------So easy, so healthy, so cheap! This is not a curry. It's a spicy, nutritious one-pot dish. Can -- actually should -- be made the day before, as flavours definitely improve on standing: this was clear when I tucked into the leftovers. It's not a glamorous dish: it's rustic and robust.
It's quicker still to throw together if you first mix the spices together in a bowl, and also prepare the vegetables, before you start. Do not use substitutions (except those suggested) and do use fresh spices! Old spices are useless.------
01Heat a generous amount of oil in a medium pot (the spices absorb oil).
02Fry the chopped onion, stirring a few times, for 5 minutes or until softened. Use medium heat.
03Add the curry powder and spices. It's easiest and more practical to measure them before starting and mix them in a small bowl. (Curry, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, fennel seeds).
04Stir well, and fry spices with the onion for about 2 minutes.
05Add the peeled, chopped tomato and the sugar. (The tomatoes must be peeled and the sugar is essential).
06As coconut milk separates in the tin, empty into a bowl and whisk until smooth.
07Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, lentils, carrots and water to the pot with the spices.
08Stir everything well, and bring to boil over higher heat. When it starts boiling, put the lid on the pot, almost closed but not quite -- tilted a little.
09Reduce heat to low enough so pot simmers slowly. Simmer until lentils are tender and have absorbed the liquid -- about 20 - 25 minutes.
10Add the zucchini and peas, stir through, and simmer just a minute or two, until the two last vegetables are barely done and not mushy.
11Mound in a dish and keep warm until serving, or heat gently the next day. The flavor improves if made ahead of time.
12Sprinkle over parsley for colour just before serving.
13Serve with blobs of thick Greek yoghurt and a large bowl of sliced bananas sprinkled with lime or lemon juice. (Or a side dish of your choice).
14PLEASE NOTE: This is also a perfect, all-in-one side dish for meat-eaters. It is delicious with a bowl of oven-baked chicken pieces, flavored with seasoning salt and some Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce -- which is what I served with it last night. Then it only needed a green salad and some cold white wine!