Egg And Lentil Curry With Coconut And Pickled Lime Food

EGG AND LENTIL CURRY WITH COCONUT AND PICKLED LIME

Steps:

• Peel onion, cut it in half and into thin slices. Set aside.
• Combine chili, garlic, lime pickle, ginger root and lime zest in prep bowl as follows: De-seed and finely chop the chili. Put in a prep bowl. Add peeled, chopped garlic, finely chopped lime pickle, finely grated ginger and lime zest. Add turmeric and fenugreek.
• Shred creamed coconut with a sharp knife and placed in a heatproof 4 cup measuring jug. Cover with boiling water up to 1 pint (570 ml) Stir.
• Heat frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, measure the whole spices (cardamom, cumin, fennel and coriander) into it. Dry roast spices for 2 - 3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to toss them around a bit. Don't roast too long. Remove from the heat and put into a mortar. Crush.
• Heat same pan over medium high and add the oil. When hot, add the onions. Brown onions until fairly dark - about 4 minute Add chili etc. from prep bowl, ground roasted spices and coconut water mixture and lentils.
• Cover and simmer as gently as possible for 45 minutes, stirring it now and then (don't add any salt at this stage).
• While lentils are cooking, hard boil eggs. Cool under running cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel under the running water and slice in half.
• When the sauce is ready, season it well with salt and add the lime juice.
• Put the eggs on top of the sauce, and cook covered for a couple of minutes to heat eggs.
• Serve the egg curry with rice, some more lime pickle and perhaps some mango chutney to add a touch of sweetness.

SOUTH INDIAN EGG CURRY WITH RICE & LENTIL PILAU

Steps:

• Mix the rice and lentils in a bowl. Cover with cold water and soak for 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, for the curry, heat the oil in a wok or medium saucepan, then toss in the mustard seeds followed by the curry leaves. Once the leaves have stopped spluttering, reduce the heat and add the onions and ginger. Fry over a medium heat for about 10 mins until golden.
• Stir in the turmeric and chilli powder and cook for a few more secs. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 mins until thickened, adding a splash of water if needed. Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 8 mins, then cool under cold running water before peeling and halving. Add to the curry and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
• To cook the pilau, heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions, ginger and chillies until softened - about 10 mins. Drain the rice and lentils and add to the onions along with the bay leaves.
• Pour over enough water to cover the rice and lentils by a depth of 3cm - about 600ml. Simmer, uncovered, until tender and the cooking liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir the coriander into the curry and fluff up the rice. Serve with mango chutney, yogurt and naan, if you like.

EGG AND LENTIL CURRY WITH COCONUT AND PICKLED LIME

Steps:

• MethodStart off by getting everything prepared and ready to go. First peel the onion, cut it in half and then into thin slices. Next deseed and finely chop the chilli, peel and chop the garlic as well, then measure out the lime pickle and chop that quite finely. You can watch how to chop onions, how to prepare chillis and how to prepare garlic in our Cookery School Videos on the right. Now peel and grate the ginger - you need a good heaped teaspoonful. The creamed coconut should be shredded with a sharp knife and placed in a heatproof measuring jug. At this stage put the kettle on to boil. Now place the frying pan over a medium heat and, as soon as it gets hot, measure the whole spices (cardamom, cumin, fennel and coriander) straight into it. What they need to do now is dry-roast, and this will take 2-3 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to toss them around a bit and, as soon as they start to jump, remove them from the heat and tip them straight into a mortar. Now place the pan back over the heat, turn it up high and add the oil. As soon as it is really hot, add the onions and, keeping the heat highish, let them sizzle and brown and become quite dark at the edges, which will take about 4 minutes. After that, turn the heat back down to medium and add the chilli, ginger, garlic and lime pickle, along with the turmeric and fenugreek. Now crush the roasted spices finely with a pestle, add these to the pan as well, then stir everything together. See to the coconut next: all you need to do here is pour boiling water up to the 1 pint (570 ml) level in the jug containing the coconut, then whisk it all together. Now stir the lentils in to join the rest of the ingredients, add the grated lime zest and the coconut liquid, stir again and, as soon as it reaches simmering point, turn the heat down. Put the lid on and let the mixture simmer as gently as possible for 45 minutes, stirring it now and then (don't add any salt at this stage). About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water, bring them up to a gentle simmer and time them for 6-7 minutes, depending on how you like them. When they're ready, let the cold tap run on them until they're cool enough to handle. When the sauce is ready, season it well with salt and add the lime juice. Now peel the eggs under cold running water, slice them in half and pop them on top of the sauce, giving everything a couple more minutes' cooking with the lid on. Serve the egg curry with rice, some more lime pickle and perhaps some mango chutney to add a touch of sweetness.