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Diwali Celebration Plate

Invite your friends, family and neighbours this autumn to enjoy a colourful mix of pumpkin falafel, quinoa, wholegrain rice and crunchy vegetables.

Ingredients

I. Pumpkin Falafel

  • 240g tinned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 15g fresh coriander
  • 5g chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 level teaspoon salt
  • ½  teaspoon black pepper
  • 50g fresh pumpkin purée
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 50g wholemeal self-raising flour
    and 25g extra to dust.
  • Vegetable oil to fry

II. Celebration Plate

  • 1 small red cabbage, cut into
    circles and de-cored.
  • 2 small sweet yellow peppers
  • 2 small sweet red peppers
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 150g wholegrain rice with red,
    black and white quinoa
  • 100g fresh Okra
  • ½ inch fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 small red hot chilli pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 100g cooked, cooled, edamame beans
  • 100g cooked, pickled beetroot,
    chopped into chunks
  • Vegetable oil
  • Vegetable oil spray

Method

I. Pumpkin Falafel

  1. Place the chickpeas, chopped onion, garlic, coriander, parsley, cumin, salt, pepper, pumpkin purée, lemon juice, baking powder and 50g flour into a food processor.
  2. Blend until the ingredients are combined and it forms a sticky dough.
  3. Place the remainder of the flour onto a plate, sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
  4. Flour your fingers and using a tablespoon as a measure for each cake.
  5. Shape the dough into small cakes or balls and dust with flour.
  6. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan.
  7. Fry the cakes for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides.
  8. Lift from the oil and place on kitchen paper until ready to serve.

II. Celebration Plate

Preheat the oven to 200◦C fan.

Red cabbage

  1. Wash and cut into circles.
  2. In a shallow baking tray drizzle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
  3. Place the cabbage on the tray, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Set aside.

Yellow and red peppers

  1. Wash and cut in half.
  2. Place on a separate baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  3. Roast the cabbage and peppers for 30 minutes, until slightly charred.
  4. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Carrots

  1. Wash the carrots and using a potato peeler, peel the carrots.
  2. Now hold the carrots firmly on a board and using the peeler, slice to make carrot crisps.
  3. Place the carrot crisps on a baking sheet, spray lightly with vegetable oil.
  4. Drizzle runny honey onto the carrots and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  5. Grill lightly for 10 minutes until crisp.
  6. Set aside to cool.

Rice and quinoa

  1. Cook as directed on the packet.
  2. Set aside to cool.

Okra

  1. Wash and chop in half.
  2. Place in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons oil, the ginger, chilli and garlic.
  3. Stir fry for 5 minutes until cooked but crunchy.
  4. Lift from the pan and cool on kitchen towel.
  5. Using all the components of this dish, including the edamame and beetroot, decorate a large serving plate.
  6. Top with the pumpkin falafel and serve with a mint and cucumber dressing.