Recipe: Stewed Lentils

Stewed Lentils/Dal

This is a recipe I adapted very slightly from Aarti Sequeira who is seriously one of the most awesome cooks on TV, and if you guys like the food I'm posting you should all seriously check her out!!!! The original recipe calls for masoor red lentils, which are a small red lentil similar in size to the ones we always find split in the store. It's important however to not used split lentils for this as they will cook too quickly and not keep their structural integrity. This messes up the dish and makes it MUSH. I love using the small green lentils they have at TJ's now, but I've also used regular sized lentils with good results. I wouldn't use large lentils as they will take longer to cook and then the other ingredients will turn to MUSH!

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils (rinsed and de-stoned)

1 onion (Spanish or Vidalia)

1 Jalapeno or Serrano chile (see breakfast onion about pepper selection)

2 medium sized tomatoes

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2" piece ginger (peeled and minced)

2 cups water

1 tbsp coconut oil (unrefined)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

heaping 1/2 turmeric

1/2 tsp smokey paprika

1/2 cup rough chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

Directions:

1. After rinsing the lentils place them in bowl and soak them in water for 30 min. Set aside.

2. While lentils are soaking chop/or dice onion and slice tomatoes. Put in large sauce pan or soup pot.

3. Mince the garlic, ginger, and chile. Add to pot. *You can also do this in a food processor and make it into a paste if you wish. I prefer the larger pieces myself for this dish but if you don't, go ahead and make a paste. 

4. Add soaked lentils and water. Bring to a boil. ***don't salt your water! This will actually toughen the lentils making it difficult to get them to a "cooked" mouth feel.

5. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 min. Lentils are done when nice and soft but not yet split.

6.  Remove from heat. Add your salt, and with a whisk, stir lentils while slightly mashing. We don't need lentil soup consistency, but maybe a quarter of them should be mashed. Set aside.

7.  In a sauté pan melt coconut oil over med high heat and add mustard and cumin seeds. Count to ten whilst they pop and sputter. Then add paprika and turmeric. Stir for 10-15 sec. Turn off heat and add to lentils. If spices start to smoke before you've finished counting (which can happen and quickly,) immediately remove from heat and if spices are not totally charred add to lentils. Sadly if they really burn you just have start over :(

8. Add chopped cilantro and serve! 

Tip- It really helps to sort your spices out before you start that whole process. Coconut oil has a low smoke point and you really have to keep your eyes on the pan to prevent scorching your spices. So measure out your seeds together in a small bowl, and your powders together in a small bowl and put each next to your pan before beginning to "open" your spices. 

BKBTY