Tag: lentils

Gordon Ramsay’s Grilled Salmon with Garlic Mushroom and Lentil Salad

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

This blog has never been about anything but obtainability and this recipe is proof of that.

Nat offered a late mid-week lunch (with a Champagne) if I crunched a tonne of work in the morning (and then again post-lunch) and who was I disagree with the offer to good to refuse.

I initially thought I was up to cook, so headed straight to Gourmet Traveller: I am after all a kid of the 80s.

Nat of course headed straight to Gordon: she’s a kid from the less cooler 90s.

Though turns out I’m the less cooler one.

This is just such a bloody wonderful, obtainable, sorry not-sorry, simple dish.

It well crosses the line of effort and sophistication to smash the boring Chef’s salads I so often serve up on a Saturday after kids’ sport and shopping.

One hat, no. You won, yes.

(And yes: don’t eat farmed salmon. Wild caught salmon is out there and your kids will thank you for it.)

Ingredients

200gm Puy lentils
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
800ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
200gm chestnuts mushrooms, cut into eights
200gm Portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
4 x 100gm wild salmon fillets
100gm rocket leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp runny honey
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp water

Method

  1. Put the lentils into a saucepan along with the bay leaf, thyme and stock. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until tender.
  2. In the meantime, heat a large-based frypan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook in the pan for 6 – 8 minutes stirring now and again, until soft and caramelised on the edges.
  3. Add the chopped garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  4. Once the lentils are tender, drain well and discard the herbs. Put the lentils into a large mixing bowl and add the mushrooms. Mix together gently to avoid breaking up the lentils too much.
  5. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a clean jar with a punch of salt and pepper. Close the jar, shake until the dressing comes together and emulsifies.
  6. Preheat the grill to high: grill the salmon for 6 – 8 minutes to your liking.
  7. Pout half the dressing over the warm lentils and toss gently to get everything coated. Fold in the rocket, place the salmon on top and pour over the remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Sambhar (Indian lentil-stew)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Sambhar (Indian lentil-stew)

Serves: 4 – 6

This is a very popular Southern Indian lentil-stew, especially as an accompaniment to dosai.

It is dead easy to prepare (once you have prepared your Sambhar powder), incredibly healthy and a great way to use up the lentils you probably have left over from winter soups.

Let it simmer and double the recipe so you have plenty leftover for lunch.

Yum.

Ingredients

100gm Yellow lentils or Tour Dal
¼ tsp Turmeric
1 cup Tomato puree (passata)
1 medium-size onion, diced
1 tbsp Sambhar powder*
¼ tbsp Tamarind concentrate
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
Salt to taste

*Sambhar powder (makes plenty; stores for 6-months)

1 ½ cups coriander seeds
1 cup dried red chillis, broken into small pieces
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 ½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ inch cinnamon stick
⅓ cup unsweetened dried coconut, shredded
¼ cup firmly packed fresh curry leaves
1 tsp asafoetida powder**

Method

For the Sambhar

  1. Cook the lentils with the turmeric in approximately 2 litres of water until soft and mushy.
  2. Add the tomatoes and onions and cook until they are soft.
  3. Add the Sambhar powder, tamarind concentrate, fresh curry leaves and salt to taste and bring to the boil. Simmer for a bit.
  4. Check the seasoning, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Sambhar powder

  1. Heat small saucepan over low heat. Separately dry-roast coriander, chilli peppers, fenugreek, mustard, cumin and cinnamon until fragrant and only lightly coloured. Place in a bowl.
  2. Toast coconut in pan, stirring, until lightly browned. Add to spices.
  3. Dry-roast curry leaves, tossing often, until crisp. Add to spices with asafoetida. Mix well and let cool.
  4. Place mixture in airtight container until ready to use. (Will keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.) Just before using, grind to a powder in spice grinder and use as recipe indicates.

** Enhances colour and flavour and settles the stomach; unless you have it or feel inclined to get it, you can live without.

Potato Pallya

.Reading time 2 minutes.

FullSizeRender (3).jpg
Potato Pallya, about to be folded into a dosai!

Potato Pallya

Serves: 4 – 8 dosai

Lordy, this is a seriously fine dosai filling.

In fact, it is as good as I have had at any restaurant.

The trick is to ensure that the final product is not too oily. If anything is going to kill the delicate shell of your dosai, it is oil.

Otherwise, be as adventurous with the spices as you want with this recipe. Make it sing with flavour, smoke, spice and flavour. And don’t worry that the lentils will be crunchy… that is half the fun.

Boom!

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
½ tbsp split chickpea lentils
½ tbsp split black lentils
1 – 2 dry chillis, torn
¼ tsp Asafoetida powder*
¼ turmeric powder
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
Half an onion, sliced
Salt to taste
250gm potatoes, boiled, peeled and roughly mashed
¼ bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the black mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
  2. Add both the lentils and cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly until the lentils turn a light golden in colour.
  3. Add the chillis and the asafoetida powder and cook for a few moments.
  4. Add the turmeric and the curry leaves and cook for a few moments.
  5. Add the onions and salt and cook until the onions turn translucent. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
  6. Cook on a medium heat for a few minutes, checking the seasoning.
  7. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
  8. Use as the filling of a dosai. Or just eat it because it is seriously that good!

* I know, I had only heard of this once and I didn’t know what it was. Like turmeric which is really only used to enhance colour (and flavour), so too is Asafoetida powder. Though more so to reduce flatulence as far as I can tell. If you can get it, awesome, if not, not to worry.