Braised Root Vegetables

Root vegetables naturally lend themselves to stewing or braising with a host of other ingredients. Since both recipes below follow the same basic formula, I will only list the ingredients, grouped by step. The procedure is: briefly fry seeds or whole spices in oil, add aromatics and brown lightly, add powdered spices or other seasonings/flavorings along with the vegetables (and protein) and a bit of water or chicken stock, cover and braise, garnish.

Korean-style Braised Turnips
2 T sesame seeds
onion, ginger, garlic, sliced serrano chili
soy sauce, rice wine, sugar
cubed sausage and/or chicken
sliced carrots, diced green/red peppers, cubed turnips, chopped turnip greens
sliced scallions

Brussels Sprouts with Potato (a Western-style saag aloo)
1 t each of whole cumin seed, whole fennel seed, and crushed red pepper
onion, ginger
1 T paprika, 1/2 T coriander
1 stalk brussels sprouts (sliced), 1 very large carrot (shredded), 5 medium potatoes (cubed)