Piffle - So what CAN you do with....

[Toothache]

....Lentils?????

All I can do is make lentil soup and perhaps add a handful to a curry!!!

Over to you....

Sweet and Sour Red Lentils red lentil
Madhur Jaffrey, from Flavours of India
by Madhur Jaffrey, from Flavours of India

Serves 4

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Vegetarian

Ingredients
250g/9oz/1¼ cups red lentils
¼tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp mustard or any other vegetable oil
½ tsp brown mustard seeds
½ tsp panch phoran
4 hot dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
1¼-1½ tsp salt
2 tbsp thick tamarind paste or to taste
1 tbsp sugar or to taste

Method

1. Wash the lentils in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Put them in a medium-sized pan with the turmeric and mix. Cover with 1l/1¾pt/4½ cups water. Bring the lentils to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir now and then during the last 10 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, mash with a spoon to a pulp-like consistency.
2. Heat the oil in a large, wide, preferably non-stick pan or wok over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop, a matter of seconds, add the panch phoran, chillies and a bay leaf. Stir and fry for 5-6 seconds or until the chillies darken in colour. Add the cooked lentils, 150ml/5fl oz water and the salt. Stir to mix. Add the tamarind paste, a little at a time to get the sourness you desire. Add just enough sugar to balance the sourness. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. The finished dal should have the consisitency of a thick purée.

Vegetarian Chilli green lentil
no chef by The Vegetarian Society
Serves 4-6

Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Vegetarian

Ingredients
4-6 portions rice
For the sauce:
175g/6oz green lentils
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 red and 1 green pepper, stalk and seeds removed, and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
300ml/½ pint vegetable stock (make with a stock cube or bouillon powder)
100g/4oz frozen peas
3 tbsp vegetarian pesto
175g/6oz mushrooms, wiped and quartered
1 courgette, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can kidney beans, drained and cooked

Method

1. Place the green lentils in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. (Alternatively, buy a tin of pre soaked lentils.) Drain.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion and garlic together with the chilli and cumin, until the onions are softening.
3. Add the peppers, carrots and drained green lentils and cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, peas and pesto, bring to the boil and simmer until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes). Add the mushrooms and courgettes and simmer for 5 minutes more.
4. Season to taste.
5. Add the cooked kidney beans and simmer for 5 more minutes.
6. Serve with cooked rice.

sorry didnt mean to hijack

Sounds great, but is Panch phoran likely to be kicking around my pantry?

patties
also spiced puy lentilsa superb accompaniment to grilled marinated chicken breasts
curry such as dhansak or a dahl
The list goes on, of course you can also cook them until hard and form them into your own sandals, but you'd have to knit the top bit yourself

Piffle - Oooo like the idea of sandals!! I can actually knit! >earth mother tendencies ooozing out

oooh TA you're so unworldly

i hadnt even looked TBH just went on to the bbc food website

never even heard of that before

I consider myself a culnary goddess with a universal knowledge of spices but WTF is panch phoran?

I feel a google coming on...

cheeky poncy buggers
5 spice...
BAH

Yes indeed. Panch phoran is a Bengali mixture of 5 spices. To make it you just mix together equal parts of ...

cumin seed
fenugreek seed
kalonji (onion seed)
fennel seed
black mustard seed

Dry roasting the seeds first will give added depth to their flavour.

Thanks for clarifying that Piffle. I must remember to impress my friends with that at a dinner party.

eg

"Oh Sweetie you don't know what Panch Phoran is???? I just couldn't do without it now.... I throw it into everything!"