Curry. Lots of it. Of course, it's not Bolognese anymore after that, but Lentils go incredibly well with curry.
I agree with you, though, that lentils + curry can be a marriage made in heaven!
Either as a simple dahl or with other vegetables thrown in as well.
I love dahl with chopped spinach or silverbeet (Swiss chard) thrown in toward the end. Yum!
Are you still vegetarian, Thomas?
So if you'd like to share a few ideas, I'd be interested.
Who or what is "dahl"? In my world, he's an author of irreverent children's books. My online dictionary doesn't have an entry for the word.
Madhur Jaffrey's everyday moong dal
Serves 4-6
200g moong dal (skinned and split mung beans), washed and drained
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
1 tsp ground asafoetida
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1-2 whole hot, dried red chillies
1 medium shallot, peeled and cut into fine slivers
* Put the moong dal in a medium pan and add 800ml of water. Bring to the boil. Skim off the white froth and add the turmeric. Stir to mix. Cover partially, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir to mix. Turn off the heat.
* Pour the oil into a small frying-pan and set over a medium-high heat. When hot, quickly add the asafoetida, cumin seeds and chillies in that order. As soon as the chillies darken, a matter of seconds, put in the shallot. Stir and cook until it browns, then quickly pour the contents of the frying-pan over the cooked dal. Stir to mix.
Never was (vegetarian), except for these six weeks during lent 2009. The problem is that going cold turkey (pun unintended but inevitable) works okay for me, but only for a few weeks. Then the meat cravings set in. I eventually succumb to them, and in the end I feel like a fake---without doing any good for animal welfare. So I decided to stop beating myself up about it and reduce my intake of animal products as much as I can without bringing out those cravings. I currently eat about 5 lb per month, one-fifth as much meat as the average American does. I also eat maybe one-half as much in eggs, dairy, and other animal products as the average American. Is that about what you mean by "semi-vegetarian"?
How to cook perfect dal
....Dals should be cooked long and slow for maximum creaminess, and left relatively plain, the better to set off the spicy, aromatic tarka which makes such a sizzling garnish. Endlessly versatile, they can be as thin as soup, or as thick as porridge, and will take on just about any spice you throw at them, so next time you're feeling in need of cheering up, raid the rack and get cooking ...
Very Spicy, Delicious Chickpeas
From the book Madhur Jaffrey’s World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
Serves 4 to 6
Introduction
This is my mother’s recipe for chickpeas. It is wonderfully tart and hot. My mother’s family, still living in the narrow lanes of an Old Delhi built in the 17th century, tended to eat very spicy foods. My father’s side of the family, which had moved in the 1920s into a more westernized section of town built outside the Old City walls, ate a calmer, less fiery cuisine.
As a child, I loved both styles of food, but because my father and his very “proper” ways smacked of Establishment, I would often sneak off with my mother to eat spicy bazaar food served on leaves of dubious cleanliness in the narrow lanes of Old Delhi.
This chickpea dish is still sold in Delhi’s bazaars by hawking vendors. The chickpeas used are the dried variety that have to be soaked overnight and then boiled until tender.
The paprika that I have used is a substitute for the Kashmiri red pepper, which gives a red color — but no heat — to the dishes in which it is used.
These spicy chickpeas can easily be made up to two days ahead of time. In fact, their flavor improves if they are left, refrigerated, for 24 hours.
Ingredients
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and minced
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp. ground coriander seeds
2 tsp. ground cumin seeds
¼ to ½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground turmeric
6 Tbsp. finely chopped, skinned, fresh or canned red-ripe tomatoes
2 cans (20 ounces each) chickpeas, drained, or 4½ cups home-cooked chickpeas
2 tsp. ground roasted cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. ground amchoor (see Note)
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. garam masala (see Note)
½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. or more lemon juice
1 fresh hot green chile, minced (use more or less as desired)
2 tsp. very finely grated fresh ginger
Steps
1. Heat the oil in a wide pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the minced onions and garlic. Stir and fry until the mixture is a rich medium-brown shade. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin (not the roasted cumin), cayenne, and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds. Now put in the finely chopped tomatoes. Stir and fry until the tomatoes are well amalgamated with the spice mixture and brown lightly.
2. Add the drained chickpeas and 1 cup water. Stir. Add the ground roasted cumin, amchoor, paprika, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice. Stir again. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the cover and add the minced green chile and grated ginger. Stir and cook, uncovered, for another 30 seconds.
Notes
Made from sour, unripe mangoes, amchoor comes in dried slices and powder. Amchoor gives foods a slightly sweet sourness. My recipe calls for only ground (i.e., powdered) amchoor, available in Indian grocery stores.
Garam masala is an aromatic mixture of spices, such as cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, which are supposed to “heat” the body. Look for this spice in the spice or bulk aisle.
