Spicy lentils and cabbage

hello there everyone, I'm back after what seems like a very long time. I think I've just been lying around in the sun trying to think up some tasty treats for you all. Tonights recipe is for spicy lentils and cabbage. Cabbage? Are you joking? That's that horrid stuff your mum used to boil for three days until all life had been eradicated from it while filling the house with the smell of your dads old socks - well that what I used to think until I came up with this recipe. Its actually a bastardised version of a lentil and cabbage salad that I found in some famous chef's cook book but I forget which one now. Anyway, I thought it would be nice with some spices in it so I made this up. Why not try it out and give me your opinions on the recipe - I'd be interested to hear what you think of it.


Ingredients

200g of whole brown lentils (rinsed and soaked for 8 hours)
1 teaspoon fengreek seeds
small piece of cinnamon bark
1 bay leaf

Stick the above ingredients in a pan of boiling salted water for 5 mins then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 -40 mins until the lentils are tender (but not total mush!). Drain lentils using a sieve.

1 Large onion
3 cloves of garlic (crushed and finely chopped)
2" piece of ginger (finely chopped)
Third of a medium sized savoy cabbage (sliced)
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds (dry fried for a few mins then ground)
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (as coriander seeds)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Half teaspoon chili powder
Juice from half a lemon
A handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves

Method

Cut the onion in half and peel. Then slice to give roughly half moon shape thin slices. Add these to a medium sized pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil (i used ground nut oil today) and a pinch of salt. Gently cook for about 10 mins until the onions have turned translucent.

Turn up the heat a little and add all the spices. Cook for about 3 mins and then add the ginger and garlic cooking for a further 2 mins. Now add the cabbage and stir fry in the spicy onion mix for a couple of mins. Its important not to over cook the cabbage - try and leave a little bit of bite in it.

Finally and the cooked lentils and combine together adding the lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves at the end.

Serve and enjoy !



This is again quite a versatile wee dish. I like to have this as a main course with a poached egg on top - the runny yolk over the spicy lentils is yummy. Its also good as a side dish with another curry dish.

This recipe is also pretty healthy for your body. Theres lots of vitamins and fibre in the cabbage, protein in the lentils and various protective properties against cancers of the gut and colon from the turmeric and fenugreek. Don't take my word for it though, have a read what it says over on wikipedia about turmeric. It appears to have more medicinal properties than you can shake a stick at.

Hope to see you all next time.