Jem’s Gluten Free Eats

This New Year has seen me cooking with more lentils – I think they are amazing. They make such a good replacement for meat, whether that be in shepherds pie, bolognese, chilli – with all the herbs, seasonings and spices that you would normally put in a dish, the flavour isn’t really affected and you don’t miss the meat.

Lentil Dahl is another Indian Restaurant favourite of mine. And I love this recipe because it is so full of flavour and fragrant and also so easy to throw together. It also feels really good to eat because it is so nourishing with the lentils and all the spices – I just love it!

I serve it with basmati rice and a spicy aubergine gobi (a recipe you can also find on this page).

SERVES 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 5 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ginger purée
• 1-2 green/red chillis, finely chopped (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 400g tin of green lentils, drained and rinsed
• 400ml coconut milk
• 200g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

Method:

Heat your oil in a large saucepan on a high heat. Fry your onions and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the curry leaves, curry powder, cumin seeds, ground cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chillis and ginger and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add your lentils and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquids have reduced.

Add your chopped tomatoes, salt, sugar and coriander (if using) and leave to simmer again for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with basmati rice or gf naan and enjoy!