Red Lentil Dahl

 About 2 years ago, as i was aimlessly scrolling through Facebook, i stumbled across a post about Kimi Magazine. Intrigued by this magazine i'd never heard of, i kept reading. All i could really gauge was that it was based in Melbourne, it had a little food section and all the profits from the magazine were given to Eating Disorders Victoria. In my daily endeavours at the time to expand my blog audience, i immediately contacted whoever i could about Kimi Magazine and said something along the lines of "Hi, love what your magazine is about, love where the profits are going. I write a food blog, are you interested in some recipes?"  and voila! I must have been in the right place at the right time because as it turns out, Kimi had only just released their first issue and WERE interested in some recipes.

I went along to the signing of the first issue and discovered that the driving force behind Kimi, was just one girl, my age, doing something really special for a very sick best friend. After a few chats with Ciara (creator of Kimi) we agreed on a recipe for the next issue- "The World Issue".

Sticking with what i knew i decided to make a warming dahl recipe that i learned when i first went vegetarian. It's super simple and yummy!

Red Lentil Dahl
2 -3 tbs peanut or sunflower oil for cooking
1 onion, diced,
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cm ginger, grated
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Fry the onion, garlic and ginger in cooking oil until transparent. Add the turmeric, and then the lentils. Stir to coat the lentils. Cover with 4 cups boiling water, bring to the boil and lower the temperature to a simmer. Partially cover and stir occasionally for about 40 minutes. You may need to add more water depending on the cosistency you like. When the lentils are soft, add in the salt, garam masala and chili powder.

Serve on basmati rice with yoghurt and fresh coriander.

Perfect Rice
I generally measure rice by 1/2 cup per person you are feeding.
Rinse and drain rice.
In a saucepan, add the rice and double the quantity of water - e.g 1 cup rice = 2 cups water.
Bring to the boil. Once the rice is boiling, stir and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
Cover and leave to cook for 12 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID!
Your rice should be soft and fluffy when the 12 minutes is up!

These photos are taken  by the wonderful Daniele Martinie who spent hours with us, trying to make something as sloppy and yellow as Dahl look as wonderful as it does above!

Thanks so much to Ciara and Dani for the opportunity.

I'll be seeing Ciara again tomorrow for the photo shoot for the next issue of Kimi which is coming out towards the end of the year! 

Turmeric Scrambled Eggs

I needed a bit of a flavour sensation for my breakfast the other morning.
 
A few years ago i did an incredible Indian cooking workshop in Sydney with a woman called Madhu Arora. The workshop ran over 2 days- the first day dedicated to North Indan cuisine and the second day to South Indian.

I just found my diary entries from when i was there. Madhu has left a lasting impression on me. 

 The cooking today was so nourishing and satisfying. It was as if you could taste every single element of the dishes. Words can't explain how satisfied i am and how worthwhile my day was.
Madhu Arora is someone i will remember for a very long time....
I came to Normanhurst with the expectation to learn about and cook authentic Indian food, but i have left with so much more than i could have imagined. I feel as if i have learned more about myself at this workshop weekend than i have about cooking.

Anyway! This recipe is not at all about what i cooked on that weekend, but it was Madhu who first taught me to really appreciate spices and how they differ in the north to the south and what they can do for you. Turmeric in particular is one that stood out to me, hence it's appearance in my Asian style eggs. Not only does turmeric have a fantastic colour and taste amazing, it's also supposedly a fantastic anti-inflammatory, anti oxidant and antiseptic. Gargle some turmeric and salt in warm water for a sore throat. I'm no Ayurveda expert, but from what i've read, turmeric is super versatile. I reckon it's pretty cool!

Ingredients for Turmeric Scrambled Eggs
*If you don't eat eggs, try subsituting the eggs for firm tofu. Mash it up with a fork and voila, it's virtually the same dish!*

Coconut oil for frying
2 eggs beaten
dash of milk
1 red chilli chopped small
dash soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 small garlic clove
half tomato diced
2 mushrooms cut small
1 spring onion cut small
2 tsp turmeric powder
handful baby spinach leaves
fresh coriander
juice of half a lime or lemon

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a dash of milk of your choice add chopped coriander and spinach leaves.

Heat the oil in a pan and add soy sauce, chili, garlic and ginger. Add the mushrooms, tomato and spring onion. Fry until mushrooms soften and add the turmeric.

Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs are cooked. Serve with a squeeze of lime/lemon juice and enjoy!

If you're interested in Indian cooking workshops I would highly recommend Madhu!
http://maindiancooking.com.au/