Lately I’ve been seriously craving curry. I’ve always loved the creamy but spicy flavor of classic curry, but I’ve especially been craving it because I’ve still got one jar of my mom’s famous mango chutney taunting me on my shelf. Every time I open my cabinet, it’s there, just begging to be dolloped onto a steaming plate of curry and rice.
For those of you who are new to curry culture, chutney is the be-all end-all of curry condiments. It’s made from vinegar, brown sugar, chili of some sort (usually red pepper flakes), and fruit (green tomatoes and mangos are two of my favorites), all stewed down to a jelly-like consistency, with a rich sweet but almost tart, and definitely a little spicy flavor.
The dark, sweet flavor of good chutney is the perfect complement to the brighter, spicier flavor of curry.
Unfortunately, I can’t divulge the top-secret recipe for my mom’s mango chutney, so you’ll just have to settle for the curry itself, and find your own chutney.
I stumbled on this recipe in The New Basics Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, sometime during my sophomore year, and I’ve made it a point to keep the ingredients on hand in my kitchen ever since.
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s cooked in the microwave (so even you dorm dwellers can make it!), and it literally only takes twenty minutes to cook—the same amount of time it takes to cook a pan of rice. Moreover, it’s made with lentils, which means that it’s a vegetarian dish with a good source of protein—it’s also gluten free and it can be made vegan by substituting margarine or olive oil for the butter.
½ cup dried red lentils
1 ½ cups water
½ cup chopped onion
3 carrots, peeled and cut
¼ cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
Black pepper, to taste
1. Combine lentils and ½ c. water in a 2 qt. microwavable dish. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the carrots and ½ c. water. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and ½ c. water. Cover, and cook another 5 minutes.
And done. You should have 4-6 portions, so invite over some friends. If you don’t have friends, or simply don’t want to share, it’s just as good re-heated the next day.
For those who prefer cooking on the stovetop, just cook the above ingredients in a large saucepan on medium to high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, adding the ingredients to the sauce pan in the order listed. For a creamier curry, serve the curry on rice. If you want to get really fancy, you can do as my mom does and set out a bunch of condiments to add to the top. Besides chutney, some of my favorites include sour cream or plain yogurt, peanuts or cashews, chopped green peppers, bananas, raisins or coconut. And enjoy!