Spicy Green Lentils and Yellow Split Peas

My trusted copy of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer has once again come to the rescue when I needed a quick but satisfying meal solution to end a particularly dreary and trying week. In times of woe, it's easy to resort to restaurant meals, but I never forget that home cooked meals are not only more nourishing, but cheaper and generally superior in taste. The spicy kick of this dish is pleasantly balanced by the muted sweetness of the brown sugar.

I served this delightful lentil curry over a bed of hot buttered basmati rice alongside some Savory Olive Muffins with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Ricotta Cheese.

This is my contribution to the 8th helping of My Legume Love Affair, a popular food event started by and hosted this month by the ever-talented Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Spicy Green Lentils and Yellow Split Peas


2/3 cup of green lentils
1/4 cup of yellow split peas
2 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 - 2 hot red or green chilies
2 medium-large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of jaggery or brown sugar (I used rapadura)
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
generous handful of curry leaves (I used dried as I didn't have any fresh ones on hand)

Rinse the lentils and the yellow split peas in a strainer. Transfer to a medium-sized saucepan and cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very soft and the split peas are tender - roughly 40-50 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat the ghee (or butter and oil) over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to sputter and pop. Add the cumin seeds, salt, cayenne, asafetida and turmeric, stir and immediately add the tomatoes, hot pepper, sugar, parsley and curry leaves. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has a sauce-like consistency - roughly 10 minutes.

When the lentils and peas are done, mash a portion of the legumes with the back of a spoon. Add the sauce to the pan, cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Yields 4 servings.

More lentil recipes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Rice and Green Lentils in Coconut Milk
Saffron-Brandied Lentils
Lentil Soup with Prunes and Apricots

Buttered Lime Rice

There's almost no end to the variations in flavours that can be added to white basmati rice, but there really couldn't be anything much simpler than cooking up a pot on its own to enjoy its unique lightly sweet and popcorn-y taste, as I frequently like to do. If you're of the same mind, this slight variation on the ordinary cooking method should be guaranteed to appeal — not least for the rich warm aroma of hot buttered popcorn as the rice is first sautéed for a couple of minutes in butter, but also for the fresh but mellow piquancy which the lime juice adds. Taken from Yamuna Devi's indispensable Lord Krishna's Cuisine, this is an astonishingly good way to enjoy basmati rice for the extra minute it takes in preparation.

Variations: try adding 1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds, a dash of cayenne pepper, or a 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger sliced into thin rounds with the rice as it is fried in the butter.

Buttered Lime Rice

1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Rinse the rice under cold running water and let sit to air dry for an hour or more in a fine mesh strainer.

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the butter turns frothy, and before it begins to burn, add the rice and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the water and lime juice, and stir in the salt. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to its lowest setting, cover, and let the rice cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and turn off the heat. If there is any unabsorbed water in the pan, let it sit for a couple of minutes on the burner as it cools.

Fluff with a fork and serve hot. Serves 4.

Other rice dishes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Mushroom Pulao Rice
Green Tea and Curry Rice
Cashew Rice with Diced Potatoes

Banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I started listening to Smiths at the age of 9 and even though I understood nothing Morrissey said those songs made a strange kind of sense to me – I ended up learning why later on in life. Music became a huge part of my days and brought me comfort in several bad moments.Besides listening to the songs, I loved checking out the LP covers – some were absolutely fantastic. I became obsessed about one

Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon

It is often said that mushrooms are meat to vegetarians, and after eating this mushroom bourguignon that I adapted from Smitten Kitchen, I think you just might be convinced that vegetarians do just fine. Tender chunks of plump portobellos and chewy dried lobster mushrooms are simmered into a thick sauce highlighted by some robust red wine and served over a bed of steaming egg noddles. This filling dinner is sure to satisfy even the most ravenous mushroom fiends and your carnivorous friends won't miss a thing either.

