Food for Thought
Canada is the largest exporter of lentils in the world. Most of these are grown in Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. The most commonly grown varieties are the large green and red lentils.
Lentils grow in pods that contain either one or two seeds.
Compared to other dry beans and peas, lentils cook faster and are easy to prepare. Lentils are sold whole or split, with split being the most common.
They are high in fibre and help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels as they take longer to digest and provide a slower release of energy.
Lentil seeds have been grown and used as a food source for thousands of years. Lentil seeds have been unearthed in archaeological sites in the Middle East that have been dated at more than 8,000 years old.
Curried chicken
with lentils
Serves four.
This goes very well with some cooked basmati rice and Naan bread.
Ingredients
15 ml vegetable oil
eight chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed
15 ml Madras curry powder
a large pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic crushed
20 ml minced ginger
1 fresh Serrano or jalapeno chili, finely chopped
5 ml ground cumin
5 ml ground coriander
2 bay leaves
125 ml red lentils
1 medium mango, peeled, chopped
500 ml chicken stock
1 398 ml can coconut milk
30 ml chopped fresh coriander
4 scallions/green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Procedure
1. Mix the salt and pepper with 5 ml of the curry powder, season the chicken with this mixture.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
3. Add chicken and saut until golden brown, approximately three to four minutes.
4. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili, remaining 10 ml curry powder, cumin, ground coriander and bay leaves. Cook until vegetables are soft, about five minutes.
5. Add lentils and coat with the oil in the pot.
6. Add diced mango, stock and coconut milk.
7. Cover and let simmer on low heat until the lentils are soft, about 35 to 40 minutes.
8. Stir in chopped fresh coriander and green onions.
This week's column is written by chef Tony Rechsteiner, who has been a chef for 39 years. Originally from Australia, he is a Certified Chef de Cuisine and an instructor in CNC's professional cook program.
