Tag: red lentils

Butternut Coconut Red Lentil Dal

I cheated. The picture above is the nicest picture I think I’ve taken of dal/lentil soup. It’s actually not the dal for the recipe, but… it’s lentils and squash, you get the idea. It’ll look similar. Dal is really hard to photograph nicely, so this is what you get, at least for now.

This recipe makes about 3 to 3.5 quarts of dal. I usually store it in quart mason jars, and put two in the freezer right away. Cut the recipe in half or a third if you don’t want a lot of leftovers. As written, it uses the whole squash, though.

Bits

  • 1 large sweet winter squash, such as butternut or kabocha, about 4.4 lbs or 2 kg
  • 3 cups dry red lentils
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp salt, more to taste
  • Coconut oil for pan-frying, optional
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 20 to 25 curry leaves – You can get these on Amazon in big bags, but they freeze really well in air-tight jars, and if you have some frozen, you can add them to recipes straight from the freezer. Dried curry leaves have so little flavor compared to fresh or frozen, I don’t think they’re worth it.
  • 2 serrano peppers, if you want a little spice; omit if not!
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 ½ – 2 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp Berbere spice mix, if you want some more spice, or a little spice and don’t have serrano peppers. If you don’t have Berbere spice, use chile powder to taste
  • ½ can lite coconut milk (or if tolerated, use regular coconut milk and use the whole can)

Algorithm

  • Roast the squash – This can be done up to a few days ahead. If you roasted your squash and it’s been a few days and you’re still not ready to make dal, just put the squash in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
    • Preheat the oven to 425
    • Cut the top stem and any bottom knob off the squash, and then slice in half from top to bottom
    • Scoop out the seeds and strings from the middle and discard them
    • Place each half of the squash open side down in a large baking dish (such as a 9×13” glass dish)
    • Add about an inch of water to the dish.
    • Place the dish in the oven and let bake about 30 minutes, until the squash is baked all the way through, and there is almost no resistance when you push on the top with your finger or a spoon
    • Dump out the water, turn the squash halves over in the dish so the flesh is facing up, and let sit until cool enough to handle.
    • When cool, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. You should have between 3 and 4 cups.
    • If you’re using a kabocha squash, the skin is edible and delicious. Discard any of the skin that has hard bits / “scars” but the rest is good to eat. Optionally, you could slice it up into small squares and add to your dal when it’s finished.
  • Clean the lentils. If you don’t wash them, your dal may taste gross!
    • Add the lentils to a deep bowl.
    • While filling the bowl with cold water, swish the lentils with your fingers to help clean them faster. When the bowl is full, skim off the bubbles/froth. Then use a strainer to drain the water. Repeat until the water in the bowl is clear and there is minimal froth.
  • Cook the lentils
    • Add the cleaned lentils to a large stock pot
    • Add 9 cups of water to the stock pot, and bring to a simmer
    • When the lentils start simmering, they’ll generate some foam; scoop out as much of the foam as you can, but don’t worry about getting it all.
    • Add the turmeric and salt, and let the lentils simmer while you do the next steps
  • Pan-frying
    • If you’re using it, add about a teaspoon of coconut oil to a small frying pan over medium heat. Otherwise, just put a small frying pan over medium heat.
    • Add the mustard seeds to the frying pan
    • After a few minutes when the mustard seeds start to pop, put a lid on the pan and take it off the heat.
    • Once the mustard seeds stop popping, add them to the stockpot with the lentils
    • If you’re using it, add more oil to the frying pan and add the curry leaves and serranos (if you’re using them).
    • Stir fry the curry leaves and serranos a few minutes until they become fragrant. Then add them to the stock pot with the lentils as well.
  • Finish the dal
    • After about 10 minutes of simmering, the lentils should start to fall apart. When they’re just starting to fall apart, add the roasted squash flesh and the coconut milk.
    • Once all the ingredients have been added to the stock pot, let everything simmer together for about 15 more minutes. Be sure to keep the heat low, and stir every few minutes, to prevent the dal from burning on the bottom. Have a lid ready to partially cover the pot if the dal starts to sputter (that’s probably a sign it needs a good stir, too). Add more water if it’s starting to look too thick, and sputtering a lot.
  • Serve and enjoy! Some totally optional things I sometimes like to top my dal with are:

Everyday Red Lentil Dal

Everyday Red Lentil Dal with pickled carrots and peppers and a boiled egg. YUM.

Vegan && Very Low Fat && Oil-Free && Grain-Free

I called this “Everyday” dal not because it’s mundane; actually the opposite, I love it so much I am excited to eat it almost every day. Like most dals I’ve ever met, it’s filling, satisfying, and (perhaps strangely?) soothing. It feels almost like a cheat to call it a recipe and make a post about it because it’s so simple and essential, it feels a little like making a recipe post about corn flakes in milk.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s extremely adaptable. It’s hard to make it taste bad if you are just adding ingredients you like, or omitting ones you don’t. This is the combination of my favorites, but I also frequently change things depending on what spices strike my fancy at the time, or what green vegetables have been sitting neglected in my fridge longest.

This recipe also has the benefit that the cooking part has enough hands-off downtime between adding ingredients, that you can prep while you cook, which I think saves time and energy. Making a big batch, as written, usually takes me 30 minutes or less from start to finish (including cleaning up my mess while it finishes simmering on the stove), so I feel like that’s pretty time and energy efficient, especially for so many servings.

