Indiase dahl met spinazie en zoete aardappel

Na een weekend met dikke plakken gemarineerd lamsvlees en rabarbertaart, nu maar weer vegetarisch en laag in de calorieën. Gezond, snel en vegetarisch. Ja dat is fijn! O, en makkelijk ook nog. Deze linzenschotel is kruidig en licht pittig en houdt het midden tussen een soep en een groentestoof.



Indiase dahl met spinazie en zoete aardappel (voor 2 personen)

2 eetl olie
1 ui, fijngehakt
1 teen knoflook, fijngehakt
1 rode peper zonder zaadjes, fijngehakt
1,5 tl garam massala (kruidenmengsel)
0,5 tl kurkuma
400 ml water
1 blokje groentebouillonblokje
100 g rode linzen
1 grote zoete aardappel, geschild en in blokjes
75 g jonge spinazie (drie handen vol)
koriander
naanbrood

* fruit de ui in de olie op laag vuur
* voeg na 2 minuten de knoflook en rode peper toe
* voeg na 2 minuten garam massala en kurkuma toe en bak nog 1 minuut
* voeg water, bouillonblokje en linzen toe en breng op hoog vuur aan de kook
* kook 10 minuten op laag vuur (zodat het zachtjes pruttelt)
* voeg de zoete aardappel toe en kook nog zachtjes 10-12 minuten, tot je de punt van een mes makkelijk in de aardappel kan steken
* roer er de spinazie door en warm nog even door
* bestrooi met verse koriander en serveer met warm naanbrood

Asian style vegetables with noodles or rice

Last weekend I made, with the help and assistance of some friends, a delicious risotto with green asparagus, mint and lemon. With all the wine we were drinking during the cooking, I completely forgot to take a picture. So, I will have to make the risotto again (which I totally don't mind, it was that good) and post the recipe wíth pictures some other time. The recipe was Jamie Oliver's, so if you want to make it before I post it, check his website!

The days have gone by and finally I am posting a new recipe. This is because I only have one week left before I have to hand in the first draft of my thesis...Aaargh! Luckily the stress, as it usually does, has a positive effect on my creativity, so the writing goes quite well, thank you.

Today I will tell you about a delicious Asian dish. It's little bit sweet and smooth, and very tasty. I wonder how my Chinese friends would like it. Maybe they say it's not Asian at all!
The ingredient list seems quite long, but once you have the stuff for the sauce at home, you can cook a million things with it (or just make this recipe over and over again). I have made a suggestion for which vegetables to use, but you can of course vary as much as you like. You can also add some fried tofu or egg to add some protein.



Asian style vegetables with noodles or rice (serves 4)

sauce:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
60 ml Japanese soy sauce
80 ml sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons cornflour (NL: maizena)
125 ml water
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon of ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian sauce)

vegetables:
1 medium broccoli, cut in small florets
2 handfuls of snap peas (NL: peultjes) or sugar snaps
1 red bell pepper (NL: paprika), in cubes or slices
150 gr cremini mushrooms (NL: kastanje champignons), sliced
1/4 savoy cabbage, shredded

plus: noodles or rice

* blanch the broccoli and snap peas for 2 minutes in boiling water and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process
* make the sauce by putting the sesame oil and sunflower oil in a large frying pan or wok
* fry the onion and garlic until they are soft, but not brown
* add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, cornflour, water, ginger and ketjap manis and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken
* add paprika, mushrooms and cabbage, cover the pan and simmer for around 3-5 minutes until they are cooked but still crunchy
* add broccoli and snap peas and warm through
* serve with noodles or rice

Tips:
* don't throw away the stalk of the broccoli - peel it and cut into thin slices. Use with the rest of the broccoli.
* you can keep ginger in the freezer and grate what you need straight into the pan. You can do the same with chili peppers by the way!