Spicy French Lentils Spiked with Mustard

I've been running a little busy lately, which is why you haven't heard me chatter on as long as I usually do in my posts. Maybe some of you are even relieved :)

Anyway, I quickly wanted to post this very simple weeknight recipe for a very nutritious and delicious lentil curry. It's made with French Puy Lentils, which I love, not least because they cook up easily and have a great, peppery taste.

I used mustard to spice up these lentils. While mustard is used often enough in Indian cooking, I used it a little differently here than I usually do: I ground it up before adding it. Mustard adds a spicy, almost slightly sour punch to the curry, and I couldn't have been happier.

The addition of spinach makes this curry even healthier. Feel free to substitute other greens, including watercress.

So here's the recipe. Enjoy, everyone, and me and my prattle will be back soon, rest assured!

Spicy French Lentils Spiked With Mustard

Ingredients:

1 cup French Puy Lentils (can substitute with whole green lentils or Masoor)

1 12-oz package of frozen spinach, preferably thawed

1 onion, thinly sliced

4-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 large tomato, diced

2 tsp black mustard seeds, ground into a powder in a food processor of coffee grinder

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Boil together the spinach and lentils until the lentils are tender. I do this in a pressure cooker, but you can do this on the stove-top or in the microwave.

Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Add the cumin seeds and, when they sputter, add the sliced onions.

Saute the onions until translucent, then add the garlic. Stir-fry for another minute.

Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and mustard-seed powder. Stir together for about a minute.

Add the lentils-spinach mixture and stir in.

Add salt to taste. Bring the curry to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for five minutes.

Serve hot with rice or chapatis.