No, I’m not cooking whale! In this case, ‘beluga’ refers to the lentils I’ve used, so called because they resemble the well-known caviar.
In fact, it was difficult to know what to call this dish as it is inspired by the famous Punjabi curry, Dal Makhani, but it does have some differences. The traditional recipe uses whole urad dal whereas I’ve used beluga lentils which don’t need soaking and cook faster.
Dal Makhani translates as ‘buttery lentils’ due to the addition of butter and cream. My vegan version uses oil and coconut cream instead of butter and regular cream.
2-3 cloves garlic
Knob of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small fresh red chilli or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
25-30g EVOO, coconut oil or oil of choice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
200g rinsed and drained beluga lentils
200g tomato passata or puree
200-300g water
Pinch of salt or to taste
400g can red kidney beans, drained
150g coconut cream or to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala (see recipe in Spice Blends)
Coriander leaves to garnish (optional)
Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, ginger and chilli onto spinning blades through hole in lid. Add onion, chop 5 sec/speed 5 and scrape down sides. Add oil and spices, and sauté 3 min/120°C/speed 1.
Add lentils, tomato passata and 200g water, and cook for 25 min/100°C/REVERSE soft speed. Check a couple of times while cooking and add more water if necessary, depending on the consistency you want. After 25 minutes, check that lentils are cooked to your liking. If you prefer them softer, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add red kidney beans, coconut cream and garam masala, and cook 3 min/100°C/ REVERSE speed 1. Serve garnished with a swirl of coconut cream and coriander leaves if using.
old chris new tricks 