Eggs with spicy peas and lentils
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(2)
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Easy
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Ready in:
30 mins
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Prep:
10 mins
Cook:
20 mins
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Serves:
4
A little spice can turn a few everyday ingredients into something special. This simple, satisfying dish provides a wealth of vital vitamins and minerals and the right balance of essential protein and fibre. Serve with basmati rice and/or warm naan bread for plenty of energy-giving starchy carbohydrate.
Recipe provided by:
Reader's Digest
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Vegetables for Vitality
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| 1 tbsp sunflower oil |
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| 1 onion, chopped |
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| 2 garlic cloves, sliced |
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| 2.5 cm (1 in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped |
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| 2 tbsp garam masala |
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| 1 tbsp tomato purée |
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| 450 g (1 lb) broccoli or cauliflower, or a mixture of the two, cut into small florets |
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| 450 ml (15 fl oz) vegetable stock, preferably home-made |
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| 55 g (2 oz) red lentils, rinsed |
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| 6 eggs |
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| 225 g (8 oz) frozen peas |
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| 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander |
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| coarsely grated zest of 1 lime (optional) |
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| salt and pepper |
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| To garnish: |
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| lime wedges |
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| sprigs of fresh coriander |
Preparation method
1.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 3 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute, then add the broccoli or cauliflower and seasoning to taste. Pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then add the lentils. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.
Meanwhile, put the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring just to the boil and boil gently for 6 minutes. Drain and rinse them under cold water, gently cracking the shells. Peel off the shells, taking care as the eggs will not be completely hard.
3.
Add the eggs, whole, and the peas to the lentil mixture and stir gently. Bring back to simmering point, then cover the pan again and cook for about 5 minutes. By this time the peas should be cooked and the spicy sauce thickened with the softened lentils.
4.
Remove the eggs with a spoon and cut them in half. Divide the spicy vegetable mixture among 4 plates. Mix the chopped coriander with the grated lime zest, if using, and sprinkle over the vegetables. Top each plate with 3 egg halves. Garnish with lime wedges and sprigs of coriander, and serve immediately.
Copyright
Copyright by The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 2004
Some more ideas
*This dish works well with frozen vegetables – mixed vegetables, broad beans, sweetcorn and green beans are all suitable. *Replace the lentils with chickpeas. Drain 1 can chickpeas, about 400 g, and coarsely mash them, then add to the vegetable mixture in step 1. Reduce the quantity of stock to 300 ml (10 fl oz). *A creamy sauce complements eggs. Try swirling 150 ml (5 fl oz) plain low-fat yogurt into the vegetable mixture once the eggs have been removed from the pan. *Instead of adding boiled eggs, serve poached eggs on top of the spicy vegetable mixture.
Plus points
The combination of spices in garam masala not only adds a distinctive flavour to Indian cooking, but has also been shown to possess natural preservative properties. These help to prevent bacterial growth in dishes that include it as an ingredient. (But foods should still be stored safely if they are not to be eaten immediately after cooking.)
Each serving provides
B12, C, folate, iron, A, B1, B2, B6, E, niacin, copper, zinc, calcium, potassium, selenium