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Lentils Beans Pulses

Spicy Indian Red Lentil Dahl

by admin on August 25, 2008

Ingredients:

  • 350 grams of washed red/puy lentils
  • 2 400g tins of crushed plum tomatoes
  • 2 medium onions chopped
  • 2 gloves of garlic crushed
  • 1 fresh chilli chopped
  • 2cm knob of fresh ginger, grated
  • 1tsp of mustard seeds
  • 1tsp of cumin seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 5cm of cinnamon stick
  • 1tsp of gara masala
  • 1/2 tsp of ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp of vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 1tbsp of salt
  • white pepper
  • 1 tsp of sugar

Method:

Heat the vegetable oil in the bottom of a thick based pan until very hot. Add the cloves and cinnamon stick to the oil and allow to fry and release flavours for 30 seconds. Then add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Leave for another 30 seconds or until mustard and cumin seeds begin to crack. Add the gara masala, coriander, cumin and turmeric to the oil (it’s easier to have these ready to go on a plate prior to cooking), followed by the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and fresh chilli. Continue to stir onions and cook until soft (you may need to turn down the heat at this stage).

Once the onions are soft, add the crushed tomatoes and lentils to the pot and stir. Add water to the pot so that everything is covered by 1cm of liquid (for a runny dahl add more water - this can be done during the cooking process). Add the salt, pepper and sugar to taste (more sugar might be needed if the tomatoes are very acidic).

At this stage turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until lentils start to break up. Check regularly as more water may need to be added if the dahl starts to dry out. For quicker cooking time, soak the lentils in water for 20 minutes prior to cooking.

Serve as an accompaniment to a curry or with some naan bread and a salad.

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Chorizo and Bean Stew

by admin on August 25, 2008

This is an easy recipe that can be cooked up in one pan. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare so you don’t have to spend all night in the kitchen when you get back from the gym or from work. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

  • 2 rashers of chopped bacon
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 plump tomatoes
  • 400g can of cannelloni or butter beans
  • 2 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp of chopped rosemary
  • 1 tsp of chopped thyme
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 2 medium chorizo sausages (about 10cm)
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 bay leaf

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in your saucepan on a medium heat. Add the bacon and the bay leaf and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is browned. Chop the tomatoes. Tip the beans into a sieve and rinse them under the cold tap. Shake them well so they dry out. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme to the pan and cook until you get a good waft of the delicious flavours. Stir in the paprika and then the tomatoes. Turn down the heat a bit and cook until the tomatoes have collapsed and given out some of their juice.

While the tomatoes are cooking, chop the chorizo into 1cm wide slices and add them to the pan, along with the beans and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Pour in 100ml of water and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste - season if required. Stir in the parsley and what’s left of the oil.

Serve with some hot crusty bread or warm over some lettuce leaves and a slice of garlic toast.

Per portion:

515 calories; 42g carbohydrates; 27g protein; 19g of fat.

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