Easy Mung Lentil Curry

I'm slow getting the results of the first Experimental Thursday up as we had the grandparents visiting for the weekend.  Experimental Thursday #1 was a quiet affair as Hubby was working late (month end usually sees me eating alone), so it was dinner for one.   aIf it weren't for the fact that I really liked the neatness of starting a new endeavour on the first of the month, and I have always seen September as the time for starting new things (a hangover from school-days), I would probably have waited until Hubbo was home so that we could all be involved in the experiment.  As she is showing a fondness for strong flavours and spice and loves lentils, I could have cooked this earlier in the day and eaten it with Baby Bird (she may as well start as we mean to go on), but I didn't want to be trying to cook something new while keeping an eye on her.  Baby Bird doesn't really see why Mummy messes around with all this cooking when we could be playing games and mistakenly thought I would be better able to concentrate after she had gone to bed.

So, with my smallest family member snuggled up asleep, at 7:45 I embarked on making the Easy Mung Lentil Curry.  Thankfully, this lived up to its name, as I did my best to stuff it up by not reading the recipe properly!  Hmm... better able to concentrate without the baby being awake?  Apparently not...  Expecting the lentils to need cooking first and spotting the anticipated reference to simmering for 30-40 minutes, I missed the part about adding the chilli, ginger, turmeric and tomato at the start as well.  Noticed almost halfway through cooking.  Oops!  So, lesson #1: always read the recipe thoroughly before you begin.  However, while the flavours would no doubt be more fully developed, my attempt did not appear to have seriously suffered for this oversight.

As I was eating alone, I opted to go with 2 chillies rather than one, so this did have a pleasant kick (enhanced I suspect by the shorter cooking time for the chillies due to my error), but it would be just as delicious with one.  I intend to try it again that way, probably at the weekend so that Hubby and Baby Bird can try it out (she is showing a fondness for strong flavours and spice, even before her first birthday and loves lentils).  The recipe suggests that it serves 2-3.  I would say you need starters as well if serving 3, but it would definitely feed our 2 and a half comfortably, with some boiled rice or a naan.  The texture is smooth and the fried garlic, curry leaves and cumin stirred in at the last minute bring the whole dish to life.  I really enjoyed this, and am smiling just thinking about the second portion now stashed in the freezer waiting for a night in when I can't be bothered to cook.

If you have time, I would make this in advance and then reheat it to serve.  That way the lentils will plump and absorb the flavours fully, everything will mellow out and it will thicken slightly.  But that is being picky; if you want an easy and filling evening meal, that involves minimal preparation and can be accomplished while reading a book, doing the laundry, watching TV or whatever else you need to do at the end of the day, then this is a good bet.  It would also be perfect if you are hosting a vegetarian at an otherwise meat-based curry party. It shows you care without requiring extravagant effort and, if you gloss over the "mung lentil" part of the title (Hubbo commented that it sounded crusty even by my standards!), there is absolutely no reason why the meat-eaters should find it a tasty addition to their plates.

So, an enjoyable start.  I wonder what next week will bring.