Lentil Curry - Seriously Yummy!

Sorry it's been awhile between posts! No excuses but life lol

A couple of months ago I went to a curry cooking class hosted by the lovely Falguni Parmar Solanki. She has completely changed my mind set that cooking a good curry takes a lot of time and a long list of ingredients. In the two very short hours I attended the class Falguni showed us how to cook Four that's right FOUR different curries from scratch and then just for fun through in a great way to jazz up French fries the Indian way (watch this space!) The four curries she shared with us were 1. Chicken Curry 2. Salmon Curry (I was sceptical at first but Oh My was it good) 3. Chic Pea Curry and last but not least and my favourite 4. Lentil Curry.

(please excuse the quality of the pictures a photographer I am not)

 

 

 

 



And now for the recipe!

 

Brown Lentils Curry -

 

Ingredients

 

2 tins ( small) of brown lentils, take water off from one of the tin.

Oil 1/4 cup

2 medium size onions ( I prefer brown onions ) chopped into medium pieces.

1 medium size tomatoes chopped into medium pieces.

Garlic paste 1/2 tsp. 

Ginger paste 1/4 tsp.  

Salt 1/2 tsp.

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp. (Optional. I don't use this when I cook it as my family don't respond well to chilli's)

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp.

Cumin n Coriander powder 1 tsp.

Garam Masala 1/4 tsp.( optional)

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp.

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp.

 

Method

 

- Take 1/4 cup of oil in a sauce pan and let it get warm. Then add cumin n mustard seeds and simmer for 30 seconds (be careful not to burn)

- Add chopped onions , tomatoes , ginger paste , garlic paste and all the spices ( salt, chilli, cumin n     coriander , turmeric and Garam masala powder).

- Cook it for 2 minutes ,stir in between.

- Add brown lentils from the tin ( one tin with water and one tin without water) and stir for one more minute.

- Close the lid and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat.

 

Serve with jasmine rice and a dollop of good Greek Natural Yogurt.

 

Notes:- - In this you can add 1no. chopped ( medium size) capsicum , 1no. chopped ( medium size ) carrot. 1no. Chopped ( medium size) potato. - if you find that your soup is bit watery then cook the curry for more 5 minutes without lid on , to get rid of excess water.

 

So that's it in total maybe 15 minutes

 

Rating: 5 Stars!

 

 

5 Star Recipe #2 - Rocket, pear and walnut salad

(as found in New Idea Magazine)

Serves: 8
Prep: 30 Minutes
Cook:  5 Minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup honey
2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar
4 Corella pears
125g packet walnuts
200g baby rocket leaves
200g baby spinach leaves
1 bunch of chives, coarsely chopped

Feta Dressing:

1/2 Cup milk
1 sprig rosemary
50g packet soft feta, crumbled
1/4 Cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Place honey and vinegar in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Cut unpeeled pears lengthways into 1cm-thick slices. Toss pears in honey mixture.
2. Cook pears on a heated, oiled grill pan, or barbecue hotplate on one side only for 1 minute or until golden in colour. Remove and set aside to cool.
3. Toss walnuts in remaining honey and balsamic mixture. Cook on a heated oiled grill pan, turning frequently, for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cook.
4. To make feta dressing, place milk and rosemary in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove and cool. Discard rosemary. Place feta in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in milk a little at a time, to form a smooth paste. Whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place pears, walnuts in a large bowl. Add rocket, spinach and chives. Pour over feta dressing and toss well.

Note: The walnuts taste great if cooked a little longer and candied. A great addition to other salads served this way.

5 Star Recipe #1 - Indian Potato Salad

 



Indian Potato Salad (source New Idea)

Serves: 6
Prep:    35 minutes
Cook:  20 minutes

 

 

Ingredients:

 

8 medium boiling potatoes, peeled                        
1 Cup shelled fresh peas
1 tsp. salt                                                                        
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. curry powder                                                       
½ tsp. turmeric powder
4 spring onions, sliced, to garnish                             

 

Dressing:

1 cup whole egg mayonnaise                                   

2 tblsps lemon juice

1 tblsps water

 

Method:

1.     Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until tender. (be careful not to overcook them) Drain well and place in a large bowl to cool.

2.     Boil, steam or microwave peas until just tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water and drain well again. Add peas to potatoes.

3.     Combine salt, cumin, curry powder and turmeric in a small bowl and mix well. Cook spices in  a small frying pan over a low heat for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove spices from heat and sprinkle over potatoes. Toss potatoes to coat evenly.

4.      Using tongs, take one potato out of bowl at a time and cut into thick slices. Return to bowl.

5.      Make the dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

6.     Pour dressing over potatoes and toss gently to combine. Serve potato salad warm or cold    garnished with spring onions.

 

Note: If you can’t get fresh peas don’t try using frozen just omit that step from the process. Will taste just as delicious.

 



Jamie Oliver

 

 

 

Okay so for those that know me well, they know that I find it near impossible to walk away from a really good cook book. I have quite the collection and I am always eager to add another. Again for those that know me well they also know that I ADORE Jamie Oliver. Recently I have been watching a show of his called Save with Jamie and have been eager to add his cook book to my collection. Well can you imagine then my excitement to walk into my little old grocery store and there in all it's shining glory is the very book I have been practically salivating over! Now my dear husband Luke wasn't quite as excited as I was when I hurried home and even before I had greeted him was thrusting the book at him with a "LOOK"!!!!! But I know he will be excited (and Luke dear the eye rolling isn't appreciated) when I start cooking him some wonderful meals from my oh so sort after prize.

 

Stay tuned for some Jamie recipes!!!!!!

 

 

Oh and side note: I have decided to start rating dishes that I will cook for the first time with a Star rating system of 1 star for really not impressed to a 5 star rating of LOVED and will cook again.

Sauteed Herb Potatoes

Sautéed Herb Potatoes

One of my all time favourite recipes that I found in the Family Circle - Cooking a common-sense guide.

This is especially for my sister Lyn that I had promised to share with her 3 months ago. Sorry, my bad lol








Ingredients:

750g (1 1/2 lb) baby new potatoes (keep skin on)
30g (1 oz) butter
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Cracked black pepper (optional)
2 cloves of crushed Garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped
1 tsp. rock salt

Method:

1. Wash the potatoes, pat dry with paper towels and cut in half. Boil or steam until just tender (really important to not over cook them) Drain.
2.  Heat the butter and the oil in a large heavy based frying pan. When the mixture is foaming, add the potatoes and season with a little black pepper ( I usually leave this part out as my family isn't a huge pepper fan). Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until golden and crisp, tossing regularly so that the potatoes brown evenly.
3. Stir in the garlic, rosemary and rock salt.
4. Cook for 1 minute or until the potatoes are well coated.
5. Serve hot or warm

And there you go, a delicious potato dish that will win accolades from all your family and friends. ENJOY!

Oh and quick side note: You can use more salt then suggested but shhhh just don't tell your doctor.

San Choy Bow