Josie
The writer, cook and photographer behind Your Ultimate Menu
Ingredients
- 1/2 courgette
- 2/3 cup unsweetened Greek yoghurt (160g)
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (7oz)
- 1 small red onion
- 60 g baby rocket or baby spinach (2.1oz)
- Aioli (optional)
Cumin Spiced Lentils
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 1/2 courgettes
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 400 g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained (14oz)
- 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 1/3 cup water (80ml)
Roti and Haloumi
- 4 frozen roti or paratha
- 200 g haloumi (7oz)
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
1. Prepare Serving Ingredients
Grate courgette. Place in a medium bowl, add yoghurt and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut tomatoes into quarters and thinly slice red onion. Dice capsicum and courgette.
2. Cook Vegetables and Lentils
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high. Toast cumin seeds for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Remove into a bowl. Heat oil in pan, then sauté capsicum and courgette until tender (4-5 minutes). Stir in tomato paste, garlic powder, cumin and paprika. Cook for 1 minute. Add lentils, stock powder and water and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to very low to keep warm.
3. Cook Roti
Preheat oven to 100ºC (210ºF) fan bake. Heat a medium frying pan on medium-high. Cook one of the roti/ paratha for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until golden and toasted. Repeat with remaining roti, keeping the cooked ones warm in oven (cover loosely with foil).
4. Cook the Haloumi
Once all roti are cooked, slice haloumi into strips. Add oil to frying pan and fry haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden brown.
5. Serve
Once all roti are cooked, slice haloumi into strips. Add oil to frying pan and fry haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- Wine Match: Try a Gewürztraminer.
- Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your stock powder is gluten-free. Swap roti/paratha for gluten-free wraps (you won’t need to pan fry them for as long).
- Ingredient Notes / Swaps: Haloumi could be swapped for 100g / 3.5oz feta cheese (you can try pan frying it if you like, or just crumble cold feta over the meal).
- Storing and Reheating: Lentil mixture and haloumi can be stored together and reheated into the microwave. Roti can be toasted, microwaved or fried again to reheat. Add sauce and salad ingredients just before serving.
Lentils are a great source of plant protein, and proteins are an essential part of our diets since they are used for functions such as building muscle, hormones, neurotransmitters and overall growth and repair.
This mean that our brain also needs them!
To learn more about proteins and its interactions with our brain, see our article on Diet and the Brain – Proteins (cognition and brain performance).
A bit more about the master chef behind this recipe…
Cooking, baking and creating recipes have always been Josie’s passions. She has a Bachelor of Food Technology and works as a freelance recipe developer, food stylist and photographer.
Josie launched her website, Your Ultimate Menu, as a way to help others solve the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” question. Each week she provides recipes for three easy meals together with an organised shopping list.
Her sister’s recent diagnosis with coeliac disease has inspired Josie to provide gluten-free options for all of her recipes.
Like this recipe? Check out Josie’s website for more cooking inspiration! https://www.yourultimatemenu.com/
