Cooking with Dr. Mom: Indian lentil curry

I've decided since it seems my mum is a regular contributor, she should have her own title for her posts. I've settled on "Cooking with Dr. Mom". I've called it that because she's a family doctor and she cooks very healthy meals. But she's also a mom (my mom!) and so her cooking is homey and delicious. I hope you enjoy her Indian lentil curry, made with leftover lentils from her Vietnamese-inspired lentil salad. I can almost smell its tantalizing spices through the computer screen!

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When I cook up beans or lentils or grains I always double (or triple!) what I need so that I can have left overs for another recipe.  Pre-cooked ingredients make meal prep on a work night much faster.  I had extra black beluga lentils after making the vietnamese inspired lentil salad and so I made this Indian curry, inspired by a similar recipe by Madhur Jaffrey.

Recipe: Indian lentil curry

Spice mixture
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp water

2 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
2 medium tomatoes, diced
6 oz (about 1 1/2 Cups)  fresh green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups cooked black lentils (can substitute green lentils)
5 oz fresh baby spinach (1 small box)
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Makes 2 main course servings

Combine spice mixture in a small bowl to make a thin paste.

Heat oil in a large covered sauce pan (I used a 12 inch covered skillet).  When oil is hot add the spice mixture (watch out for spattering!).  Fry until the water is mainly evaporated and the spices are fragrant - about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, green beans, sliced carrot and tomato paste.  Cover and simmer over medium heat until the beans and carrot are tender cooked, about 10 min.  Keep an eye on the pot and add more water if the mixture is getting too dry.  The goal is to have the beans cooked with the water almost all evaporated.

Add the cooked lentils to tomato mixture to heat through.  Just before serving add the spinach and cilantro to the lentil mixture and cook over med-high heat until the spinach has cooked down and is well stirred into the lentil mixture - about 3-4 minutes.

Serve over rice or with naan bread. (I served with Greek style pita because vegan, lower fat and lower sodium than naan bread)

Variations in Mint, Part 1: Mint, lentil, and quinoa salad

Today was the first day in Montreal that actually feels warm, and it was a beautiful thing after the unusually long winter we've had. It was the first day since last summer that the weather forecast included the UV index! The sun was out today, the birds were singing, and people were out and about in t-shirts. It's starting to feel like summer may even arrive one day. I was feeling in a summer mood, and nothing says summer like fresh herbs. I picked up a large bundle of mint at the grocery store early this afternoon and by the early evening I had already used it up. It went into two different recipes. The first was a mint, lentil, and quinoa salad, and the second (which will be described in the next post) was mint iced-tea. Both taste like the summer we're all yearning for in Montreal!

I made this mint, lentil, and quinoa salad this evening before I went for a run and I let it marinate while I was running. By the time I'd gotten back and had stretched, the flavours had all mixed and melded together quite well. I have no doubt that this salad will be even better tomorrow. Feel free to mix up the vegetables to your taste. I think it would be good with a diced yellow or orange bell pepper. It could even be good with chopped fruit mixed in, maybe orange or honeydew melon. I made this salad with a bulgar-quinoa mix that I found at my local grocery store, but it would be just as delicious with regular quinoa. All of the volumes are approximate and depend on your personal preferences.

This is the quinoa-bulgar mix I used and it turned out great. Feel free to substitute regular quinoa.

Here's to the summer -- I sure hope it comes quickly!


Recipe: Mint, lentil, and quinoa salad
3 meal-sized servings or 6 side dish servings

Ingredients:

Salad
-1 cup diced tomatoes
-1 cup diced cucumber
-1 cup chopped mint (loosely packed)
-1-1/2 cups cooked lentils (dried or canned)
-2 cups cooked quinoa or quinoa/barley mix

Dressing
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 limes worth of lime juice
-1 tbs dijon mustard
-3 tbs white sugar
-1 small clove of garlic
-salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together all the salad ingredients. You may wish to wait until the quinoa has cooled somewhat so that it doesn't wilt the mint.

2. Mix together the dressing ingredients, then dress the salad.

3. Enjoy as is, over a bed of lettuce, or with some crusty bread.