Green Lentil Curry
Ingredients
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1 teaspoon finely grated fresh Ginger
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1 Garlic clove, mashed to a paste or pressed.
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2 teaspoons ground Coriander
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1 teaspoon ground Cumin
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3 tablespoons Organic Rape Seed Oil
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¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
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1 small Shallot, minced
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1 tablespoon Tomato Puree mixed with 1 tablespoon of water or an equivalent amount of Italian Passata.
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1 ¼ cups dried green Lentils or 400 grams of pre-soaked Lentils
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¼ to ½ a teaspoon of ground Turmeric or fresh Turmeric.
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4 ounce or 400 grams of Green Beans or French Beans, cut into ¾ - inch lengths
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4 ounce or 400 grams of Spinach
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1 medium Carrot, thinly sliced.
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1 packet of finely chopped fresh Coriander.
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½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper.
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Salt for seasoning.


How to Make It
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Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander and ground cumin. Stir in 1/4 cup of water to make a paste. In a small frying pan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, for about 1 minute. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer. You can use passata, but it will take longer to evaporate.
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Step 2
In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric and 5 cups of water, if using pre-soaked Lentils 2 cups of water is sufficient; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender or until the ingredients are hot. Add the Green/French beans, Spinach, Carrot, 3/4 of the Coriander and the Cayenne Pepper and season with salt. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining Coriander. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.


Variations
To vary the heat, you can use powdered ginger to give a less powerful bite, as well as using more or less Cayenne Pepper.
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Serve with
Chapattis, brown rice and a nice glass of wine.
Soy sauce gives a nice tang to the rice.
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Alternatives
The original recipe asked for Kale instead of Spinach and Green Beans instead of French Beans.