This was actually my first experience with lobster mushrooms, and it certainly won't be my last. I found myself nibbling on the soaked mushrooms before they even made it into the dish. Not properly a mushroom, these pretty reddish orange fungi are actually a parasitic mushroom that take over certain varieties of mushrooms. If you don't have or can't find dried lobster mushrooms, feel free to substitute your favorite dried mushroom.


I am submitting this recipe to the November Blog Hop, featuring favorite vegetable recipes.

Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Published on February 5, 2009 A rich, sumptuous and robust mushroom dish for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike — great for serving on special occasions Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/2 ounce dried lobster mushrooms (or other varieties) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4 slices 1 small carrot, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 shallot, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon sea salt fresh cracked black pepper 1 cup full-bodied red wine 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste 1 2/3 cups vegetable stock or reserved mushroom soaking liquid 2 tablespoons unbleached white flour large handful fresh parsley for garnish Instructions: Cover the dried mushrooms with hot water and leave to sit for roughly 20 minutes. Drain, reserve the soaking liquid, squeeze any excess liquid from the mushrooms and roughly chop. Set aside. Heat one tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a large pot over high heat. When hot, throw in the portobello mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown, and just before they begin to release their juices - roughly 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Throw in the onions, carrots, shallots, thyme and salt and pepper and cook for roughly 10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. Stir occasionally. Now add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the wine to the pot, scrap the bottom of the pan, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the wine is reduced by about half. Stir in the tomato paste, add the portobello mushrooms, vegetable stock (or 1 2/3 cup of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid), bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. While the mushrooms are cooking, combine the flour with the remaining tablespoon of butter with a fork. When the mushrooms are tender, add the flour / butter mixture to the pot, along with the soaked dried mushrooms and cook for another few minutes, or until the desired thickness is achieved. Scoop over pasta or egg noodles and garnish with parsley or chives. Serve with a generous glass of red wine. Makes 4 servings

Other delightful mushroom dishes you will want to try:
Ricotta Dumplings Smothered in Mushroom Sauce
Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce
Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Quinoa
Penne with Indian-Style Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms

Cherry ice cream with white chocolate

I know some of you will roll your eyes in despair because I replaced the dark chocolate in this recipe with white chocolate, but let me at least say that it worked really well! The ice cream itself is not overly sweet, so don’t worry about going into a sugar coma.Think of this as a nice change – unlike replacing one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll singers of all time with this guy.Cherry ice cream

Feta Cheese and Cumin Crackers

While I have overloaded shelves full of cookbooks, more often than not I find myself turning to my favorite blogs for inspiration. One of my latest successes were these earthly feta cheese and cumin crackers that Sunita made to go along with a bowl of Roasted Butternut Squash soup. I never can resist savory cracker and biscuit recipes, so I immediately resolved to make them. Rather like a savory spicy cookie, these aromatic crackers puff up a bit in the oven, yet hold together perfectly, while maintaining a delightful chewiness. They did indeed prove to be an ideal accompaniment to soup. I served them with my Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup with Black Beans.

I'm sending this off to Rachana who is hosting her first food event called A Healthy Bite. The idea is to submit healthy appetizers that don't add bulge to the waistline.

Feta Cheese and Cumin Crackers

1 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup of milk

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, cumin, olive oil and feta. Rub together with your fingers to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk. Stir until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for roughly 45 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. On a well floured board, roll the dough out until it is roughly 1/4 inch thick. Cut into roughly 2 1/2 inch rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roll out the extra dough and repeat.

Roll out the second portion of dough and repeat the process until all of the dough is gone. Prick the discs with a fork.

Bake the crackers in a preheated 350 degree oven until they are brown on the top - roughly 25 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Yields roughly 20 crackers, depending on how large you cut them.

Other cracker recipes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Spicy Parmesan Crackers
Rice Crackers
Lime Biscuit Thins

Lime yogurt cake and the power of positive thinking

I usually think of myself as a realistic person, but also believe that good things come to those who think positively. Seating on the couch without actually doing anything will get you nowhere, but keeping a positive attitude towards life and being grateful for what you already have may help you succeed.The Pollyanna side of me worked hard last Saturday – at least for the entire time this cake