Moroccan Curried Carrot, Mango and Lentil Salad

I thought I had been curried out, but in truth, curries have now infiltrated my life. I made a curry without even knowing!

As I was cooking it, Rob walked into the house and proclaimed it smelled like curry.

It must have been the garam masala.

Should I call this a Moroccan curry or a salad? How about a curried salad?

(I am no stranger to renaming things as curry, as scary as it may originally appear).

It is kind of an Indian/Moroccan version of my Latin-Spiced Mango Lentil Salad.

Maybe Moroccan fusion cuisine would better describe this dish. I have to call it Moroccan, though, because I found the original recipe for stir-fried carrots with mango and ginger in Moroccan Food & Cooking by Ghillie Basan.

Of course, I took it into my own direction.

I opted for a longer braise for the carrots, to give them a nice caramelization.

Then I added lentils, to make this a more substantial dish. In retrospect, couscous (or millet) would have kept this more aligned with its Moroccan routes.

I didn’t have ras el hanout, so I substituted garam masala which has a lot of similar spices.

Regardless of its name, the end result was a delicious warm lentil dish, filled with caramelized carrots and onions, with heavy savoury notes from the cinnamon with more complexity from the garam masala. Ginger adds a subtle, but nice heat. Mangoes add the finishing touch, as well as a squirt of fresh lemon juice. If your mangoes aren’t ripe, you may consider adding some agave or honey to the dish.

To recap my week of curries, these are some great curries that I have made that are perfect for both the beginner and the expert. I am sure I will be sharing may more as we both explore curries in our new kitchen.  I bet this year will not only be the year of the bean, but the year of the curry. 😉

Dal Bhat (Nepalese Mountain Lentil Curry)

Cauliflower, Spinach and Chickpea Balti

Indian Lentils with Spinach (Dal Palak)

New Potato, Cauliflower, Chickpea and Green Bean Thai Curry with a Cucumber and Coriander Salsa

Quinoa and Red Lentil Kitchari

Vanilla Sweet Potato and Kale Curry

Tempeh Tikka Masala posted by Rob

Creamy Broccoli Dal by Vegan Yum Yum (Rob has made this a few times already, recipe here)

What are your favourite curries?

This is my submission to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays, to this month’s Simple and in Season and to Ricki’s Wellness Weekends.

Moroccan Carrot, Mango and Lentil Salad

1 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
5-6 large carrots, peeled and sliced in 3/4 cm slices
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1.5 tbsp freshly grated ginger (25 g)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala (or ras el hanout)
1 ripe mango, coarse diced (1.5 cups)
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Place lentils in a large pan.  Cover with 2 inches of well-salted water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in your largest skillet over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add carrots and cook in a single layer – they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned, about twelve minutes.

3. Push carrots to the side, add a bit more oil, then add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add in your drained, cooked lentils with the cinnamon and garam masala. Stir to toss and cook until heated through.

5. Carefully add in the mangoes, stirring to combine well and keep heated.

6. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. If your mango is not that sweet, you may need to add agave/honey. Sprinkle with pistachios just prior to serving.

Serves 4-6.