Authentic Turkish Vegan Guvec
This authentic Turkish Vegan Casserole (Güveç) is a hearty dish made with seasonal vegetables and fragrant spices and slow-cooked in a clay pot. It has beautiful rich, earthy and smoky aromas and is low on calories, nutritious, gluten-free and vegan!
Equipment
- 1 oven-safe clay pot with a lid or cast iron casserole dish with a lid
Ingredients
- 5-6 potatoes cut into medium size cubes
- 1 onion halved and sliced
- 1 carrot cut into large cubes
- 1 eggplant (aubergine) cut into large cubes
- 1 zucchini (courgette) cut into large cubes
- 1/4 cup corn canned
- 1/2 cup garden peas canned or frozen
- 1 sweet red ( long or bell )pepper sliced into large pieces
- 1 sweet green ( long or bell )pepper sliced into large pieces
- 3 tomatoes finely chopped
- 5-6 okras whole
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoky paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Garnish
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C /356°F degrees.Clean and wash all vegetables well. Remove seeds and stalks from the peppers. Peel the onion, garlic and potatoes. Remove the stalks from the rest of the vegetables, except the okra. Dice the onion and cut the rest of the vegetables into bite-size cubes. Leave the okras whole if they are small.Place the potatoes in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch. Place the eggplant/aubergine cubes on a large plate and sprinkle salt over them, cover with a plastic wrap and let the eggplant/aubergine sweat for 15-20 minutes to release their bitter juices.
- Pour two tablespoons of oil into the clay pot and heat it in the oven. Add the onions, bay leaf and cumin seeds and let them sauté in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Take the dish out of the oven. Arrange the cubed potatoes on the bottom of the clay pot. Mix the rest of the vegetables in a separate bowl, then spread the them over the potatoes. Sprinkle the dry spices and salt on top and pour the leftover oil and half a cup of water in the pot .
- Cover and place the clay pot in the hot oven. When the liquid in the clay pot starts bubbling, reduce the temperature to 150°C/302°F and cook for 1.5 hours. Do not open or stir the guvec.
- Let the casserole rest for 30 minutes covered before serving it. Serve it as a main course or a side dish.