muthira horsegram lentil and crushed garlic curry

Muthira curry instantly takes me back to the dining table in my grandmother's home in our little village deep in lush green Kerala. Dancing paddy fields, canoes floating down the river and the young, laughing faces of my cousins come to me with every spoonful.

Whenever we were all visiting, my aunt and grandmother would prepare a feast for us. After many rich and heavy meals we would begin to crave the simple and light muthira curry my grandmother makes by simmering the tiny cooked lentils with chilli flakes, crushed shallots and garlic that has been lightly browned  in hot coconut oil and turned fragrant.

We would devour it by the bowlfuls on its own or as usually served, with rice and pickles and a simple vegetable stir fry. After hours of running around her little farm or playing it the large sand pit in the kaiyala or courtyard we would run back into the house, our tummys growling as we ransacked the kitchen to mop up any muthira curry leftover from lunch with slices of soft bread!

 A simple and comforting lentil curry that is made everyday across homes in Kerala, from very few, simple ingredients. If you have never tried cooking Indian food, this delicious basic lentil stew is a good place to start.

This post is part of my Kerala cooking basics series over at The Kerala Kitchen. so head on over there for the recipe and the basic "formula" to cook most lentils

I am also sending this to The IndianFoodPalooza a wonderful celebration of Indian cooking!