Lentil Chilli

I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite dishes for some home cooking inspiration.

This dish is similar to a chill con carne but I use lentils instead of meat. I kept the ingredients simple so there was a greater chance of you already having them in your kitchen.

I don't like onions and garlic and I use mostly Indian spices in the dishes but please feel free to add onions and garlic to these recipes if you like.

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red lentils

2 cups cooked kidney beans

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 chilli, chopped

1/8 tsp asafoetida (optional as I know it is difficult to purchase)

thumb size amount of ginger, chopped.

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 cup chopped courgette/zuchinni

1 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped pak choi

1 small carrot, grated

1 tbsp garam masala or any masala of choice.

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

6 medium sized tomatoes, chopped or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes.

2 tbsp water (omit if using tins of tomatoes)

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp tamari or good quality soya sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan salt)

1 tsp sugar - optional (I use coconut sugar)

Method:

Heat the oil and fry the asafoetida for a few seconds.

Fry the chilli, ginger and pak choi for a few minutes.

Add the turmeric and fry for a few seconds.

Add the red pepper and courgette and cook for about 10 minutes until soft.

Cook the lentils in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce add all the ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Add the lentils and kidney beans to the pan, along with the sauce.

Add the grated carrot and ground pepper and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.

Serve with rice of choice.