Ginger infused cauliflower dal December 8, 2008

This is another recipe I stashed away during VeganMoFo and hadn’t had time to try yet. Since I’ve stopped getting my organic vegetable box, there are some vegetables that just don’t seem to find their way into my trolley, and cauliflower is one of them. I really like it but since giving up cheese the only way I ever eat it is in Indian food. Any other ideas for it, anyone? If you’ve read this blog before you’ll know that I’m a sucker for any kind of dal dish (and that I still haven’t decided how to spell it), so I was delighted to spot the two things combined in a very different looking dish to the one I’ve tried before.

Anyway, I’d never used French (or puy) lentils before in dal but I would do again. They are nice and earthy but they keep their shape nicely. The ginger  and cardomom are both lovely with the lentils and the cauliflower. I would recommend that you add the lentils before the cauliflower is quite tender because it carries on cooking for a bit longer and mine was just on he edge of being a bit overcooked. It would definitely have been nicer with some fresh coriander too but I didn’t have any this time.

The rice is my favourite way to serve a simple Indian spiced brown rice which I think came from Jamie Oliver in Sainsbury’s magazine, but I grate some carrot in it for colour, sweetness and vitamins.

I’ve said before that one of my favourite combinations for a nice, filling, easy midweek meal is brown rice+spiced lentils+vegetable, and this dish is another one to add to my list of regulars.

Getting on with VeganMoFo recipes November 3, 2008

The best thing about VeganMoFo was all the other great blogs that I didn’t know about before, or that were even started simply for MoFo. I’d not come across Lady’s Vegan Kitchen before, but I’d starred an aubergine and spinach dhal on it a while ago and tonight was the night to try it. Lentils, spinach and aubergine are 3 of my favourite things so throwing them all together in one dish sounded really good to me.

I don’t really like frozen spinach so I used fresh. I also made a few other tweaks – my only chilli paste was distinctly chinese in flavour so I used some chilli flakes instead. I also didn’t peel the aubergine because I hate to waste the lovely smokiness of the skin. I used brown lentils as none were specified and I thought they’d go best with the other flavours.

You’ll notice there’s no picture of this dish. I think I perhaps used too much spinach because the dish was distinctly green, and maybe I over pureed, because it was also distinctly sloppy. Green slop does not make for attractive food photos, even when served with carrot and mustard seed rice…

However, I’m still blogging about the dish because it tasted fantastic and was perfect comfort food weather, especially served with my favourite Geeta’s garlic pickle on the side. And yes, I’m extremely jealous that the recipe author is basking under the Australian sun while I’m shivering in the dark! Thanks for the recipe though; it’s a good one!!