Eliza’s Ecuadorian Stew with Pulses and Carrots

Eliza and her family run the Little Cat Cafe in Myatt’s Fields Park. This Ecuadorian stew is a traditional recipe and is very popular with the children at the local pre-school. This recipe is extremely economical to make and contains a good portion of healthy vegetarian protein in the form of pulses. Pulses include lentils and beans – you can make this dish with either.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 1⁄2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• Freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup pulses (pre-soaked in water overnight)
• 3 1⁄2 cups of water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup chopped carrot
• 1⁄2 cup chopped celery (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Fresh coriander, optional

Instructions

1. You will need to soak the pulses overnight before cooking.
2. Rinse and drain the pulses.
3. In a saucepan heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic, pepper and cumin.
4. Add the pulses, water or broth, tomatoes, carrots and celery (if using).
5. Simmer until the pulses and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the salt. Garnish it with coriander.
6. General cooking guidelines for pulses. Always soak pulses overnight. Cooking times are roughly: Lentils – 40-45 minutes; Peas – 1 hr; Beans – 1 hr 20 minutes; Chickpeas – 1 hr 40 minutes