11 Apr - A lentil, a lentil, a lentil, a stone, a lentil, a stone.

 

In the name of Allah, Most gracious the Most merciful.

11 April 2014.

Where are the times that we sat at our mothers’ tables and while describing our day at school, we would help with sorting out the stones from the lentils, painstakingly patient, one by one. My Mom would empty the packet of brown lentils in a heap and from both sides we would attack the heap and push it with the side of our hand into a bowl. The habit stays with me till today but it does seem that factories or whoever packs them are more careful lately because the other day I only found 3 smallish stones in the lentil packet.

growing lentils

Some 20 years ago I worked at an organisation called the National Language Project, I was hired as production manager for a quarterly magazine called Bua! In Southern Sotho and Tswana the word Bua! means speak and was used around the country at rallies and meetings to mean: let it be heard, say it out loud, speak out!

Well, my colleague, Gerda and I were tasked to conceptualise the magazine, then meet with the Editor, to refine it and allocate tasks that would lead to publication. Sometimes Gerda would be the issue editor and sometimes the sub-editor.  My job was writing smallish conference notices and such but mainly to chase up the text, meet with layout and design artist, hire photographers, do photo research, meet with cover artist, get the ISBN number and fight with printers. Those were the days when we received a mock up from our design guy, took the files to a repro house where positives were made and then with mock and posies in hand, off to the printers.

Gerda would come up with the most exciting places where we could think creatively and put pen to paper and conceptualize. Sometimes we would take an early morning swim at the quiet Observatory baths or sit on the hill on the Block house, anywhere besides the office. This was all a highly kept secret until the day we came back from the baths. I wound my scarf a bit too tight so the damp marks shone through and our eyes were bloodshot from the water.

One Friday she offered to fetch me after mosque and we would have lunch at a quaint little restaurant/café called Lameez in Woodstock to work on the concept. I would usually jump into a taxi at 12.15 to go either to Muir street mosque, Claremont Main road or to UCT depending on how much time I had. So after Jumuah, we sat at Lameez eating the best vegetarian curry and soft warm water roti I had ever had. Lameez was a vibrant older woman with reddish hair with a hint of silver in her middle path, wearing a Salwar kameez and cerise scarf flung over her shoulders. She served us with finesse and generous helpings. As I savoured every mouthful I tried to register all of the ingredients and vegetables and gave no hoot to concept at all. The following day I tried to the best of my ability to mimic Lameez's curry and to this day, this curry has become such a mainstay in my home that I have to share it with you all, shukran Gerda and Lameez.

Vegetarian curry
Sort out two cups of brown lentils one by one (just kidding) and parboil until the lentils are soft but not mushy, rinsing it from time to time.

Make a curry base with braised onion, garlic and ginger, tomato, turmeric, fine cumin, coriander, red masala.

Add to it the cooked lentils with some of the water and a bay leaf and allow to simmer on medium until the lentils and sauce meld together.

Remove the bay leaf and add a medley of your favourite vegetables, first the ones that will cook longer such as green beans, potatoes, butternut, broad beans, and chunks of carrots.

Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the softer vegetables such as butternut or pumpkin blocks, disks of zucchini, some cauliflower and then finally eggplant wedges and broccoli.

Throw in some handfuls of curry leaves (so as not cook away the aroma) and salt to taste. When all is soft and well, turn down the heat and make some quick rotis.

Hot water roti (fast tracked)

·         3 cups of cake flour

·         Level teaspoon of salt

·         1 ½ cups of boiling water.

1. In a processor place the flour and salt and allow a dry spin of a few pulses to aerate the flour.
2. Then add all of the boiling water and mix until the dough starts to clump around the blade. Open and feel if it is soft.
3. Remove and place under plastic bag and wait for it to cool off a bit.
4. Work the dough by pressing thumbs into it as you push, bringing it round and working through again and again in order to create layers within it,  until the dough is completely smooth and starts to bubble.
5. Set aside while you heat up a non-stick (pref) roti pan.
6. Make balls and roll out thinly to the size of a medium plate.
7. Toss onto hot pan and with a paddle, flip it over a few times as it makes huge air bubbles. When it is brown enough, remove and on with the next one.

Try not to add any oils or butter, although it may be your practice, it’s healthier this way. And voila vegetarian curry with hot roti’s, enjoy. Jumuah Mubarak!!

Grow food and make great curries.

Yasmine