Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Watermelon Curry on Black Lentil Cakes

Prior to making this, I’d only had watermelon curry once before. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to observe as Chef Todd Duplechan showed me how to prepare a dish of poached shrimp with watermelon curry. I remember his version was spicy and barely sweet, layered with complex flavors, and it paired perfectly with the shrimp poached in flavored oil. When I found this simpler dish of vegetarian black lentil cakes with the striking, bright, red watermelon curry in New Vegetarian Kitchen, I had to try it while local watermelons are available. The curry is built on a base of ginger and garlic that’s cooked along with cumin, fenugreek, and chiles. Pureed watermelon is used in addition to some small watermelon chunks for a mix of textures. It thickens as it cooks, and the savory spices balance the sweet fruit. The black lentil cakes bring plenty of flavor to the dish as well. They’re a mix of cooked and mashed lentils with sauteed onion and garlic seasoned with cumin seeds, garam masala, coriander, and ground dried chiles. After shaping the cakes and tasting for seasoning, I knew they were going to be good. Likewise, while tasting the watermelon curry as it simmered, it was very good as well. But, when they came together, the crispy, browned lentil cakes topped with the watermelon curry were better than good and even better than I expected. 

You can approach this dish in two parts. The black lentil cakes can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to brown them just before serving. The black lentils were cooked until tender which was about 40 minutes. They were then drained and transferred to a large mixing bowl in which they were mashed with a potato masher. Finely chopped onion was sauteed in a large skillet for a few minutes before garlic was added followed by cumin seeds, garam masala, ground coriander, and I added some cayenne powder. The onion and spice mixture was added to the mashed lentils along with some flour and salt and pepper. The recipe in the book suggests rather large bean cakes, but I divided the mixture into smaller portions. Each bean cake was coated with more flour, placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and the sheet pan was refrigerated until it was time to cook. For the curry, fresh ginger and garlic were pureed in a food processor to form a paste. The paste was cooked in a skillet with vegetable oil for about a minute before cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds were added. Finely chopped fresh red chile was added next. Starting with a five pound watermelon, half of it was pureed, and the other half was chopped into small chunks. The pureed watermelon was added to the ginger and garlic mixture, brought to a boil, and allowed to simmer and reduce for about ten minutes. It thickens surprisingly well. As the sauce reduced, the lentil cakes were cooked in oil in a skillet for about three minutes per side until browned and crisp. Just before serving, lime juice and the watermelon chunks were added to the curry, and it was spooned over the cooked lentil cakes. 

As I mentioned, the result here is more than the sum of its parts. The cakes are crispy on the surface and tender in the middle while the sauce is a combination of smooth puree and chunkiness. Fruity sweetness, spicy earthiness, and some subtle fenugreek bitterness work together delightfully. Grab a watermelon before the season ends and try it in a savory dish like this.

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24 comments:

  1. I had never heard of watermelon in curry before, and this is the second recipe in a row I've seen for it! And from two different cookbooks. I think there's a sign here - must buy watermelon! Good stuff - thanks.

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  2. Those lentil cakes sound like they're full of flavour. I have never heard of a watermelon curry before. It adds lovely colour to the dish xx

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  3. dear Lisa, I love watermelon with spices. Watermelon with hot sauce is great. This is a great meatless dish.
    The bean cakes are something I would enjoy too. This is a nice summer meal. Blessings dearest. Catherine xo

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  4. So interesting...today is the second time that I see watermelon in curry...now I must give this a try...very intriguing.
    Hope you are having a great week Lisa :D

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  5. What a gorgeous curry my friend, I can't believe you put watermelon with spices :D
    Delicious!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  6. What an unique fruit curry! Love those lentil cakes!

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  7. That curry is really original! I think it is the only way you'd get me to eat watermelon (I'm not a big fan of that fruit). Perfect pairing with the lentil cakes.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  8. i just wishlisted that cookbook! This is SUCH an inventive recipe! I've never seen or even considered watermelon curry before. But it sounds pretty amazing.

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  9. Watermelon curry is new to me for sure! How intriguing...

    well, that's a cookbook to think about... ;-)

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  10. This is awesome and so original! Sounds like a great cookbook

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  11. I've only had a watermelon curry once but I loved it! you've reminded me that I need to try and make one, especially as it's heating up in Australia :)

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  12. What a fascinating post Lisa! Wow, I never would have thought to use watermelon in curry. With black lentil cakes. Amazing! Love the photos too... the contrast between the red and that deep black is stunning. On my to-make list! xx

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  13. That makes it unanimous! Very intriguing meal, Lisa. Thank you so much for introducing us too it. I better move along and get me some watermelon!

    Thanks for sharing, Lisa...

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  14. Genius. Watermelon curry?! I saw loads of watermelons used in savory dishes and appetizers at some restaurants in Portland, Oregon, and I love the idea of that! Looks like a sweet and savory gorgeous dish! Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Oh my gosh, what an inventive dish! Such a great mix of contrasting textures and flavors in here!

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  16. That is such an unusual dish. I don't like watermelon but this might be quite palatable.

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  17. i just saw a seafood curry with watermelon in it, and i'm still not sure how i feel about the combination. i think it's definitely worth a try.

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  18. Where did you find your black lentils? I can't find them here so I'll pick them up when I'm in Austin next weekend.

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    1. Whole Foods downtown has black lentils in the bulk section. Have fun in Austin!

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  19. That's a lovely very creative recipe.
    Love the contrasts between sweet and spicy and the different textures. Thanks for sharing Lisa!

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  20. We Indians love our curry and your water melon curry is the second recipe of it that I have come across. I am really intrigued by it and I need to try it out for myself!

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  21. I am not sure if you remember me from a couple of years ago, Emily of EZ's Recipes... went through a divorce and changed my name as well as my blog name. I am finally back into the blogging community and am saying hello to all of my old friends. This watermelon curry looks amazing. I have never heard anything like it!

    Good to "see" you again!

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  22. You have really surprised me. I have never imagined cooking curry with watermelon. I can’t imagine the taste. Guess I have to try it myself. The lentil cakes look really nice, I like something crispy. But I am also thinking to substitute with crab cake or beef burger patties. It should be great too. :)

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