Black lentil and chickpea curry

This recipe uses two types of legumes - black chickpeas and black lentils. They are very popular in healthy eating circles and are very often used in the preparation of vegetarian dishes.

First you need to soak the lentils and chickpeas:

- put them in a saucepan, pour water a few centimeters above the level of legumes;
- the soaking process should be at least 2 hours, but no more than 12. The optimal time is about 5 hours.

Swollen legumes should be cooked:

- drain the remaining water in the pan;
- pour fresh water;
- put on a high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the chickpeas are soft. On average, this process lasts 45-60 minutes and depends on the duration of soaking: the longer the legumes have been in cold water, the less time they need to cook.

Next, you need to prepare a tender base for curry:

- add coconut oil to a saucepan with a thick bottom;
- when the oil warms up, put the finely chopped onion in it;
- pass the onion over medium heat until soft;
- add finely chopped ginger and garlic and, stirring constantly, cook for another 2-4 minutes;
- put cumin and coriander seeds, mix and wait until they "reveal" their flavor (approximately 1-2 minutes);
- add finely chopped tomatoes to the resulting mixture and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

After the foundation is ready, you can proceed to the final stage:

- pour a glass of water into a saucepan and add salt;
- add spices: garam masala mixture, turmeric, curry powder;
- put boiled legumes: black lentils and black chickpeas;
- mix well, increase the heat, bring to a boil and reduce the heat again;
- cook the curry for 20 minutes under the lid, stirring occasionally;
- mash part of the lentils, add coconut milk (the amount depends on how thick the dish you want to get), if necessary, add salt, bring to a boil and remove from the stove.

It is best to serve lentil and chickpea curry hot, if desired - with a side dish of boiled rice and herbs.

Bon appetit!