Coconut lentils with red onion relish
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.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of sugar
1 bay leaf
2 tins of mixed beans (about 500g) such as red kidney, borlotto, cannellini, flagelot or black eye.
1 or 2 packs of smoked mackerel, up to 450g in weight.
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 lemon (optional)
Crusty bread
Heat the oil in a large pan for which you have a lid, then add the onion and garlic. Fry until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, vinegar, sugar and bay leaf, and heat until bubbling.
Drain and rinse the beans, then add them with a grind of black pepper. Put a lid on and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While that’s cooking, remove the skins from the mackerel fillets and break them into pieces. Add them to the cassoulet and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with parsley, lemon segments and crusty bread.
Smoked mackerel cassoulet isn’t just healthy – it’s tasty, economical and easy to make. If you’re looking for a simple way to up your intake of oily fish, this may be the perfect dish for you.
This recipe is an old favourite which I have recently rediscovered. I think it came from a leaflet extoling the virtues of fish, many years ago when we lived in Wales. I don’t know why we stopped making it, because I cooked it last week for the kids and it’s as good as ever.
Smoked mackerel has a strong taste which can be overpowering, but in this dish it’s balanced by the acidity of the vinegar and tomatoes and the bland comforting texture of the beans.
We all know beans are healthy, but here’s a reminder of why. They are full of soluble fibre, have a low glycemic index, are low in fat, high in protein, can lower cholesterol and also contain iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. Is that healthy enough for you? And I haven’t even started yet on the mackerel, which is high in omega 3 and vitamin B12.
Be careful with kids and fish bones. Remove what you can and then make sure they chew before swallowing, to give them chance to find the bones. You might prefer to buy mackerel strips instead of fillets, because the central part of the fish (where most of the bones are) has been removed.
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.
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