Vegetable Stew

This nourishing and warming recipe is from the book The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Hou (page 151). I ate this vegetable stew to help me recover after giving birth to my daughter and loved every mouthful, every time. According to the author of the book “you can throw in proteins like cooked chicken or sausage if your body desires them. And it’s a great meal to ask visiting friends or your partner to help with.”

| Serves 6-8 |

Ingredients

3 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1 white or yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced

sea salt

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into cubes

3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

4 medium tomatoes, cut into cubes, keeping as much juice as possible to add to the stew

2 cups (140g) loosely packed mushrooms, quartered

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup (120g) raw cashews

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 thin slice of ginger (about the length of your pinkie finger)

1 dried bay leaf

6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable broth or water

1 ½ cups (300g) millet

1 ½ cups (240ml) canned coconut milk

1 large handful of green beans

juice of half a lemon

Method

Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and their juices, mushrooms, cumin, cinnamon sticks, cashews, coriander seeds, turmeric, ginger and bay leaf to the pot, along with the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. Add the millet, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, covered. Stir in the coconut milk and green beans and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat, covered.

Remove from the heat and season with the lemon juice and salt, to taste.

Serve hot or store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.