This is from my favorite Indian vegetarian recipe book, Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking.

BANARASI ARHAR DAL

Banaras arhar dal, a dish reminiscent of the north Indian countryside mango groves, coriander patches, and fields of lentils stretching to the horizon – is in fact a simple, humble dish and quite easy to make. The lentils are first cooked to a smooth, creamy consistency. Then the mango slices, spiced with cayenne, cumin, and garam masala, are folded into the dal. Finally fresh coriander is added to perfume and mix the flavours.

In my mother’s home, as a child, I ate this dal with a simple baked bread or a bowl of fluffy plain rice and a vegetable side dish, the most memorable being Bitter Gourd with Spicy Onion Stuffing and with Fragrant Potato Stuffing (pp. 238 and 239).

FOR 6–8 PERSONS

8 oz/250 g yellow lentils (toor dal) or red lentils (masar dal)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 small green mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced
11/2 teaspoons coarse salt, or to taste

FOR THE SPICED BUTTER:
4-5 tablespoons usli ghee (p. 57) or light vegetable oil
11/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
teaspoon garam masala
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 Pick clean, wash, and cook the lentils and turmeric in 2 pints (1 liter) water. Stir in the salt. Keep the dal over a low simmer while you make the spiced butter.

2 Measure out the spices and place them right next to the stove in separate piles. Heat the usli ghee in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the cumin. When the cumin turns dark brown (about 12 seconds), add the mango slices (if you are using them). Fry the mangoes, turning and tossing them, until they look slightly soft and cooked (about 8 minutes). Reduce the heat, if necessary.

3 Sprinkle on the cayenne and the garam masala, and continue cooking, turning the mangoes, for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the entire contents of the pan over the dal. Add half the chopped coriander and mix well. Serve sprinkled with the remaining coriander.

Related posts:

1. Last night’s dinner
2. Vegetarian Indian Recipe: Aloo Brinjal
3. How green is tofu?

(For four persons)

INGREDIENTS
4 six-inch courgettes/zucchini
1 tablespoon sunflower or safflower oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 oz bulgur (uncooked)
8 oz vegetarian ground beef
2 teaspoons madras curry powder (mild to hot depending on taste)

(For the sauce)
3 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1lb fresh ripe tomatoes (puréed)
salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (that’s cilantro if you’re American.

METHOD
1. Preheat over to 350F/180C
2. Cut the courgettes in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving shells about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Chop the removed flesh finely.
3. Mix the oil, onion, ground “beef”, curry powder, and the chopped courgettes. Stuff the halved courgettes with the mixture and place in a baking dish. Cover tightly with tinfoil.
4. Bake in the middle of the over for 40 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the sauce (recipe below).
5. Uncover, spoon the sauce over the stuffed courgettes, re-cover, and bake for a further five minutes.

SAUCE RECIPE
1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and fry, stirring often, for 6-8 minutes or until starting to brown.
2. Add the cumin and fry for one more minute.
3. Add the puréed tomatoes and salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander/cilantro.

I served the meal with chapatis, but a rice pilaf would have been nice as an alternative.

I’m aware curry powder is a cop-out, but if you want to flavor the “beef” with cumin seed, coriander seed, cardamom, cayenne, fresh ginger, and fresh chillies, the result would no doubt be splendid.

Related posts:

1. Vegetarian Haggis Recipe
2. BANARAS YELLOW LENTILS WITH PEPPERED MANGO SLICES
3. How green is tofu?

There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep’s ‘pluck’ (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal’s stomach for approximately three hours.

Here’s my version, which lacks onions, but which still reminded me strongly of my youthful experiences with the original version, and which I offer as a service to humanity.

4oz of unsalted, roasted peanuts
4oz of raw shelled sunflower seeds
8oz of pinhead/steel-cut/coarse-cut oats (the name varies)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1 tablespoon of mixed herbs
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons thyme
5 tablespoons soy sauce
8 tablespoons safflower or sunflower oil
12oz TVP (soaked), or two packets (24 oz) of “Yves Meatless Ground” (a US brand)

Finely grind the peanuts and sunflower seeds in a blender, then dry roast them with the oats, herbs, and spices in a thick-bottomed frying pan.

Remove from the heat and add the TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) or Meatless Ground.

Add the vegetable oil to the mixture. Add about 18oz water (if using Yves Meatless Ground, which is already moist) or 24oz water if using dry TVP, and mix well. The mixture should be slightly sloppy.

Pour into baking tin or casserole, cover tightly with tinfoil, and bake in the oven at a medium – high heat (gas mark 5, or 400°F) for 45 minutes, uncovering for the last 20 minutes.

This will feed approximately eight people. Serve with mashed potatoes (“tatties”) and “neeps” which is mashed turnip (Scotland), swede (England) or rutabaga (US).

If you’re not familiar with cooking turnip/swede/rutabaga, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer than boiling potatoes. Cut the vegetable into chunks and cook in a covered pot with a small amount of water, checking regularly to make sure it doesn’t boil dry. Mash with a potato masher and season with marge/butter, salt, and pepper.

The tastes of haggis, neeps, and tatties complement each other wonderfully.

As far as the nutmeg goes, don’t make the mistake I once made and misread your own handwriting, confusing teaspoons with tablespoons. Nutmeg is psychoactive and I was tripping for days!

Related posts:

1. Vegetarian Indian Recipe: Aloo Brinjal
2. Last night’s dinner
3. BANARAS YELLOW LENTILS WITH PEPPERED MANGO SLICES