Curried Pasta with Daal
Of the many hundreds of ways you could serve pasta, did you ever consider curry? One of the most versatile products we offer is our Lentil Spinach Curry, also called Daal. With a thick and smooth texture, it can stand as the perfect companion to any pasta.
Daal generally has a neutral earthy taste and is open to take on any flavour. We simmer our Lentil Spinach Stew for several hours with ginger, garlic, turmeric and roasted cumin seeds. And we add a good measure of spinach and tomatoes, all sourced from local farmers during the growing season.
Made with Pigeon Peas, a common legume in South Asia, that is quite easy to cook with, this is a source of affordable protein for vegetarians on the Indian Sub Continent. Any South Asian will attest to the deep satisfaction of a steaming bowl of freshly cooked Daal and soaking it up with flat bread or rice. Grains round Daal out to nutritionally provide a complete protein.
Making Curried Pasta
Which is why we felt it would also pair well with pasta. However, you need to treat it slightly differently from a regular pasta sauce. Daal tends to suck up all the moisture from your dish. It, therefore, works best with pasta if you prepare it fresh, right before serving, and in individual portions.
First, cook the pasta by following instructions on the packaging. While it is cooking, open up a jar of Lentil Spinach curry. We do not use any emulsifying agents in our products; you will therefore notice the solid ingredients settled at the bottom with the liquid floating at the top. Simply stir the contents, blending them gently together using a long-handled wooden spoon until it forms a thick, creamy consistency.
When the pasta is ready, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Scoop one portion of pasta into the pan and turn the heat completely down to the lowest setting. Add in the desired amount of Lentil Spinach Curry as a sauce, stirring it gently into the pasta. If it is too thick, you may need to add a little bit of water to get it to flow like a sauce over the pasta. Once the sauce covers the noodles completely and appears hot and steamy, it is ready to serve. Slide it into a dish and prepare your next portion the same way.
For non-vegans, grating sharp pecorino or parmesan at the top will add a delicious umami-rich flavour to the recipe.
Enjoy!