More than six months ago, we bought a new cereal – lentils for ourselves. But for a very long time they thought and thought what to cook from it. After researching information about this type of legume on the Internet, namely what can be made from it, we decided to delve into Asian history filled with aromas and spices. Therefore, in this post we will tell and show how we prepared puree soup with red lentils, coconut milk and pumpkin.
Lentils <TAG1> is a legume, not a cereal in the usual sense. In terms of taste, it resembles peas, but is much more delicate, and it is cooked not for several hours, but for up to 25-30 minutes. It is red lentils that contain about 55-60% of complex carbohydrates, 24-26% of vegetable protein and fiber, which allows you to cover a large part of the body's energy needs with it.
The puree soup we have prepared can be interpreted as dal (traditional first course of the peoples of Hindustan). Translated from Sanskrit, the name translates as “split”. The finished dish is perfectly saturating and warming in winter. Traditionally, it is served in deep small bowls, decorated with greens (usually cilantro) and flavored with a slice of lemon. It is served with chapati (indian bread made from floury yeast-free dough, very similar to pita bread, is prepared very simply and quickly).
However, if we add basmati rice as a side dish, our dish can safely be called nothing but malaysian curry with red lentils, coconut milk and pumpkin. However, we delved very deeply into theoretical issues and cultural aspects. Let's return to the magic of cooking ()
Difficulty: 3 out of 5 (subjectively, the hardest step is to peel the pumpkin, the rest of the processes can be safely put 1 out of 5 difficulty)
Time expenditure: up to 40 minutes
Cost: average
We'll need:
We provide a product list based on 2-3 servings:
150 g of red lentils
300-400 g of pumpkin (peeled, diced)
400 ml of coconut milk
250-300 ml of water or vegetable broth
curry paste – 2 tbsp. l.
optional - 1 tsp. tom-yam paste (due to the fact that the composition includes kafir-lime and lemongrass)
1 medium bulb
1 large clove of garlic
dried ginger powder – 1 tsp. (or replace with fresh, a piece of root 2-3 cm long)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
½–1 tsp ground chili
1 tsp paprika
1–2 tbsp. l. frying oil (we used avocado oil)
salt – to taste
lime or lemon juice – to taste for serving
fresh herbs (onion, cilantro, parsley ) – optional for serving.
Preparation
Prepare the vegetable component: peel and finely stuff the onion and garlic, peel the pumpkin and cut it into cubes with a 1.5-2 cm face.
Also, wash the lentils under cold running water.
Heat the oil in a deep pan or pan with a thick bottom. Add finely chopped onions, fry for 5-7 minutes until soft and light caramelization.
Add chopped garlic and heat it with onions for about another minute.
Then add curry paste and a mixture of dry spices. Fry for 1-2 minutes until the spices “open”: their aroma becomes deep and warm.
Pour ready-made vegetable broth or water into a pan, add washed lentils, put toast from the pan, add coconut milk. Mix thoroughly, bring to a boil.
Add the chopped pumpkin and cook for 30 minutes over low heat until ready, stirring thoroughly and often. Add a little salt if necessary (we didn't add it because the curry paste and tom yam paste we used are quite salty).
As we have already said, we decided to serve the finished dish with chapati. Since we took flour of the highest grade, and not whole grain, perhaps our cake does not quite have the right to bear this name. But it is prepared according to the same principle:
2 parts of flour (we have 200 g)
1 part of water (100 ml of boiling water)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
a pinch of salt.
Add salt and oil to the flour, pour boiling water, mix (first with a spoon or mixer, then with your hands). We let you rest for 25-30 minutes. We tear off part of the dough, form a ball, sprinkle with flour and roll out a circle with a diameter of 15-18 cm. Fry in a dry heated pan without adding oil. At the same time, the cake can swell from the pair to such an extent that it becomes round, like a ball. This is an indication that the dough has rested enough and the gluten has had time to open.
Put the finished puree soup in a deep bowl, sprinkle with greens and sprinkle with lime juice. It will balance the sweetness of coconut and pumpkin. Taste with pieces of fresh chapati cake. Delicious! ;)
