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SOUTH INDIAN PUY LENTIL & TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI STIR FRY 

From ONE-PAN DISHES

Serves: 4 

Prep: 5 minutes 

Cook: 10 minutes 

This is a quick and easy weeknight stir fry – if you serve it with rice or flatbreads, it’s all your food groups on one plate. Tenderstem broccoli is perfect for this dish as it retains its crunch and works beautifully with the simple mustard and cumin-infused frying oil. A teaspoon of chilli flakes will give you a good kick of heat in this dish; reduce by half if you’re after a milder dish. 

MAIN 

300g tenderstem broccoli, halved 

500g vac-packed puy lentils 

Juice of 1 lime
Handful salted peanuts, roughly chopped 

STORECUPBOARD 

2 tablespoons neutral or olive oil, plus extra to serve 

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes 

How to make

Tip the broccoli into a bowl of boiling water and let it blanch for 2 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Turn the heat down to medium to low and let them splutter for 30 seconds, or until the cumin seeds start to darken very slightly. Drain the broccoli and add it to the pan. 

Add the chilli flakes, turmeric and sea salt and stir-fry over a high heat for 2–3 minutes before adding the puy lentils. Stir for a further 2–3 minutes over a lower heat, then add the lime juice, taste the salt and adjust as needed and add a little more oil if you wish. 

Serve hot, scattered with the peanuts, with rice or flatbreads and yogurt alongside. 

Recipe and images taken from

India Express by Rukmini Iyer

About the Author

Rukmini is the bestselling author of the Roasting Tin series, which in five years has sold over 1.5 million copies globally. She’s a recipe writer, food stylist and for-mer lawyer who loves creating delicious and easy recipes with minimum fuss and maximum flavour. Rukmini believes that making time to eat well – be it for oneself or for family dinners – is an integral part of the day, and she’s passionate about helping people make it possible. Rukmini grew up in Cambridgeshire with the best of three food cultures: Bengali and South Indian food from her parents Indian heritage, along with classic 80s mac and cheese, sponge puddings, and cheese and pineapple on a stick. Rukmini’s approach to cooking Indian food is inspired by seeing the ease with which her mother switched between Indian meals to recipes from Delia, Linda McCartney, and Jamie – keeping traditional flavourings, but looking at ways to put easy weeknight dinners on the table. As well as writing cookbooks, Rukmini styles and writes recipes for numerous brands and publications, including the Guardian, BBC Good Food, Waitrose, and Fortnum & Mason. When she’s not cooking, she can be found walking her beautiful border collie Pepper in South London, creating her first proper kitchen garden, and entertaining at home with her partner Tim and new baby daughter.