Jacob's Supper

Name: Jacob's Supper
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 cup lentils; 1/2 onion sliced; 2 cloves garlic, sliced; 2 chillies, deseeded and sliced; 5 curry leaves; 2-3 bay leaves; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp mild curry powder; 1 tsp salt; large pinch fenugreek seeds; 1/2 cinnamon stick; 1 kokum (dried mangosteen); 1/2 cup coconut milk; 1 cauliflower; Spice rub:; 2 tbsps dried seaweed – I used aonori, dulse or toothed wrack; 2 tsps white sesame seeds; 1 1/2 tsps yuzu peel; 1 tsp black sesame seeds; 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes; 1 tsp dried garlic; 1 tsp poppy seeds; 1/2 tsp Szechuan pepper; 1/2 tsp cubeb pepper; 1/2 tsp orange salt; 1/2 tsp gunpowder spice; 1 1/2 tbsps sesame oil; 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce); 1 tsp truffle of the sea (optional)

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘No Meat May’ challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for 31 days with the aim of creating a healthier planet, healthier people, happier animals and enough food for everyone.

I’ve taken two fairly bland (yet nutritious) ingredients, lentils and cauliflower and rummaged through my spice drawer for the most aromatic spices I could find from the Sunda Islands in Indonesia to Java, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt and then thrown in the delightful seaweeds I picked from the rocks on the south coast of England and a few leaves from the bay in my garden to fire up the dish.

Cauliflower is a flower and is believed to originate from Cyprus in the 12th century. Its name is derived from caulis (cabbage) and flōs (flower). Instead of doing what us Brits normally do to cauli i.e. cook it to death then drown it in cheddar cheese sauce and bury it at the bottom of Sunday lunch, I have tried to give it some dignity and baked it in the oven in the most exotic spices I could find.

Lentils are the oldest pulse crop known to man. Lentil artifacts have been found dating back to 11,000 BCE. They are considered to be a poor man’s food but they are colourful jewels that add a wonderful earthiness to a dish and are a far healthier option than rice or potatoes.

This combination of wild flavours (Baharat meets Shichimi Togarashi) adds depth and spice to the cauli and lentils and hopefully creates a fulfilling and tasty plant based dish. #ChristmasGift

‘No Meat May’ challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for 31 days with the aim of creating a healthier planet, healthier people, happier animals and enough food for everyone.

This combination of wild flavours (Baharat meets Shichimi Togarashi) adds depth and spice to the cauli and lentils and hopefully creates a fulfilling and tasty plant based dish. #ChristmasGift

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘No Meat May’ challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for 31 days with the aim of creating a healthier planet, healthier people, happier animals and enough food for everyone.

This combination of wild flavours (Baharat meets Shichimi Togarashi) adds depth and spice to the cauli and lentils and hopefully creates a fulfilling and tasty plant based dish. #ChristmasGift

‘No Meat May’ challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for 31 days with the aim of creating a healthier planet, healthier people, happier animals and enough food for everyone.

This combination of wild flavours (Baharat meets Shichimi Togarashi) adds depth and spice to the cauli and lentils and hopefully creates a fulfilling and tasty plant based dish. #ChristmasGift

Saved

Ingredients

1 hour

4 servings

1 cuplentils
1/2onion sliced
2 clovesgarlic, sliced
2chillies, deseeded and sliced
5curry leaves
2-3bay leaves
1 tspturmeric
1 tspchilli powder
1 tspmild curry powder
1 tspsalt
large pinch fenugreek seeds
1/2cinnamon stick
1kokum (dried mangosteen)
1/2 cupcoconut milk
1cauliflower
Spice rub:
2 tbspsdried seaweed – I used aonori, dulse or toothed wrack
2tsps white sesame seeds
1 1/2tsps yuzu peel
1 tspblack sesame seeds
1 tspAleppo pepper flakes
1 tspdried garlic
1 tsppoppy seeds
1/2 tspSzechuan pepper
1/2 tspcubeb pepper
1/2 tsporange salt
1/2 tspgunpowder spice
1 1/2 tbspssesame oil
1 tbsptamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsptruffle of the sea (optional)

Saved

Steps

1 hour

1

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Thoroughly wash the lentils in several changes of water. Add fresh water to cover and leave for half an hour. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander until all the water has evaporated. Cut off the leaves and part of the stalk and set aside.
2

Drain the water from the lentils. Add the lentils to a large pan along with the onion, garlic, chillies, curry leaves, bay leaves, turmeric, chilli powder, curry powder, salt, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon and kokum. Cover the lentil mix with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Stir, place a tight lid on the pan and boil for 15 minutes.
3

Add the coconut milk to the pan with a cup of water and boil for another 15 minutes until the lentils are soft. Remove the leaves, cinnamon and kokum. Set aside with the lid on.
4

Whilst the lentils are cooking, blend all the dry spice rub ingredients then stir in the sesame oil and tamari sauce.
5

Smother the cauliflower with the spice paste and bake in the oven for 20 -30 minutes depending on size of cauliflower until cooked through but not too soft.
6

Serve a slice of cauliflower on a bed of the lentils and top with a sprinkling of truffle of the sea.