Indian Masala & Coconut Red Lentils
With plenty of vitally important anti-cancer beta-carotenes from carrots and tomatoes and numerous other antioxidants from the herbs and spices, this lentil recipe makes a very healthy mains dish or a wholesome addition to an Indian feast. Kindly contributed to Wholesome World by Riverford Farmers.
In the app you can find under the ingredients tab, some solid insight into different Indian spices and how your health can benefit from them. For instance, chilli has been found to kill cancer cells in a lab setting and reduce prostate-specific antigen levels.
You may also be interested in Fran’s Immune Boosting Shot for your daily intake… Fran is an amazing food writer and author of numerous cookbooks, who co-wrote ‘The Living Well with Cancer Cookbook” which you can pick up on Amazon. Fran wrote this with another Wholesome World contributor and nutritionist Catherine Zabilowtiz.
Garlic and onions are also part of our top anticancer ingredients providing sulphurous compounds which support a healthy detoxification system and quercetin which appear to have many health benefits particularly in its anti-inflammatory properties.
Lentils will provide fibre and protein. Make sure you cook the lentils on low heat; too hot and they will stick to the base of the pan as the absorb water and thicken.
Coconut oil is healthy for frying and roasting.
This lentil recipe is really good with wholegrain flatbreads, which you can make by putting a frying pan on a medium high heat. Brush the flatbreads with a little oil on both sides. Cook them in the pan, one at a time, until lightly coloured on both sides. They should take about 1 minute each.
Get the Recipe
Indian Masala Roast Carrot & Coconut Red Lentils
Serves: 4
Time to create: 30 mins
Time for personal effort: 10 mins
GF, DF, V, Ve, NF, SS
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INGREDIENTS
1kg Carrots
4 Onions
2 tbsp Garam masala
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp Coconut oil for frying and roasting
2 Med chilli
6 Garlic cloves
2 tsp Black mustard seeds
2 tbsp Curry leaves
4 tbsp Medium curry powder
300g Red lentils
800ml (2 tins) Coconut milk
4 Tomatoes
4 Wholemeal flatbreads
1 bunch Coriander
Pinch of Sea salt
Crack of Black pepper
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Peel and chop the carrots into angled pieces, and the onions into wedges. Place them into a roasting tin, add the garam masala and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Season well and roast for 25 minutes, until the carrots are tender but toothsome and coloured at the edges. Turn once or twice during cooking.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in the saucepan and add the chilli, deseeded and finely chopped and halved, garlic, peeled and finely chopped, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry gently for 1 minute until the mustard seeds start to pop.
- Tip in the curry powder, well rinsed lentils, coconut milk, tomatoes which can be simply roughly chopped, and 150ml of water.
- Bring the lentil pan to the boil, spoon off any scum that rises to the surface and leave to simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils have softened. Add more water if they start drying out; you want a loose, porridge-like consistency.
- Put a frying pan on a medium high heat. Brush the flatbreads with a little oil on both sides. Cook them in the pan, one at a time, until lightly coloured on both sides. They should take about 1 minute each.
- When the lentils have cooked, season them well to taste. Chop the leaves and stalks of the coriander, and fold in half to the lentils.
- Serve the lentils in a shallow bowl. Spoon the roasted carrots and onions on top and finish with the remaining coriander and the warm flatbreads.
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