IN A SAUCEPAN-
450g red lentils
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 can coconut milk
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
IN A FRYING PAN-
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 onions, very finely chopped
20 curry leaves
Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then cook them in a large pan together with 1 litre of water, the onions, coconut milk and spices. Simmer them gently until the lentils are soft, about twenty minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the seeds and heat them until they begin to pop. Add the onions and curry leaves and fry over a low heat until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally.
Once they are cooked, use a hand held blender to blend the lentils, and then stir in the fried onions. Serve with chapatis and perhaps with mango chutney. Alternatively, mix together the ingredients below to make an easy red onion relish. (Best made an hour or more before serving.)
My kids love the silky texture of the lentils in this dish, and the coconut gives it an appealing sweetness. To find out how to cook this South Indian classic, read on.
I’ve been making this recipe for years, because it is so easy and delicious. For the first several years Russell enjoyed it too, but I may have slightly overdone it. Me and the kids still enjoy this recipe, so now it’s a treat for when dad’s away, and I freeze all the leftovers for the children’s packed lunches.
The Indian name for this recipe is Parippu. However, I’ve learnt that if you send your child to school with a flask of something called Parippu, they can have a very lonely lunch hour, so I have taken the liberty of rebranding it.
Lentils are a prebiotic food, which means they help the healthiest bacteria in your gut to thrive. Onions are packed with vitamin C and folic acid, think of them as the great overlooked superfood. As for coconut milk, it’s complicated. It does have huge health benefits, but if it comes in a can it probably contains BPA, drawn from the lining of the can by its high fat content. Try this brand if you’re concerned about these things, and read this article if you want to know more about the debate.
The red onion relish is something I made up recently, a kitchen experiment which went unusually well. If you can’t be bothered making the relish, the curry is nice served just with chapatis and perhaps some mango chutney.
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