Today I adapted a SSAD (Standard South African Diet!) recipe for
Lentil moussaka and it turned out very well so I thought I would
share it. It originally had a cheese sauce and egg topping, but I try
and avoid dairy products as much as possible. The original aslo asked
to fry the brinjal (eggplant or aubergine) slices, but grilling them
worked just as well.
Potato and Lentil Moussaka (serves 4-6)
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600g brinjals, sliced into 5mm slices
1 cup whole brown lentils
2.5 cups water
1 large onion chopped
1 leek chopped
garlic to taste
1 stalk celery chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped
300g mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped green beans
400g tomatoes peeled and chopped or 1 can of tomatoes chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2ml cinnamon!
parsley, origanum and basil to taste
cornflour or potato flour to thicken
4 large potatoes, peeled chopped and steamed until tender
1 cup soya milk
3ml baking powder
pinch of dry mustard
Sprinkle the brinjal slices with salt and leave to stand in a
colander. Boil the lentils in the water and simmer for 50 minutes. In
the meantime, "fry" the onions leek and garlic with the celery and
peppers, until soft, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook
for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon and herbs
and cook for 15-20 minutes. Thicken with cornflour if necessary. Add
the lentils and simmer for a while. While the sauce is cooking, rinse
and pat the brinjal slices dry and place on a baking sheet. Grill
both sides until nicely browned. Cover an ovenproof casserole with
half the slices and top with the lentil mixture. Cover with the
remaining brinjal slices. Use the soya milk and some cornflour the
make a thick white sauce and season with salt, pepper and dry mustard
powder. Mash cooked potatoes with the white sauce and baking powder
(I used a blender) and season to taste. Spoon over moussaka, sprinkle
with paprika and bake for 30 minutes at 180C or 360F. Grill for a few
minutes to brown the top.
Enjoy!
Jeanette
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