This bowl of lentil curry which is bit of a twist on traditional dahl makes for such a cozy and filling weekday dinner that can be enjoyed both with rice or just as soup and is not only comforting but also nutritious and easy, not to mention completely plant based and unbelievably delicious.
This can be tailor made to suit your taste buds. It can be made spicier or more sombre and is a great way to clear the crisper drawer of any lingering forgotten vegetables.
All you need are some vegetables of choice and here I have beans, carrots, spinach and pepper along with the very essential flavour base that’s made of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Also soaked lentils, coconut milk and turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder and cumin seeds.
chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces and boil with soaked lentils until the lentils and vegetables are soft. Do not boil spinach along with the veg and lentils.
Chop the tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic and keep aside.
In a large pan heat some coconut oil
Add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter
add the onions
with some salt and cook until golden brown.
add the ginger and garlic
and cook until it no longer smells of raw garlic.
Now add the tomatoes followed by spices that are coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala and red chilli powder.
Stir well to combine and keep stirring until the tomatoes are cooked.
Now add the coconut milk and bring to a boil
and add in the spinach if using.
The curry at this stage will be quite thick and you might need to add water.
Let it simmer and come to a boil and this will really draw out the flavour from the coconut milk.
Add the cooked lentil and veg. I might have cooked mine too long but that’s fine.
Add some salt because the curry will need it.
I also ended up adding some more chilli powder because I like this curry a bit spicy.
Let it simmer for a few minutes before turning off the flame and putting a lid on to let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Depending on how thick or thin you want this curry water can be added.
Serve hot with flatbreads or rice or just help yourself to a large bowl and let it nourish and heal you this winter.
Ingredients Red lentils : 60g Yellow lentils: 100g Coconut milk: 250g Tomatoes : 200g (2 medium) Onion: 150g (1 medium) garlic and ginger chopped: 1 tbsp each Chopped veg: 350-400g Coconut oil: 1 tbsp Water: 700mls Spinach: 100g (optional) Salt to taste Spices Cumin seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric : 1 tsp Coriander powder, garam masala: 2 tsp
Recipe instructions:
Soak the lentils overnight or at least 3-4 hours before cooking. Add the chopped vegetables to the lentils and cook until softened. Leave out the spinach if using.
For the flavour base dice the tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic and keep aside.
In a large pan heat some coconut oil and add the cumin seeds until they splutter. Add chopped onions and some salt and cook until the onions are golden brown in colour. Add ginger and garlic and cook until the garlic no longer smells raw. (roughly a minute). Add in the chopped tomatoes along with the spices and cook until the tomatoes have softened.
Pour in the coconut milk and let it simmer before finally adding in the spinach if using. Add some water to thin out the curry and some more salt.
Let it come to a bubble before finally adding in the cooked lentils and vegetables.
Put a lid on the pan and let it gently simmer for a few minutes.
Lastly check for seasonings and add more salt or other spices as needed.
If it’s too thick then you can add some water but let it come to a boil again after that.
Serve hot.
Kofta’s are one of the most mouth water inducing recipes from Indian kitchen’s. Loved by all, and cooked to celebrate special occasions, or a sometime treat or just celebrating the onset of a weekend, which is why I had cooked it. It’s rich, it’s spicy and unbelievably flavourful. The process though elaborate is hardly difficult. If I can make it anyone in this galaxy can..
take the gourd and grate it well. If you’re like me- keep a band aid handy.
this is what the green mass of the gourd will look like.
throw it in a deep pan- mine looks like a well, but yours doesn’t need to. Throw it in without adding any water- keeping the heat on very low cover and cook for not more then 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes you’ll see all this water accumulated in your pan or well in my case. We need to separate that- take a cheesecloth or any fine cloth and drain, squeeze it using your hands, but please let this stuff cool down first or wear gloves. squeeze out all the water- any moisture ad it will refuse to bind completely, and we don’t want to fry a mess of green mass.
This is what it will look like after draining out the water. You will realize the mass has reduced. fret not.. it’s A-OK..
This is our line up of ingredients for the Kofta’s. Boiled & mashed potatoes. I used some leftovers from the 
This is what it’s all going to look like once we have mixed it well.
Scoop out small bits of this mixture and using your hands roll them into balls or these cylindrical little babies. I always make them this way cuz my mom always made them so, and they taste amazing and I miss my mom now…
Drain them on a paper towel resist the urge to eat them. they’re perfectly edible this way with some ketchup. great snack or beer companions.. I had 4 .. No I didn’t eat any.. yes I did.
This is the line up of the curry ingredients. 1 big fat onion, 1 not so fat tomato red as blood, 2 green chillies the spicier the better, 3-4 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger.. Blend it all together.
fresh out of the blender and a mess on my kitchen counter. this is what it will look like.
This is what it’ll look like while it’s cooking. Give it around 10 minutes to completely cook. You’ll know it’s cooked when you feel like dipping your face into the curry. resist the urge- no good outcomes.. trust me.
Here it is, now completely cooked. Blistering red and flavorful. Add in 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2-3 tsp salt (depending on your love for salt), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, stir and let cook for another few minutes.
Finally add in water arund 250 mls, give it a good stir to combine with all the paste, check to taste, and add in salt according to your taste. add in 1/4 tsp of sugar to balance out the salt and spices and when almost done, add in the kofta’s and cover for a few minutes before serving.
Into a blender put in 1 onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1 green chilly, 1/2 inch of ginger and blend into a frenzy.
this is what you’ll get after blitzing it all together. A very nice and grainy paste.
heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and pour the puree into it and let it cook. In the meantime lets get on with the rest of the ingredients
Here it is, the glorious, red tomato pulp.
In the meanwhile, we have the onion, garlic and ginger puree now cooked and ready for the grated tomato pulp to be added in.
The gravy is turning a brilliant red after adding in the tomato. I have let it all cook for 5 minutes and added in the salt and given it a good stir. Make sure that you have cooked it all through before you add in the spices.
1 tsp of dried coriander into the cooked tomato onion gravy..
1/4 tsp cinnamon for the brilliant aftertaste.. cinnamon has to be my favourite spice hands down!!!
Finally, 200 mls water to the whole paste.. this is what turns it all into a wonderful curry..
The last & final addition of eggs into the curry, after which just cover and simmer for another 5 minutes..Do keep checking it by tasting it for salt.. we all have different love for salt
