Please see the photo that I have posted directly below for a visual on chopping carrots. Simply top and tail your carrot, and then slice it length ways in half and then half again. Next hold your strips of carrot together and slice across into small pieces. Perfect roast carrot curry bit-sized pieces! Use the same method to roast your parsnips too. 

How to slice your leek into small pieces?

You can slice your leek into small pieces in a similar fashion to the carrot method above.

Simply top and tail your leek. Slice with a sharp knife in half lengthways. And then in half again. 

Finally chop cross ways all the way down the leek so that you have small pieces. Please see the following photo so that you see what I mean visually…

Roast carrot and parsnip curry is perfect as part of a curry night medley

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Roast carrot curry with parsnips and leek - vegan

Yield: 6 portions

An excellent roast carrot and parsnip curry recipe. Vegan and gluten-free

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Ingredients

• 700g (1½ lbs approx) carrots
• 500g (1 lb approx) parsnips
• 1 large leek
• Dash of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 500ml passata (or tinned tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon white or black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 120g (½ tin drained) black beans

Instructions

1. First of all, roast your carrots and parsnips. There is no need to peel off their skin, unless you really want to. Just make sure they are clean and then chop into small cubes. I suggest 1cm to 1.5cm (half inch) cubes, as they will roast more quickly, and will make better bite-sized pieces. Please scroll up for photo and super helpful tips on how to quickly cut your carrots and parsnips into squares. 
2. Put your carrot and parsnip cubes onto one or two oven trays, quickly toss in with a small amount of oil (think 2 teaspoons). 
3. Roast your carrots and parsnips for about 30 minutes until you can pierce the carrots with a fork. 

Cook the curry sauce

1. In the meantime cook the curry sauce. This part only takes 10 to 15 minutes and can be done whilst your veggies are roasting.
2. Slice the leek into small pieces (scroll up for helpful tips on small slicing of your leek).
3. Heat your olive oil in a large pan. When the oil is hot, toss in your cumin seeds for 60 seconds. Stir a few times during this minute.
4. Next toss your chopped leek into the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks soften. Keep the lid off the pan.
5. Once your leeks have cooked, add the passata, cinnamon, ground coriander, pepper, sea salt and black beans.
6. Stir the contents together, bring to boiling point and then reduce to a simmer for upto 10 minutes. Keep the lid off the pan. 
7. When the roast carrots and parsnips are ready, mix them into the pan.
8. Your roast carrot curry is ready to serve! It will also keep for a few days in the fridge.

Did you make this recipe?

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More delicious vegan curry night recipes (also gluten-free)…

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