Fragrant Chicken Curry

In this curry, instead of starting with onions fried in ghee, 
which thicken the gravy, lentils are used as thickening. 

This fragrant curry can be served with basmati rice or with Indian flat bread.

Ingredients:

125ml red lentils

30ml mild curry powder

10ml ground coriander

5ml cumin seeds

500ml chicken stock

8 chicken thighs, skinned

225g fresh or frozen shredded spinach, thawed and well drained

15ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh coriander sprigs to garnish

Method:

Rinse the lentils under cold running water. Put into a large pan with the curry powder, ground coriander, cumin seeds and stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and spinach. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the chopped coriander and season to taste.

Serve garnished with coriander sprigs and accompanied by rice or Indian flat bread.

Serves 4

Punjabi Chana Masala Powder

This delicate masala is used for chickpea curry or for spicing up other dhal or lentil dishes.

Ingredients:
30ml Cumin Seeds
15ml Caraway Seeds
5 Dry Red Chilli
5ml Turmeric powder
15ml Coriander Seeds
7.5ml Ground Black Pepper
5ml Ground Cloves
15ml White Sesame Seeds
10 Green Cardamom

4 Black Cardamom
7.5ml Dry ground Ginger
15ml Dry Mango Powder - Amchur

10ml Ground Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
1 Star Anise
2.5ml Ground Nutmeg
15ml Rock Salt


Method:
Dry roast all the whole spices one by one and allow to cool.

Cool all the ingredients and grind into smooth powder using spice mill. Cool powdered masala, and store in air tight container.

Red Lentil Soup

In Istanbul and Izmir on the Aegean Sea lentil soups, which are light and subtly spiced, are served as an appetizer or snack. In Anatolia, Lentil and bean soups flavoured with tomato and spices are usually served as a meal on their own.

Ingredients:

45ml olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

10ml chopped garlic

1 fresh red birds eye chilli, seeded and finely chopped

5-10ml cumin seeds

5-10ml coriander seeds

1 carrot, finely chopped or grated

5ml ground fenugreek

5ml sugar

15ml tomato paste

250ml split red lentils

1.75L vegetable or chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve:

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

4-6 lemon wedges

Method:

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, cumin and coriander and stir. When the onion begins to colour, toss in the carrot and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Now add the fenugreek, sugar and tomato paste and stir in the lentils.

Pour in the stock, stir well and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, partially cover the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils have broken up. If the soup is too thick, thin it down with a little water. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

If you prefer a smooth texture, blend it with a stick blender and reheat if necessary. Serve the soup straight from the pan. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and sprinkle each bowl liberally with the chopped onion and parsley. Serve with a wedge of lemon on the side to squeeze over the soup.

Serves 4-6

Lamb Dhansak

This is a one pot curry that just needs rice and a relish or chutney to go with it. You could also make it with chicken instead of lamb. Ideally, this needs to be started the day before it is to be eaten.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
500g stewing lamb or mutton, cut into cubes
500g yellow lentils
110g red lentils
110g mung beans, soaked overnight
Oil or ghee for frying
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
5ml turmeric powder
5ml coriander powder
5ml cumin powder
1 brinjal (aubergine), peeled and diced
250g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced
Salt
500g fresh spinach leaves, well washed and drained

For the Curry Paste:
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6-8 dried red chillies
6 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5ml black peppercorns
15ml coriander seeds
15ml cumin seeds

Method:
Rinse and drain the lentils and mung beans. Grind all the curry paste ingredients with a little water to make a smooth paste.

Heat the oil or ghee and fry the onions until golden brown, then stir in the curry paste, turmeric, coriander and cumin and stir-fry gently for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the lamb and cook gently over a low heat until the meat is coated with the curry paste and any liquid from the meat has been absorbed. The dish should be quite dry.

Add the lentils, mung beans, brinjal and pumpkin or squash and stir in a little water to form a gravy. Season with salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the meat is cooked and tender.

Remove the meat from the pan and put to one side. Purée the lentils, vegetables and gray with a hand blender and return the meat to this mixture.

Quickly stir-fry the spinach in hot oil, then add to the lamb mixture and serve.

