Sometimes when you open your refrigerator, you see a random assortment of veggies looking back at you – two carrots in the last shelf, one bell pepper hidden in a certain corner and so on and so forth. So what do you do? Toss some veggies that work well together to create an interesting stew! This is precisely what I did and it turned out delicious. Have this dish with toasted bread by the side and make it healthy and hearty meal.

Recipe for Potato and Peach Stew

Serves : 2-3
Ingredients :

• 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 medium sized tomatoes cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup of red lentils [optional]
• 1 medium sized peach, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green chillies, minced
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper [optional]
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary[optional]
• Salt to taste

• Add oil to a non-stick pan. Once the oil is warm (not hot) add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook on a low flame until soft and transparent
• Now add the carrots and sauté the mixture over medium heat
• Add chopped garlic, chillies, tomatoes, potatoes and red lentils (in the order I have mentioned) and mix well. Then add the vegetable broth. Preferably, use a low Sodium broth. Bear in mind that the broth will be salted, so adjust seasoning accordingly. Adjust the thickness to your liking- I added 1 cup of water at this stage.
• Let the broth come to a boil on medium flame.
• At this point, lower the heat and cover the pan and let it simmer for around 20 mins. Check the potatoes by passing a fork through them – if it goes in smooth, it means the vegetables are done.
• At this stage, add the peach and cook for 5 mins
• Serve the stew hot with toasted bread

Tips :

• When the vegetables are being cooked, monitor and stir them occasionally.
• If you are preparing home-made broth, don’t over-salt it. (I shall write a separate post on my home-made broth recipe)
• Do not overcook the vegetables. The carrots and tomatoes need to be just cooked
• If you want a sweeter taste in the stew, add one more peach or use a combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes
• For those staying in Singapore, I used the Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth from NTUC. It has a 22% sodium level. For people buying any other brands, the key is to look for low-sodium vegetable broth so that you can always add salt at a later stage.
• Avoid buns which inherently have a sweet taste

This exact recipe can be made by using pear instead of peach and it would taste equally great. I loved having this healthy, tasty and filling stew for dinner, hope you all try it and like it too 🙂