Indi-licious!

Curry di Cavolo Rapa & Lenticchie Neri 

Curried Kohlrabi & Urid Dal Lentils

Suppertime and the cooking is easy- or how did the song go? At least, that would be the way the words to my song go! I am all for keeping cooking easy and having an easy and fun time making good food!

I decided to make a little dish with the humble and totally under-appreciated kohlrabi, or German turnip as it is also known. With a very mild flavor that is slightly reminiscent of sweet cabbage, it is a versatile and light ingredient that can be used in a multitude of dishes- even spicy and exotic curried dishes like this one!

I combined the juicy kohlrabi with nutty and delicious "urid dal" lentils, which gave it a chewy, nutty bite and enough flavor to texture to merit the spices I was going to add!

To make this dish, I first soaked two cups of lentils for a couple of hours and then started them boiling and let them cooking on a slow simmer for at least 40 minutes whilst I prepared the other ingredients. I cut peeled and chopped a small kohrabi into sticks which looked a little like french fries, sliced up a half of a carrot, finely chopped about 1" of ginger, roughly chopped 1 tomato, 1 handful of cilantro  and apart from a few herbs and spices... that was all I needed to get this party started!

In a frying pan, in 1 teaspoon of clarified butter, I started out by frying a little cumin seed, the crushed garlic and a sprinkle of cayenne... before I got serious with the other spice! I added the kohlrabi and fried it with the ginger for 3-4 minutes, then added the sliced carrot, celery and onion... along with a tabelspoon of Garam Masala and a half tablespoon Chaat Masala, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and  a little salt and pepper.

After 5-6 minutes, everything was nicely mixed and browned off nicely and I deglazed the frying pan by adding a little hot water... bubble, bubble, bubble! Next, I added the lentils into the mix after briefly draining them of any excess fluids and stirred them into the mix.

In the meantime, I dissolved a heaped teaspoon of chick-pea flour in a little milk and added this into the mix... I wanted it act as a stabilizer which would allow me to add yogurt without it curdling- which was exactly what I did next! In went 3-4 tablespoons of plain yogurt and by the time they were stirred in, I suddenly had a rich, creamy, spicy sauce! Yum yum!

Next came a handful of finely chopped coriander, a good squeeze of lemon juice  and just a small drizzle of honey, to add sweetness and a little depth of flavor... and the flavor was gooood! 

I enjoyed mine with a little naan bread, but rice of course would also be wonderful with this. In any case, I do hope you give it a go and I hope that you enjoy it! But what's not to like with all of this good stuff going into the pan? You know it's gonna be god!