Meatless meal of curried lentils

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 14

Meatless meal of curried lentils

It's nice to have a fewvegetarian recipes “up your sleeve." This one has an interesting spicy flavour, but is not hot.

You can make it in 30 minutes, using ingredients from your dry stores cupboard so it’s a useful standby if you have to produce a quick meal fon. a group of people. If you have the feeling that you may have some vegetarian guests among a large group of people, include this in a buffet meal. It goes well alongside meat curries and casseroles. Lentils are a good protein food — especially if they are served with a cereal, particularly whole grain cereal. Lentils and brown rice are very good together. Serve this with sliced tomatoes and a cucumber and yoghurt salad, and you have an interesting mixture of textures and flavours — high in protein and fibre, low in cost. Do not, however, expect something like this to taste of meat! P/2 cups (250 g lentils 2 cups water 1 or 2 bayleaves 'A cup oil or 50g butter

Alison Hoist’s

Food Facts

2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander .1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup chopped carrot 1 cup celery 1 teaspoon salt *2 cup water' Put the lentils, water, and bayleavbs into a mediumsized saucepan. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the water., has disappeared. As soon as you have put the lentils on to cook, start to prepare the second mixture.

Heat the oil or butter, then add the next six ingredients.

Stir together, cover and cook over a moderate heat for five minutes. Stir at intervals. Then add chopped vegetables and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the salt and water, cover and cook for five minutes more, until vegetables are just tender. Combine the lentil and vegetable mixtures and stir over a very low heat for about five minutes. Taste and add more salt, and pepper, if desired. Serve with boiled rice, or with brown rice. If serving brown rice, put it on to cook before starting to make the lentil mixture. Brown rice needs to cook for 40 to 45 minutes before it is tender.