Red Lentil Dal (Western Style)

I love dal, it’s one of my favourite vegetarian dishes (in fact any dishes, full stop). It’s hearty, full of flavour, filling, and easy to make. This particular one is not made in the traditional way, as in India there would not be any coconut milk or tinned tomatoes in the ingredients list. However, I liked the idea of the creaminess of the coconut milk and the subtle sweet flavour it would provide.

Ingredients:

• 200g red lentils, rinsed and drained
• Glug of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 red chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 x 400ml tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 500ml vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach, washed and chopped

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and red chilli and cook for a few minutes.

Mix the cumin, coriander and mustard in a small bowl and add to the pan, along with the turmeric and garam masala and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock, then stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper and cook on a low heat for 25-30 minutes until reduced and thick. Stir in the lemon juice and spinach, then cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with rice, naan bread or rotis and poppadoms!

 

Lentil and Tofu Curry

So I’m now a good two months into pesceterianism (if that’s a word) and am going strong. I’m actually really enjoying it, and feel great. I haven’t been dieting or watching what I eat but I feel like I’m in one of my slim stages (I haven’t weighed myself but I’m just going to keep telling myself that). It’s also been fun looking at vegetarian recipes, which has opened up a whole new world for me! I’ve had so many meatless meal ideas but haven’t had much time to cook what with travelling and eating out quite a lot (naughty). Finally, last night I got a much appreciated night in and decided to try out making curried lentils. To make it a little different I thought I’d put tofu in it as well, which adds nice chunky bits and makes it less of a mush (not that I don’t enjoy eating mushy food! Babies must love life.). As my boyfriend wouldn’t consider lentils and tofu to be the main ingredients in a viable dinner option it was also lucky he was out for the evening (although I encouraged/forced him to take some for lunch today and he enjoyed it).

I can honestly say this is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and definitely ever cooked! The lentils, passata and coconut milk sort of blend together to make a deliciously thick curry sauce, and the tofu provides the satisfying bits to bite into. The spices are perfect, no salt is added during cooking and you don’t need to add any afterwards either (and I am a bit of a salt fiend). You can adjust it to your own spice preference depending on how much cayenne pepper you add so that’s up to you, but I used about 1/2 a teaspoon and it just had a nice little kick.

Oh, and its healthy, which is always a bonus!

Ingredients:

• 200g lentils
• 200g tofu, cubed
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 3 tsp medium curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 400g passata
• 1/2 tin coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
• As much cayenne pepper as you like
• Rice for serving, or if you like, any type of bread you want

Method:

1. Cook the lentils according to the instructions, but make sure they’re not too mushy as they will cook more later.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauce for a few minutes until soft and golden.
3. Next, add the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, sugar, garlic and ginger and stir in for a couple of minutes.
4. Then add the passata and cook until heated through.
5. Finally, add the lentils, tofu and coconut milk and stir to combine. Simmer for 15-20 mins. The lentils will turn mushy eventually and become part of the sauce, but this is a good thing! If you prefer firmer lentils, cook them for less time initially.
6. Serve over cooked rice, or dip in some naan bread, and enjoy!