My Ultimate ‘Ctrl-C Ctrl-V’ Afro-Indian Tomato Lentil Curry (Version 2.0)

By Ananda Kammampati

 

I have taken portions of different ingredients, guidelines, techniques & tips from multiple Chefs (listed at the end) and made a culinary collage - a mouth watering, spicy, flavorful, Tomato Lentil Curry. 

I had to run my CI/CD pipeline builds multiple times in fine tuning my concocted recipe. I can now confidently say this is Production ready.

Being an IT guy, I can’t come up with a better name for what I did. Hence the ‘Ctrl-C Ctrl-V’.

I am hoping to make a series of recipes under this banner 🙂 Hand picking up from different culinary Gurus across the Globe.

Note: This is like building Kubernetes at its earlier days. You know how it was then. So this one too needs a lot of patience.

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16-ready

Ingredients

  • 1 roughly cut red onion
  • 1 roughly cut yellow onion
  • 4 medium size tomatoes
  • 8 table spoons of oil
  • 1 table spoon of fennel seeds
  • 1 tea spoon of poppy seeds (1)
  • 2 table spoon of roasted gram
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • 4 table spoons of crated coconut flakes 
  • salt
  • 6-7 cups of hot water
  • 4 sliced green chillies
  • 2 table spoon ginger & garlic paste
  • 2 cups of red lentils (nicely washed)
  • 1 small portion of cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cardamoms
  • 12 chopped curry leaves
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves
  • 1/2 tea spoon of turmeric powder
  • 3 table spoon of coriander powder
  • 1 table spoon of Kashmiri chili powder
  • 1 tea spoon of spicy masala powder (optional)

Prep #1

  • 1 roughly cut red onion
  • 1 roughly cut yellow onion
  • blend them all together in a mixer/blender

Prep #2

Option (a) :

  • 4 medium size tomatoes
  • blend them all in a mixer/grinder

Option (b) :

  • use 3 table spoons of tomato paste that you can buy off the shelf

Option (c):

  • 1/2 cup of canned tomatoes
  • blend it in a mixer/blender

Prep #3

  • In a pan, dry fry the following in  slow flame for 5-6 minutes :
  • 1 table spoon of fennel seeds
  • 1 tea spoon of poppy seeds
  • 2 table spoon of roasted gram
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • switch off the gas/flame
  • add 4 table spoons of crated coconut flakes onto the mix
  • fry them along with the left over residual heat 
  • take them out to a plate and let it cool down for a few minutes
  • blend them all together in a mixer/blender with 1/4 cup of water to begin with
  • add water in increments till you make it a fine paste

Have these Ready

  • A timer
  • salt
  • 6-7 cups of hot water handy 
  • 4 sliced green chillies
  • 2 table spoon ginger & garlic paste
  • 2 cups of red lentils (nicely washed)
  • 1 small portion of cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cardamoms
  • 12 chopped curry leaves
  • handful of chopped coriander leaves
  • mix the following in a small cup and keep it ready:
    • 1/2 tea spoon of turmeric powder
    • 3 table spoon of coriander powder
    • 1 table spoon of Kashmiri chili powder
    • 1 tea spoon of spicy masala powder (optional)

Stage #1 (15 minutes in medium heat)

  • Heat a medium/large size container (with a lid)
  • Add 8 table spoons of vegetable oil and give it a minute for it to heat it up
  • Add bay leaves, cardamoms, green chillies. fry them a minute
  • Add the Onion mix from Prep #1
  • Add 2 table spoons of ginger & garlic paste
  • Give it a mix and close the container with the lid
  • keep checking once in few minutes and give it a mix
  • If it sticks to the bottom, add few tea spoons of hot water, give it a mix, close the lid and repeat
  • Let it turn into medium-to-dark brown which would have shrunk by now

Stage #2 (15 minutes in medium heat)

  • Add tomato paste from Prep #2
  • give it a mix
  • Add the spices from the small cup 
  • give it a mix again
  • add 1 cup of hot water
  • give it a mix and close the container with the lid
  • keep checking once in few minutes, give it a mix, close the lid and repeat

Stage #3 (15 minutes in medium heat)

  • Add 2 cups of Lentils
  • Add 3 cups of hot water
  • Give it a mix and close it with the lid
  • keep checking once in few minutes, give it a mix, close the lid and repeat

Stage #4 (10 minutes in medium heat)

  • Add the paste from Prep #3
  • Add a tea spoon of spicy power to lift up the aroma
  • give it a mix
  • Add 3 cups of hot water
  • Add enough salt
  • give it a mix once in few minutes, close the lid and repeat
  • after 15 mins, reduce the fire to simmer (or take it out if you have only one burner in your stove)

Stage #5 (Tempering)

  • Heat a separate pan
  • Add 2 table spoon of clarified butter / Ghee (2). Heat it up
  • 2 tea spoons of cumin seeds
  • 6 cloves of diced garlic
  • 4 dried red chillies
  • fry till the garlic turns slight brown
  • drop the contents of the pan into the main dish
  • sprinkle all the chopped coriander leaves on top of main dish
  • Switch off the Gas, close the container with lid
  • let it to rest for next 5 mins untouched.

Plate out

  • After 5 minutes, open the lid and give it a mix
  • Plate it out
  • Done, Enjoy !
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My Source & Culinary Gurus

 

(1) I have heard poppy seeds are illegal in certain countries. Please don't come after me for recommeding them. I am just the messenger.

(2) Ghee vs Clarified Butter