Indian vegetable and bean stew

Healthy gut friendly lentil stew in minutes!

Family favourite

This is a favourite in our house and the children , now teenagers always love it cleaning their plates every time. Though they will still  say it’s not as good as Grandma’s version!

Minimal preparation and only  little work at the start and it cooks itself after that.

Ingredients:

½ cup yellow split mung dal [ lentils]

½ cup white basmati rice

2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil .

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

6 fresh curry leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger.

1 small green/red Thai chili, seeded and minced.

1 teaspoon ground fennel

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste.

2 cups diced vegetables , any of following, carrots, courgettes, green beans, broccoli, radish,  or asparagus

2 handfuls chopped spinach, kale, or chard

Garnishes:

1 tablespoon olive oil or cultured ghee

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves or chopped fresh basil.

1 slice of lime per person

Chopped cashew nuts

Cooking Instructions:

Rinse the mung dal and soak it in water for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain well. Wash and drain the rice. (You could do this step-in advance and refrigerate the ingredients for next-day cooking.)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a heavy saucepan over low heat.

Add the lentils and the rice and toast them, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until they dry up a bit.

Add 4 cups of water and the turmeric, curry leaves, ginger, chilli , fennel, salt, and vegetables. (Add quick-cooking vegetables such as courgettes and asparagus 20 minutes into the cooking.)

Bring to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until the lentils begin to dissolve, the rice is soft, and the vegetables are cooked.

If the stew mix dries out too much and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, add more hot water; you’re looking for a creamy, moist consistency.

Turn off the heat and fold in the leafy greens and the remaining ghee. Garnish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a couple of turns of the peppermill, and fresh coriander or basil. Serve hot with a slice of lime on the side (to be squeezed and the juice mixed into the dish before eating and chopped cashew nuts).