Lentil Curry Mega Flavour Lentil Food

MEGA MUSHROOM & LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Cook the rice in a pan of boiling salted water for 25 minutes, or until tender, then drain well. Tip back into the pan, finely grate in the lemon zest and squeeze in half the juice, season to taste, then cover.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger, then half, deseed and finely chop the chilli. Peel and finely slice the onion.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the garlic, ginger and chilli, followed by all the spices and fry for 2 minutes to coat.
• Pick and roughly chop the coriander leaves (keep to one side), then finely chop and add the stalks to the pan.
• Add the onion and cook for a further 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened, adding a splash more of oil, if needed.
• Trim and roughly chop the mushrooms and tomatoes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, lentils and 200ml of boiling water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for around 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
• At this stage, remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium-high and leave to bubble away until the sauce thickens and reduces slightly, stirring occasionally.
• Stir through the yoghurt, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
• Divide the curry and lemony rice between your plates, scatter over the coriander leaves, then tuck in.

LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• PREP: Measure the lentils and pick over to remove debris or shriveled lentils, and then thoroughly rinse with water. Add to a bowl, cover them in room-temperature water and let soak for 15-20 minutes. Prep the veggies: finely dice the onion and carrot; finely mince the garlic cloves and the ginger.
• SAUTE: Add the 3 tablespoons butter or oil to a large pot. Heat to medium and once the butter is melted or oil is shimmering, add in the 1 cup onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoon ginger. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add in the 1 cup diced carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 6-8 minutes or until everything is golden. Nothing should be overly browning or burning; if so, turn down the heat. While everything is cooking, measure out the spices.
• SPICES AND TOMATOES: Add the 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon turmeric. Season with salt and pepper; I add 1 and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Increase the heat to high, and stirring constantly, cook for 1-2 minutes or until very fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium. Stir and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Add in 1 teaspoon sugar.
• LENTILS AND LIQUIDS: Thoroughly drain the lentils. Add to the pot along with the can of coconut milk and 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 5-8 minutes or until curry is thick and creamy and lentils are completely tender. If the mixture thickens too much, add a splash of broth or stock and if it's too thin (or lentils aren't tender yet), increase the heat a bit and simmer without the lid.
• FINISHING: Add in the 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro and if desired, stir in the zest and juice of a lemon. Taste and adjust any seasonings; flavors should sing, so add extra salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve over cooked basmati rice if desired (Note 2) and enjoy hot.

LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Rinse lentils in strainer and sort through, removing debris.
• Heat 1 TBS broth in medium soup pot. Saute onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently, until translucent.
• Add garlic, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Continue to sauté for another couple of minutes.
• Add curry powder and mix to bring out its flavour.
• Add rinsed and drained lentils, broth and tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve over rice / toast / etc.
• Notes:.
• I rarely have fresh cilantro so substitute 1-2TBS dried coriander. Usually end up forgetting it altogether though.
• I play fast and loose with the quantities - very forgiving recipe.
• Servings are a guess, I tend to make lots and use up all the vegies I can find.