Curried Red Lentils with Flatbreads and Cilantro Mint Chutney
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Cilantro Mint Chutney
- 1 cup 250 grams plain yogurt (I used Greek style)
- 1 generous handful cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 generous handful mint just the leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger the stuff from a tube is fine
- 2 tablespoons minced green chile optional, I used 1/2 a seeded jalapeno
- juice of one or two limes
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Curried Red Lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 - 2 carrots peeled and diced to make about 1/2 cup
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger I used the stuff in the tube
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons curry powder I used a Madras blend, but whatever you like will be great
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder adjust to your taste and the heat in your curry blend
- 1 can tomato paste mine was 170 grams/6 ounces
- 2 cups vegetable broth I reconstituted a bouillon cube
- 1 cup water plus more as necessary
- 1 cup dry red lentils rinsed well, drained and picked through
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Flatbreads
- 1 cup all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 125 grams plain yogurt
- softened butter or oil for the pan and brushing on the flatbreads
Instructions
Make the chutney
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. We like ours spoonable as opposed to spreadable. Adjust the texture by adding more herbs to thicken. Additional lime juice or water (just a teaspoon at a time) can be added to thin out the chutney. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
Start the curry
- On medium high, heat the oil in the bottom of a 4 quart pot. Saute the carrots for several minutes then add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, curry powder, turmeric and cayenne. Stir briefly to cook the spices in the remaining oil.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine with the carrots and spices.
- Pour in the broth. Stir until no lumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the lentils and the water. The lentils should be covered by about an inch of water.
- Bring the pot to a vigorous simmer, then reduce the heat to low and put the lid on. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until the carrots and lentils are tender. While cooking, adjust the seasoning and add more water as necessary to prevent the lentils from getting too dry. Keep warm.
Make the flat breads
- After the lentils are simmering measure the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center and spoon the yogurt into it. Use a spoon to mix the flour into the yogurt until a loose dough forms, then use your hands to knead it until it forms a smooth mass (you can knead it right in the bowl). Cover and let rest until the lentils are finished.
- When ready to cook the flat breads, dust your work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough. Knead it for a couple minutes, then portion it into 6 or 8 pieces.
- Use a rolling pin to shape the pieces into thin rounds or ovals (about the thickness of a nickel), adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the flatbreads to a tray and keep them covered to prevent them from drying out.
- Heat a grill pan until very hot. Brush with oil or melted butter.
- Transfer one or two flatbreads to the grill pan and cook. When the edges look a little dry and small blisters form on the top (one or two minutes), flip the flatbreads over to cook the other side. They may puff up when you turn them over. This is a good sign.
- When cooked through, remove the flatbreads to a plate and brush with melted butter. Repeat for the remaining flatbreads.
Serve
- We put the chutney in the lentils at the table and spread it onto the flatbreads.