Simple Vegetarian Recipes

Swami's Dhal (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup red split lentils
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• A few cloves garlic (sliced finely)
• 1/2 inch ginger root (diced)
• cooking oil
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• yellow mustard seed
• cumin seed
• fennel seed
• ground turmeric

Optional:

• 1 chilli, or chilli powder to taste
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• handful of fresh coriander

Method:

1. Rinse rice and lentils
2. Cover and heat rice to the boil in a 2/1 ratio water/rice. Brown rice will need 35-40 mins to cook, so leave to simmer
3. Cover and heat lentils to the boil in a 2/1 ratio water/lentils
4. After 15 minutes, take lentils off heat and in a large frying pan begin frying mustard seeds, cumin & fennel in oil until they begin to 'pop'
5. Add onion, garlic, ginger and any other spices to pan and fry until onion browns slightly
6. Add chopped tomatoes to pan and stir
7. Pour cooked lentils into pan and stir
8. Add stock cube, salt or other seasonings to taste
9. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes or so while the rice finishes cooking
10. Serve topped with fresh coriander or other herbs

Veg Curry (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• cooking oil
• 1 medium sized potato (chopped into cubes approx 1 cm)
• 1 dsp curry powder, or mix your own from cumin, garam masala, yellow mustard seed etc
• 1 tin coconut milk, or creamed coconut
• 1 vegetable stock cube

Optional:

• 1 chilli, or chilli powder to taste
• 1/4 cup red split lentils
• sultanas
• handful of fresh coriander

Method:

1. Fry onion in a pan in oil until brown
2. Add garlic, chilli and curry powder
3. Add potatoes so they take up the flavour and fry over low heat for approx 20 mins
4. While potatoes fry, mix rice with 1 cup of water and boil covered in a pot for approx 35 mins (15-20 mins if using white rice)
5. If using lentils, boil in 1/2 cup water in another covered pot for approx 20 mins until they break down into a paste
6. Add coconut milk and stock (and lentil paste, sultanas if using) into frying pan and simmer over low heat for 10-20 mins
7. Serve topped with fresh coriander or other herbs