I can only imagine it is the result of one of my manic shopping sprees at the ethnic shops sometime last year, but I recently realized my cupboards now stock kilos and kilos of lentils and about five different kind of beans.
But what do you know - turned out UN has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. So, this year will give the spotlight to all of the protein rich, nutritious lentils, peas and beans (and why not some Pink Floyd recordings, while at it...)
Obviously I wasn't being trendy - in my case all this was just an accident, but last week the blog celebrated chickpea and gave hummus a glorious spring time makeover. This week we'll be loving all things lentils.
This comforting lentil soup gets its twist from Thai kitchen and was just what I needed last weekend when Finnish sky kept dropping down snow, sleet, hale and rain - all in the space of one day. So, I pulled on my woolly socks, buried myself under the duvets with a bowl of this soup and threw myself into Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce.
Hey, I'm in no rush. The spring can come when ever she feels like it. I'm gooood.
Serves 4-6
Thai tomato and lentil soup:
1 onion
2 large cloves of garlic (or 4 smaller ones)
1 red chilli
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
the stalks of a bunch of coriander
3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp lemon grass paste (can be omitted if not on hand)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
a couple of tbsp (coconut) oil
2,5 dl red lentils, rinsed
1/2 tin (à 400 gr) finely chopped crushed tomatos
1 l veggie stock
2 dl coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
the juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 tbsp (brown) sugar
To serve: lime wedges, coriander leaves
Measure all the ingredients listed in the first segment into a small food processor and blizz into a smooth paste. If needed, add a little coconut milk to make the machine run properly.
Heat the oil in a pot and add the paste. Keep frying for a couple of minutes until the oil starts separating. Then add lentils and after a couple of minutes crushed tomatos. Pour the veggie stock into the pot and let simmer until lentils are done - 15-20 minutes.
Blizz into a puré if you want and add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Bring to boil and continue cooking for further 5 minutes. Check the taste, add more fish sauce and/or sugar. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve with a drizzle of lime juice.
Thai tomato and lentil soup:
1 onion
2 large cloves of garlic (or 4 smaller ones)
1 red chilli
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
the stalks of a bunch of coriander
3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp lemon grass paste (can be omitted if not on hand)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
a couple of tbsp (coconut) oil
2,5 dl red lentils, rinsed
1/2 tin (à 400 gr) finely chopped crushed tomatos
1 l veggie stock
2 dl coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
the juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 tbsp (brown) sugar
To serve: lime wedges, coriander leaves
Measure all the ingredients listed in the first segment into a small food processor and blizz into a smooth paste. If needed, add a little coconut milk to make the machine run properly.
Heat the oil in a pot and add the paste. Keep frying for a couple of minutes until the oil starts separating. Then add lentils and after a couple of minutes crushed tomatos. Pour the veggie stock into the pot and let simmer until lentils are done - 15-20 minutes.
Blizz into a puré if you want and add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Bring to boil and continue cooking for further 5 minutes. Check the taste, add more fish sauce and/or sugar. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve with a drizzle of lime juice.
More lentil recipes coming on the blog, but hey - I'd love to hear your views! Lentils - yay or nay? How do you use them?
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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?
SHARING IS CARING!
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