Curried Red Lentil Balls in Tamarind Coconut Sauce
This mild curry tastes wonderful on a cold evening. This meal is filling and healthy as well as being really tasty.
Serving Size: 4
Yield: 9 balls
Ingredients:
for the sauce:
- 1 can coconut cream
- 3-4 tablespoons coconut flakes (not sweetened)
- 2 tablespoons tamarind syrup or paste (not sweetened)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon koetembar powder
- 2 teaspoons asafoetida powder
- pinch turmeric powder
- salt and pepper
for the lentil balls:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 cups water
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon gram flour
- curry leaves
Directions:
to make the lentil balls:
- Saute the onions in 1 Tbs. oil until glassy.
- Add the red lentils, water bay leaves, 1 tsp. safoetida powder and a pinch of salt.
- Cook until the lentils are soft.
- Allow to cool.
- When the lentils have cooled, drain any excess water and add the cornmeal and gram flower.
- Mix to a stiff batter.
- Taste and season if needed with salt and pepper.
- Form the lentils into golf ball sized balls.
- Fry the lentil balls in the other 2 Tbs. of oil.
to make the sauce:
- In a separate frying pan.
- Pour the coconut cream, add the seasonings and coconut flakes and stir well to mix.
- Bring to a slow simmer.
- Season to taste.
Serve the lentil balls with the sauce and garnished with the curry leaves. Optionally serve with white rice.
Notes:
I had seen a lovely picture of a meal that I would like to try at cookingandme.com. However it sounded rather complicated and we could not get all of the ingredients necessary. So I studied the recipe carefully and tried to make a “westernized version”. Perhaps it should be called fusion but whatever it’s called, this was a really delicious meal that we will enjoy more often in the future.