Your favourite bean/pulses/grains recipes?

Harira is a fantastic, hearty Moroccan stew. chock full of pulses and ideal for autumn . . .

/food/recipes/harira_85458

I tend to make it with lamb, and leave out the beans, rice and vermicelli, although if it then needs bulking out I stick a couple of spoons of cous cous on the top to soak up all the gravy.

Another winter favourite is sausage casserole with haricot beans - can also be made with cubed pork.

As for grains, bulghur wheat is a great substitute for cous cous, with a firmer texture and nutty flavour - it's also widely used in eastern European cooking maybe with some mushrooms or pancetta stirred through. I always serve it with my paprika chicken (another hairy biker recipe)

Not that you asked for it, but it's lovely . . .

/food/recipes/chickenpaprikawithle_80341

I've just been reading the Pioneer Woman blog* and came across this

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/beans_and_cornb/

* ETA health warning - her recipes are lardy to the max, AND she washes chicken.

Oh, and there's Turkish lentil soup . . .

https://www.almostturkishrecipes.com/2006/10/red-lentil-soup-krmz-mercimek-orbas.html

Works best with a squeeze of lemon juice and a massive slug of chilli sauce.

Had quite a pulse-y weekend. We ate:

Sat lunch: spicy veg & bean soup (kidney beans)

Sat dinner: corn on cob with new potatoes and side of chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce.

Sun lunch: Saturday's soup with the spicy chickpea leftovers added in

Sun dinner: veggie shepherd's pie made with Quorn mince and the cumulative leftovers of the rest of the weekend. Was surprisingly lush!

We also make lots of curries with added beans or chickpeas, a favourite is spinach and chickpea.

And H loves aubergine & chickpea stew with couscous. Lentils: well obviously dhal, also lentil & tomato soup.

Sure I'll think of loads more. We eat some kind of pulse most days (being herbivores).

I make a really nice butter bean curry - you use sesame seeds (ground or whole) and tinned tomato, with squirt of tomato puree and butter beans and onion and garlic. And cumin, coriander, turmeric, IIRC.

Very tasty with naan bread to mop it up.

We also quite often have a fast meal of wholemeal pasta, pesto, with butter or borlotti beans. I like chopped tomtato in with it too.

Thanks all. Some of those look/sounds delicious. I'll have a proper look later on and start planning some cooking.

I LOVE this recipe; it's gorgeous served with naan or rice, but I've been known to eat it on its own because it's really filling.

Lentil Dal (Vegan)

Ingredients

225g/8oz Dried Red Split Lentils.
1 Onion, chopped.
1 Garlic clove, crushed.
1 Litre/ 1 3/4 pints Water.
Small piece fresh ginger root, grated.
1 teasp Tumeric.
1 teasp Cumin Seeds.
1 teasp Coriander Seeds.
1/2 teasp Chilli Powder.
Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
Fresh Coriander, chopped, optional.

Instructions

1)Wash & drain the lentils. Place in a saucepan with the chopped onion, garlic and water.
2)Bring to the boil, then remove the froth that forms using a metal spoon.
3)Add the ginger and turmeric to the lentils and simmer gently for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft.
4)Dry roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a small saucepan for a few seconds until they release their aroma, but careful not to burn them. Add to the lentil mix.
5)Add the chilli powder and season to taste with black pepper.
6)Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh coriander.

Special Notes

This is especially good if made in advance and then re-heated.