Pumpkin And Lentil Curry

I have just discovered lentils! Up until now I have avoided these little wonders, along with all the other pulses, grains, legumes and beans so espoused by hippie dippie vegetarians and; even worse in my view; Vegans. I like my meat too much, have avoided doing Veganuary and will continue to do so,but each to their own I suppose and as long as they don’t try and push their views on me they I won’t criticise them for their choices. What I can’t get my head around, though, is “vegan meat”. Is that really a thing? What on earth is it anyway? To me, if you want to go “meat free”, “plant based” or whatever you choose to call it, why on earth do you want it to be shaped, textured and tasting like meat? I accept that certain things in their natural state, like Quorn and Tofu probably don’t feel or taste very appetising but just how natural are they when less natural flavourings and texturisers are added to mimic meat? You know, like margarine is full of plastic since that is how it stays solid. When I was growing up in the Nottingham of the late 60s and early 70s I remember a rash of vegetarian restaurants springing up, nestled between trendy boutiques along the little lanes leading away from the market square. They served lentil burgers, vegetable curries and nut loaf, not meat flavoured Quorn. And as I have found, it isn’t as if there aren’t enough tasty recipes out there using all naturally grown ingredients. Which brings me back to my avoidance of lentils. As a child both my mother and granny used to overcook them in soups and stews; mainly to eke out the meat as we were more frugal in those days; resulting in a thick slurry more akin to savoury porridge with bits of meat floating beneath the surface. Hence my dislike of anything lentil based. Neither did it help that I really didn’t know how to cook them. Should I soak them first and if so for how long? Do they take ages to cook? And everyone I asked gave me different advice, all of which I have now realised was based on whichever lentil was their favourite. So I have finally bitten the legume and; with the aid of two recipes I found here and here; had a go at a lentil curry in my Ninja. I will have to play around with the basic recipe to get it to our taste and I must remember to put enough fluid in the pot for the lentils to soak up but I was happy with my first attempt. I gave the leftovers a blitz in the blender to make a wholesome soup for lunch the next day. 

1. Combine the spices.
2. Select SEAR/SAUTÉ and preheat the pot. Add the spices and toast until fragrant. 
3. Add the olive oil and combine with the spices.
4. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until onion begins to soften. Turn off SEAR/SAUTÉ. 
5. Add the pumpkin, lentils and stock, close the lid and set to PRESSURE. Cook on low pressure for 5 minutes followed by 10 minutes Natural Release the quick release remaining pressure.
6. Set to SEAR/SAUTÉ, add the coconut milk, greens and tomatoes, stir well to combine and cook until greens have wilted.
7. Add chopped coriander and a splash of lime juice, stir to combine. 
8. Serve over rice.