Egg And Lentil Curry With Coconut And Pickled Lime - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 large eggs, hard boiled
3 ounces green lentils
3 ounces creamed coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons lime pickle, chopped finely
1/2 lime, juice of
1/2 lime, zest of
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 small red chile, de-deeded and finely chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch piece gingerroot, finely grated
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons other mild oil
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
salt
To serve
150 ml rice, cooked
lime pickle
mango chutney (optional)

Preparation

Peel onion, cut it in half and into thin slices. Set aside.
Combine chili, garlic, lime pickle, ginger root and lime zest in prep bowl as follows: De-seed and finely chop the chili. Put in a prep bowl. Add peeled, chopped garlic, finely chopped lime pickle, finely grated ginger and lime zest. Add turmeric and fenugreek.
Shred creamed coconut with a sharp knife and placed in a heatproof 4 cup measuring jug. Cover with boiling water up to 1 pint (570 ml) Stir.
Heat frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, measure the whole spices (cardamom, cumin, fennel and coriander) into it. Dry roast spices for 2 - 3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to toss them around a bit. Don't roast too long. Remove from the heat and put into a mortar. Crush.
Heat same pan over medium high and add the oil. When hot, add the onions. Brown onions until fairly dark - about 4 minute Add chili etc. from prep bowl, ground roasted spices and coconut water mixture and lentils.
Cover and simmer as gently as possible for 45 minutes, stirring it now and then (don't add any salt at this stage).
While lentils are cooking, hard boil eggs. Cool under running cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel under the running water and slice in half.
When the sauce is ready, season it well with salt and add the lime juice.
Put the eggs on top of the sauce, and cook covered for a couple of minutes to heat eggs.
Serve the egg curry with rice, some more lime pickle and perhaps some mango chutney to add a touch of sweetness.