Pumpkin dhal dip. Photo / Annabel Langbein Media
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I found myself at the supermarket checkout the other day, my mouth hanging open in gormless disbelief, as I took in the total of my purchases on the screen display. I carefully perused the entries
There’s just the two of us at home now, I’m not feeding a tribe of kids or extended family. I find myself wondering, how are lots of people actually managing? And more than ever, how worrisome is it that all the super-processed, fat- and sugar-laden snacks, offering nothing other than empty calories, are cheaper to buy than foods that are actually going to deliver real nutrition.
In Italy, some of the cheapest, most satisfying meals are made with pasta, constructed very humbly around an oily aromatic base and whatever the season’s harvests have to offer. A generous glug of olive oil is gently heated with lots of sliced garlic, some lemon rind and a pinch of chilli flakes. Into this go sliced mushrooms, or chunks of roasted pumpkin or peeled broad beans, maybe a crumble of fennel and pork sausage and a can of tomatoes, or perhaps a few big handfuls of greens and a splash of the pasta water. The pasta is drained at the perfect moment of an al dente bite and given a good drenching of juice from the zested lemon before being tossed together with all the flavours and veges in the pan. The finishing touch is a grating of parmesan cheese and lots of Italian parsley.
No one ever feels like they are missing out with this kind of food and yet, as long as you work with peak-season vegetables (and have access to fresh herbs like parsley), it’s remarkably inexpensive to put together.
The Indian kitchen is another great example of transforming cheap ingredients into satisfying, lip-smacking meals, layered with flavour. Here, it’s all about pulses (lentils, peas and beans) and rice, brought to life with an array of glorious spices. Head to an Indian grocery store to stock up your spice cupboard. You’ll find the spices there are so much cheaper.
If I’m on the run, I use red lentils for this, as they don’t require soaking. Finishing with the flavoured butter/oil just before serving brings all the flavours alive. Asafoetida, also known as hing, is a pungent condiment used to add depth of flavour to many Indian vegetarian dishes. It is available at Indian shops and keeps for months. The gum from a variety of giant fennel, it is generally sold in powdered form and just a pinch adds a similar depth of comforting flavour as onions and garlic (don’t be tempted to use too much as it quickly becomes overpowering. Fry it for a few seconds in oil or butter to release the oniony, garlicky aromas before adding other ingredients, taking great care not to burn.
Ready in 30 minutes
Makes 3 cups
2 cups yellow lentils, soaked for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained
260g chopped pumpkin
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
5 cups water
2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp finely chopped green chilli
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
FLAVOURED BUTTER/OIL
2 Tbsp clarified butter (see below) or oil
A pinch of asafoetida (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves, to serve
Place lentils, pumpkin, turmeric and salt in a pot and cover with the water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer until pumpkin and lentils are falling apart tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, drain and return pumpkin and lentils to pot. Add ginger, chilli, garam masala and pepper; mash to combine.
In a frying pan, heat butter and add asafoetida if using, cumin seeds and chilli powder.
Sizzle for 5-10 seconds then pour over lentil mixture and stir through with lemon juice. Add coriander and adjust seasonings to taste.
To make clarified butter, melt butter over a low heat taking care not to let it boil (this causes the milk solids to get dispersed throughout the fat and you won’t be able to skim them off). Using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard the foamy milk solids that rise to the top. The golden clear melted butter underneath is clarified butter. Ladle this off into a clean container for storage, leaving the milky little water at the bottom behind. Keep in the fridge in a covered container, it doesn’t go rancid like regular butter and has a high heat point for frying.
The starting point of many vegetable curries in Rajasthan is a puree of tomatoes, onion, garlic and chilli known as a “gravy”. This gets added to fried spices with whatever seasonal vegetables are to hand and simmered until tender. You can make it with any seasonal vegetables. In India they also make it with chillies as the main vegetable.
Ready in about 40 minutes
Serves 6 as a main or 8 as a side
3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 1 x 400g can crushed tomatoes
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 green chilli, coarsely chopped , or 1 dried or frozen red or green chilli
3 Tbsp neutral oil, eg grapeseed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
1 tsp each ground coriander, turmeric, salt and garam masala
A pinch of asafoetida
½ cup water
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
300g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
A big bunch of spinach or silverbeet, chopped
½ cup coriander leaves, to serve
Place tomatoes, onion, garlic and chilli in a food processor and whizz to a puree. Heat oil in a large pot and cook cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add chilli flakes, ground coriander, turmeric, salt, garam masala and asafoetida. Stir for a few seconds over the heat before adding the tomato onion paste and the water. Simmer until oil starts to come to the surface (about 15 minutes). Stir in potatoes and pumpkin, cover and cook until the potatoes are almost tender (15 minutes). Stir in spinach or silverbeet and cook until wilted (about 2 minutes). Adjust seasonings to taste, sprinkle with coriander and serve hot.
Accompany with chutney, rice and naan or other flatbread.
Puffy naan bread
Ready in 25 minutes, plus rising
Makes 8
3¼ cups high-grade flour, plus a little extra for kneading
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
¾ cup hot water
½ cup natural yoghurt
2 tsp instant yeast
1 egg
50g butter, melted
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl or jug, whisk hot water, yoghurt and yeast. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in egg and butter. Stir into flour mixture until a sticky ball forms. Pick up the dough and throw it on to the bench about 20 times — it will start to become less sticky and more supple. Return to bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
Preheat oven grill to high and lightly flour 2 oven trays or baking stones. Turn out dough on to a lightly floured work surface and knead a couple of times to deflate. Form into a log, divide into 8 pieces and form each into a ball. Roll or press each out to 1cm thickness, giving them a light pull to stretch the dough a little.
Place on prepared trays or baking stones and grill until golden brown and puffy (about 1½ minutes). Turn over and cook the other side. Repeat until all naan are cooked.
by Yvonne Lorkin
(Pumpkin Dhal Dip)
Sunshine Brewing Gisborne Double Gold 33rd Anniversary Strong Lager 440ml 6.6% ($11)
Thirty-three years ago when I was 15, some people from Gisborne moved into the leaky flat next door. The men were skinny, tanned and wore patchwork leather pants. They had mullets and cigarette lighters in little pouches that hung around their necks. Their girlfriends had nose piercings, dreadlocks, crocheted shoes and smelled of Karma Sutra Love oil. They hung crystals and dusty dream catchers in their windows. I found out they were from Gisborne when one of the girls came over, introduced herself and asked to borrow Mum’s tweezers (odd) but anyhoo. Celebrating 33 years of brewing in sunny Gizzy, this rich, rib-stickingly strong lager is crafted in a Helles Bock style with hints of honey and spice, toasty, roasty malts and deeply nutty notes that work perfectly with pumpkin dhal dip.
sunshinebrewing.co.nz
(Rajasthan vegetable curry)
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Muscat 2018 ($30)
The absolute BEST boozy thing to sip with a glorious, gizzard-sizzling curry is always either ice-cold beer or a wine boasting some refreshing sweetness. Which is why this magical muscat will absolutely set your giblets aglow. Gorgeously golden in the glass, this musky, turkish delight-scented superstar is laced with fresh ginger, beeswax, lime zest and scorched apricots on the nose and palate. It’s incredibly rich and slightly smoky, and shows a kick of fresh, crunchy acidity and there’s a splash of sweetness and lusciousness before it finishes with a lengthy, spicy/dry texture.
pegasusbay.com
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