Lentil Wari

Wari are a type of dumpling made from lentils, beans or rice. Any one of these staple ingredients is soaked in water till soft, then ground, spiced and formed into little cakes, like scones, cone-shapes or balls. Of course they can be made fresh and used immediately, but more often these are made in large batches and dried for later use. They can then be stored away in airtight containers and used when required. When adding them to a stew or curry it is advisable to add extra water to the dish so that there is sufficient gravy to cook them in.

Ingredients:
1kg yellow split peas (chana dhal), Chinese mung beans (moong dhal), or puy lentils
1 bunch of spring onions
1 head of garlic, peeled
500g green beans
10ml ground turmeric
5ml ground coriander
10ml ground cumin
2 bunches of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
250g green chillies, minced
30ml vegetable oil
salt to taste
5-10ml garam masala

Method:
Preheat the oven to 120-150C.
Soak the lentils over night. In the morning, put them in a blend them to a thick paste. Ad the onions, garlic and green beans to the blender and blend them into the lentil paste. Add the spices, coriander leaves, minced chillies, vegetable oil and salt to taste. Mix well.

Prepare baking trays, lined with baking paper. Shape tablespoonfuls of mixture into flattened balls or cone-shapes and place them on the baking trays with a little space between each. Place the trays in the oven for 1-2 hours to dry. If they begin to brown, your oven is too hot. Once the cakes are dry and hard, remove them from the oven and allow to cool before packing in airtight containers for use in curries or stews as required.

Yellow Rice with Lentils

This is a bit more substantial and makes a change from plain rice as an accompaniment to a curry.

Ingredients:
175g puy lentils
350g long grain rice
100g ghee or clarified butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
8-10 cloves
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
5ml turmeric
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:
Wash the rice under cold running water until the water runs clean. Place in a large bowl with the lentils and soak in cold water for 2 hours or more.

Heat the ghee or clarified butter in a frying pan and gently fry the onions and garlic over low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, but not coloured. Add the spices and seasoning and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

Drain the rice and lentils and add to the onion, garlic and spices in the pan, stirring well to make sure all the rice grains are coated with the mixture. Add 900ml boiling water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes until the rice grains are tender.

Remove the lid from the pan but leave on the heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid has all been absorbed. Serve hot.

Cooks Tip:

To crush cardamom pods, put them on a wooden chopping board and place a heavy based pan on top of them, exerting downward pressure. The pods just need to pop so that the seeds inside can be exposed to the cooking liquids in the dish you are preparing.

Vegetarian Lentil Curry

Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fibre, making them a good meat replacement. Lentils have a mild, often earthy flavour with the added advantage of cooking quickly and are best cooked with quite strong spices. The best and most delicate of lentils are the French or puy lentils, which are greyish green in colour with a peppery flavour. They tend to hold their shape well but take longer to cook than other lentils. The milder brown lentils also hold their shape while cooking but become mushy if overcooked. Lentil curry is usually served with Indian breads and rice.

Ingredients:
160ml finely diced onion
160ml finely diced carrot
160ml finely diced celery
15ml olive oil
15ml chopped garlic
15ml curry powder
5ml ground cumin
5ml dried thyme
2ml freshly ground black pepper
2ml cayenne pepper
1 cup sorted and rinsed dried puy lentils
750ml water
1 litre trimmed and shredded chard stems
10ml rich soy sauce
15ml olive oil

Method:
In a large saucepan oer medium heat, fry the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, curry powder, cumin, thyme, black pepper and cayenne pepper and fry for another minute.

Add the lentils and water, stir well to combine and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chard stems and the soy sauce, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Check seasoning and serve.

Warm Puy Lentil and Mint Salad

The lentil is a type of pulse of the legume family, believed to have originated in the Near East and has been part of the human diet since Neolithic times. It was one of the first crops to be domesticated. With more than a quarter of their nutritious value coming from protein, lentils today make up an important part of the diet being essential sources of inexpensive protein in many parts of the world, especially in areas that are predominantly vegetarian. These nutritious little pulses also provide plenty of dietary fibre, some B vitamins and are a good source of iron. There are many different colour lentils, ranging through yellow, orange, red, green, brown and black. Here we are using the common Puy, green or continental lentil, which is easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
300g dried Puy lentils

2 large handfuls of mint leaves

50g pine nuts

1 garlic clove, chopped

50ml extra virgin olive oil

5ml chilli flakes

zest and juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

30g butter

Method:

Put the lentils in a pan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring the pan to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until tender but still retaining their shape.

