Not the best of photos, but life is too short to style dal!
People know that I enjoy cooking and that I generally like to eat healthily, and well and often. Some are also aware of my trying to stick to a vegan diet “for at least 80% of the time as it makes me feel healthier and it is better for the planet”*. As a result I often receive offerings from friends, family and neighbours, and in the late summer, I can guarantee that there will be at least one enormo courgette making my way to my kitchen. I love food, I particularly love free food, and being given food is best of all. According to the BBC’s Gardening site courgettes should be harvested at 4″, I think that I would let them grow a little more, one per person as a side dish would be about right. Occasionally one will escape harvest , courgettes, it will appear, are masters of camouflage and the enormo courgette will make its appearance and be presented to me. I hate to waste food, so have come up with several enormo courgette coping strategies.
Here is a simply lentil dal (or however one spells it), containing chopped courgette, red lentils and spices. I should have no need to say how good lentils are, healthy, cheap, satisfying, delicious and low GI. It would be lovely topped with crispy onions, but this time I left them off. A dash of turmeric would make it a brighter yellow. This served 2 greedy people with rice.
Courgette and Red Lentil Dal (Serves 2 as a main)
Glug sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8oz red lentils
1/2 pint stock (I use Marigold)
Enormo courgette – chopped into 1cm cubes. I used about 12oz.
Heat the oil in the pan, add the spices, stirring all the fry them for a few minutes until they release their aroma, add the lentils and stir for another minute. Take the pan off the heat and add the stock. Simmer for 10 mins, add the courgette and stir in. Simmer for another 10 mins until the lentils are soft adding more water when needed. Mine needed about another 1/4 pint, but it will depend on the amount of courgette.
Serve with rice and chutneys. This freezes and microwaves well making it a good packed lunch. Add some more stock to make a soup.
* My quotes; food ethics are complicated, and ever evolving, and sometimes it is just easier to give the short answer.
I LOVE a good dal.
I also agree with you on food ethics :]
I love the many spellings of dahl (I guess that’s the one I immediately think of), but I love how delicious it is even more! This sounds delicious and looks super easy. I shall certainly be giving this a go!
Love dahl and still have a couple of courgettes that escaped earlier picking, so great idea and will be making this tonight – yum.
[...] at Fuss Free Flavours has cooked a healthy and wholesome courgette and red lentil dhal and a Four Seed Tapenade that would be excellent on pasta, plus a Harissa Lentil Salad With [...]