This vegan dish of beluga lentils, red bell peppers and mushrooms with fragrant spices is a fusion dish. I've called it a "curry" but it's in no way an authentic dish... apart from in how delicious it tastes.
I think I've always been consistent in ensuring that vegan, veggie and pescatarians versions of my recipes have been articulated. But, recently I've had more friends asking me for vegan or vegetarian recipes, whether for ethical or health reasons.
This beluga lentil, red pepper and mushroom curry is most definitely a fusion dish. The style and spices of the dish are in keeping with my love of the Indo-Persian cuisine, common in India, Pakistan,Turkey and present-day Iran and Iraq. Yet, some of these key ingredients are not. For example, beluga lentils—not to be confused with other black lentils—originate in North America and today are mostly grown in Canada. They're rarely encountered in Asia. With its red bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes, this dish could be viewed as having as much an Italian or North African influence as any from the Indian subcontinent.
Spicing it up
I'm including the spice mix I use to for this dish. But, there are plenty of readymade spice pastes on the market that could be substituted to make it even easier to cook—such as korma or balti spice pastes—or even harissa paste to take it in a North African direction.
With this spice mix at these quantities this is actually a very mild dish; in the ballpark of a korma where "spiciness" is concerned. If you want to spice it up, add a finely sliced hot red chilli or two at the same point at which you add the onions in the recipe below.
To cream or not to cream?
Apart from the small amount of coconut cream included in my spice mix, I don't usually add any additional ingredients to make this dish creamier. However, if you prefer a creamier texture, you can always add coconut milk, or, if stepping outside of its vegan DNA, single cream or yoghurt in the last stages of the cooking. NB: if adding yoghurt, remember to only pour it into the dish once removed from the heat to avoid "clotting" or to add as an "at table" condiment.
This recipe serves 3 to 4 diners. Scale up or down as needed.
Shopping list
for the spice paste mix
1 tspn turmeric
2 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn cinnamon
½ tspn ground cardamom
2 tspn ground dried coriander
2 tspn fennel
1 tspn mild chilli powder
2 tspns mild curry powder
1 tspn garlic powder
2 tspn cararway seeds
Approx. 30g creamed coconut
2 tbspn minced ginger
2 tbspns flaked almonds, coarsely ground
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced or finely crushed
3 of 4 dried bay leaves
2 tspns tomato purée
juice of ½ a fresh lemon
for the dish
3 tbspns peanut oil (or the equivalent in ghee or vegetable oil)
2 brown onions; cubed
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
2 very ripe red bell peppers, cut into fairly large, irregular pieces
1 vegetable stock cube diluted in approx. 100ml water
A generous clutch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in their juice
120g medium chestnut mushrooms, sliced into fairly thick slices
1 400g tin of beluga lentils (or the dried equivalent, cooked)
Approx. 75g spinach, finely chopped
Naan bread, basmati or pilau rice, as preferred as an accompaniment
Cooking Method
Grind all of the dry spice paste mix ingredients into a coarse powder, by hand using a pestle and mortar or with a spice grinder. Pour into a bowl and mix in all of the "wet" ingredients to create a paste. Whatever you don't use for this dish will store, sealed, in the fridge for about a week. Better still, decant into an ice tray and defrost as needed
In a pot with a lid, heat the oil for the main dish on a medium-high heat. When hot, add about 2 level tbspns of the spice paste and cook for 1 to 2 mins, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Then add the onions, stirring. If the paste becomes too dry and begins to stick add a little water—no more that 2 or 3 tbspns at a time. Add the celery after the onions have been cooking for a minute or so. Stir in, add a little more water if needed, cover and "sweat" the onions and celery for about 3 mins, or longer; basically until they show the first signs of softening
Add the red pepper pieces, stir in and cook for at least 3 mins, or until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, adding a further 2 tabspns of the spice paste. Mix the mushrooms in with the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 to 4 mins. Sprinkle the flat leaf parsley over the ingredients, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 mins (check there's enough liquid in the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks)
Uncover, stir thoroughly and slowly pour in the stock. Recover and boil vigorously for 5 mins. Uncover once again and add your tin of chopped tomatoes, stirring in. Bring to the boil, re-cover and allow to cook vigorously for a further 5 min
Stir, re-cover and reduce to a very low heat, allowing the contents of the pot to simmer gently for a further 15 to 20 mins, stirring occasionally
The liquid in you pot should have begun to reduce by now. If not sufficiently thickened, continue to simmer for up to 15 mins more, stirring occasionally. Add your beluga lentils, ensuring they have been fully drained. Stir in and add the spinach almost immediately after. Allow these to cook in for no more than 3 mins
Add any ingredients to increase the creaminess of the sauce. Think about when you add them. Coconut milk—pretty liquid—needs to be added before the beluga lentils because it may mean that you need to reduce your sauce further. But, cream should only be added after; yoghurt either at table or once removed from the heat etc.
Plate and serve with the rice—or naan bread or fresh bread—and any side dishes or condiments
Alternatives
Vegans and vegetarians
This is a vegan dish, duh!—unless you add cream or yoghurt, which really is not essential.
Pescatarians
Yes, it can be great with king prawns or other seafood. See below.
Carnivores
Okay, so ordinarily I wouldn't entertain this question. However, this dish has sometimes proven particularly useful when catering for a party of predominantly vegans/vegetarians and the one or two must-have-meat guests. Nothing could be easier: hold back a little of the spice paste, heat in a little oil in a hot pan and then sauté diced chicken or kings prawns (in the case of "peskies") before adding to their serving. Voila!
Pairings
My preferred tipples with this one are sparkling water with a dash of lime or something like a mid-bodied chianti or barolo that works with the earthier flavours of the beluga lentils. It's also great with beer.
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