Meanwhile process the mint leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and lemon zest into a rough pesto. Retain a little texture; you don't want your pesto too smooth. Add the chilli flakes and lemon juice. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the lentils well and return to the pan. Stir the pesto through the lentils, adding the butter and warming over a low heat to melt it through the lentils. Serve immediately.

Festive Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks used to be quite an inexpensive meal.

Perhaps not so now as they have grown in popularity.

Here's a nice way to make shanks into

a warming dish for the festive season.

I have used ginger, cinnamon and cloves

as these are festive spices.

If you don't like it too chilli hot

you can reduce the amount of chilli,

or even leave it out.

Ingredients:
30-50ml vegetable oil for frying
4 lamb shanks
2 white onions, finely chopped
10ml turmeric
5ml ground ginger
5ml ground cinnamon
10ml ground chillis or chilli flakes
6 whole cloves
2ml grated nutmeg
125ml raisins
100ml sherry
30ml honey
20ml light soy sauce
125ml red lentils
toasted almond flakes to garnish

Method:
Brown the shanks all over in a pan deep enough to cook them in. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
In the same pan, braise the chopped onions until they are translucent.
Add the spices and mix with the braised onions. Cook on medium heat until the spices begin to release their aroma.
Soak the raisins in the sherry, warming them in the microwave for a minute to help them absorb the liquor.
Add the sherry and raisins, honey and soy sauce to the onion and spices and return the shanks to the pan. Baste them with the liquid in the pan, cooking for a minute or two.
Add enough boiling water to cover the shanks and return pan to the boil.
Reduce the heat, put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for about 90 minutes.
Test for seasoning and add salt if required.
Add the lentils and simmer without the lid on the pan until the lentils break down.
Serve with couscous and garnish with toasted almond flakes.

Aromatic Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

100ml vegetable oil
8 lamb shanks
2 Onions
4 garlic cloves
2ml sea salt
15ml turmeric
5ml ground ginger
5ml chilli flakes
10ml ground cinnamon
2ml freshly ground nutmeg
5ml freshly ground black pepper
50ml honey
15ml soy sauce
50ml medium sherry
100ml red lentils
50ml chopped blanched almonds to garnish

Method:
Put 50ml of the oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks, in batches, in the pan and then remove to a roasting tin or whatever else you've got to hand to sit them in.
Peel the onions and garlic and process in a food processor or chop them finely by hand.
Add the remaining oil to the pan, and fry the onion-garlic mush until soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it catching.
Stir in the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, and season with some freshly ground pepper. Stir again, adding the honey, soy sauce and Sherry.
Put the shanks back in the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 to 1 and a half hours or until the meat is tender.
Add the red lentils and cook for about 20 minutes longer without a lid, until the lentils have softened into the sauce, and the juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Check for seasoning.
Toast the nuts by heating them for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, and sprinkle onto the lamb as you serve it.

Boereworse with Continental Lentils

Boereworse is the traditional South African sausage inspired by the Dutch.

Although boereworse is great on the braai,

it's also great cooked in a pan for a cold winter's supper.

Here is more of a continental touch

to serving boereworse.

Ingredients:
olive oil
Boereworse, coiled and skewered so as to hold its shape while cooking.
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 sprigs of rosemary and 4-5 sage leaves, chopped together
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3-4 pieces of oven-dried tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes if you have them. If you prefer you can use a fresh, seeded and skinned tomato with a teaspoonful of muscovado sugar added to increase the sweetness.
125ml continental lentils, cooked in water. (I don't add salt to the water because this makes the skins of the lentils hard.)
125ml red wine
125ml chicken stock
30ml fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:
Add enough olive oil to a frying pan to coat the base of the pan. Allow the oil to heat up then add the coil of boereworse. Fry on both sides until cooked through.
Remove the the worse from the pan, take off some of the fat and add the wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer until the wine has been reduced to about 1/3. Pour off the reduced red wine.
In the same pan, heat about 30ml of olive oil, add the garlic, shallot and sweat until glassy. Add the herbs, the chilli and the tomatoes and fry gently until the vegetables are all soft.
Transfer the cooked, drained lentils to the pan with the reduced wine and chicken stock.
Simmer to reduce and thicken the sauce. Finally add the chopped parsley and season to taste.
Transfer the lentils to a serving dish, top with the coil of boereworse and serve.