Egg and Green Lentils Curry with Ginger and Green chillies

I don't use Green lentils much in my day to day cooking and had never bought them until I had decided to make Veggie Lentil Loaf. I couldn't find a small pack so had to buy a big container. Luckily I came across another recipe with green lentils in it, and you bet I was all smiles!

Egg and Green Lentils curry with Ginger and Green chillies is from the book "Red Hot: A Cook's Encylopedia of Fire and Spice".The dish looked so appetizing in the picture that I had to try it. Another dish from the same book is the Red Enchilada Sauce.

Egg and Green Lentils Curry with Ginger and Green Chillies

You will need: (Serves :2)

¼ cup Green Lentils

2 cups Vegetable Stock

3 Eggs

2 tbsp Oil

2 cloves

¼ tsp Black Peppercorns

1 Onion finely chopped

4 Green chillies chopped

2 Garlic cloves chopped

1” pc Ginger chopped

1 tsp Corriander powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

3 Tomatoes chopped

3 tbsp Tomato paste

¼ tsp Sugar

¾ cup Water

½ tsp Garam Masala

Wash and drain lentils. Bring lentils and stock to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and keep aside.

Hard boil the eggs, shell them and cut in half lengthwise.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cloves and black peppercorns, sauté for a minute. Add the chopped onions, chillies,garlic and ginger. Saute till onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste ,coriander and cumin powders. Sauté for 10 minutes on low heat till everything is incorporated. Add the lentils , ¾ cup water and halved eggs. Season with salt and garam masala. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

This goes well with any white fragrant rice -- Jasmine or Basmati Rice.

You can leave the eggs out and increase the quantity of Lentils and Stock to make a vegetarian lentil curry.

Spicy Tomato Soup and Thyme Popovers

It is so cold outside that I feel like huddling up on the couch with hubby dear and stay there forever! Thankfully I don’t work outside so I can stay warm indoors throughout the day. Now that its winter, it gets dark awfully early. Not to forget the hunger pangs which seem to exist somewhere deep within and hit me out of the blue. One such evening, when my stomach was rumbling and it was cold, I decided to make soup. I personally detest the canned ones, which nothing in it, but rather prefer a chunky wholesome soup, with pasta …all the better.

So here’s what I made with the ingredients I had on hand.

Spicy Tomato Soup

You will need

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups marinara sauce
2 (14oz) cans Vegetable broth
1 (15oz) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (vary to suit your taste)
1/2 cup Shell pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, vegetable broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot!

This surely isn't your average tomato soup. I had mine topped with a little bit of grated Parmesan..hmm good!!

Thyme Popovers

You will need

Softened butter for greasing pans, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Generously grease aluminum popover pans or custard cups with softened butter. You'll need enough pans to make 12 popovers. Place the pans in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, thyme, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the popover pans less than half full and bake for exactly 30 minutes. Do not peek :)

This went well with the hot spicy soup...