My photos may not look too appetising…but trust me, this Indian feast was delicious for dinner on Thursday night.
Indian Feast
Dahl
200g red lentils
2 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbs oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 green chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp garam masala
lots of fresh spinach
Place lentils and 3 cups water in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, add the ginger and turmeric, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add the garlic, onion and mustard, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is golden. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and chilli and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir gently to combine. Stir through finely chopped spinach and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and garam masala and season with salt and pepper.
Naan
7g dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup butter, melted
(I put all the ingredients except the garlic and butter in my bread maker and put it on the bread roll setting, so it did all of the kneading and first rising for me…but if you do it by hand follow the recipe…)
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth.
Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise for one hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray.
Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Heat a grill pan or fry pan to medium heat. Roll one ball of dough into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned.
Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over.
Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue process until all the naan has been prepared.
Minted Yoghurt
1 cup natural yoghurt
Bunch fresh mint
Finely chop mint and stir through yoghurt.
Serve with dahl and naans.