The other great part about this dal (there are so many great parts!) is all the options for toppings. I try to make and keep a jar of picked carrots and hot peppers handy at all times to eat with my dal (I’ll make a separate recipe post for that; they are good on lots of other dishes too)! I also love adding a soft/medium boiled egg. Depending on the day, I may add a handful of cubed roasted potato or sweet potato. And DO NOT get me started on Dal Mix from Indianlife, that stuff is crack. It’s pretty low-ish fat, and grain free (yay!), so I enjoy small portions on *many* dishes, most especially this dal.

Dal is really hard to photograph. Also I am not a food stylist. But, trust me, this dal tastes way more amazing than any photo could convey.

Everyday Red Lentil Dal

Makes about 13-14 cups (about 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 quarts) — *freezes and reheats very well*

Depending how hungry you are and what else you’re eating at the time, one serving is one to two cups.

Hardware:

  • Deep bowl or mixing bowl that’s easy to pour from
  • Sieve for straining water from the lentils
  • Stock pot with at least 5.5 quarts capacity
  • Wooden spoon

Bits:

  • 3 1/4 cups red lentils
  • 1 (human) thumb of fresh ginger
  • 2 serrano peppers
  • 2-3 tsp salt (start with 2 tsp and add salt at the end to taste)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • optional: 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
  • optional: 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves, chopped into small bits
  • optional: 1/2 tsp Berbere Ethiopian spice mix (for added spice)
  • 4-5 large roma tomatoes
  • 1-2 bunches of lacinato kale (or collard greens)

To serve: pickled carrots and peppers, pickled okra, boiled egg, hot sauce, cubed roasted sweet potato, Indianlife Dal Mix

Algorithm:

  1. Wash the lentils (do not skip this step or your dal will taste gross!): Measure out the lentils into a mixing bowl that’s easy to pour from. Fill the bowl with cold water, swishing the lentils around with a spoon or your clean fingers. Skim the foam off the top, and then pour into a large sieve to drain the water. Dump the lentils back into the bowl and repeat until the water running through the sieve is clear, usually after 4 or 5 changes of water. This method is more effective and wastes less water than just putting the lentils in a sieve and running tap water over them.
  2. Put the lentils in a large stock pot. Add 10 cups water and turn the heat onto high. When the water gets near a boil, skim off the foam that bubble up; don’t worry about getting it all, but try to get most of it. Once water comes fully to a boil, reduce heat to medium, enough to maintain a gentle simmer.
  3. While you’re waiting for the water to come to foam and boil, mince the fresh ginger and serranos. If you’re using them, chop up the curry leaves.
  4. After the water boils, add minced ginger, serranos, salt, spices, and chopped fresh/frozen curry leaves if you’re using them. Give everything a good couple of stirs.
  5. Dice the tomatoes. When they are all diced, add them to the pot. Stir again to make sure the lentils are cooking evenly and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  6. Slice the kale leaves off the stems, and chop into 1- to 2-inch squares/strips. When they are all chopped, add them to the pot. Stir to incorporate the kale, and again make sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  7. Leave the dal to simmer uncovered for at least 5 minutes, until the kale is cooked and soft. Add water if the dal to achieve your desired consistency. Optionally, let the dal simmer up to 10 minutes more to let the flavors meld further, stirring occasionally. (This is a good time to clean up any mess remaining in the kitchen).
  8. Take off the dal off the burner. Optionally, add more salt to taste.
  9. Enjoy as is, or garnished with pickled veggies, egg, Dal Mix, or any toppings you like!

Red Lentil Rasam with Tamarind Roasted Red Cabbage

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hot weather be damned, this is one recipe that I will cook and eat happily all year, regardless of the temperature outside (or in the kitchen).

This is one of those magical simple recipes that somehow makes more than the sum of its parts. Amazingly, the best part is really the roasted cabbage with tamarind. It’s just two simple ingredients (plus water), and somehow it completely steals the show! (And that’s hard to do when lentils are the other half of the show!) I think cabbage prepared any other way has now been ruined for me.

Now that I’ve totally talked it up, there’s probably no way it will live up to your expectations. But still, go make this right now, and I don’t think you’ll be sad with the result.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Red Lentil Rasam with Tamarind Roasted Red Cabbage

Adapted from Meera Sodha’s recipe in The Guardian

Makes about 6 cups of rasam + 1 roasted cabbage; serves 4

Bits:

  • 1 small head red cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs / 700g)
  • 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 10 – 15 fresh curry leaves
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
  • 1 ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 ¼ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 3/4 tsp rasam powder (if needed, substitute 1/2 tsp curry powder + 1 tsp lemon juice)
  • 400g canned/boxed chopped tomatoes
  • 1 ¼ cups (250g) split red lentils, washed in several changes of water until the water runs clear
  • 2 cups vegetarian stock
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp tamarind paste, divided (I like Aunt Patty’s Organic Tamarind Paste)

Algorithm

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice the cabbage into quarters from top to bottom (or into sixths or eighths if you’re using a much bigger cabbage. Sprinkle lightly with water (or a couple drops of olive oil if you can handle it in your diet). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and put the cabbage wedges on the sheet, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until they’re looking roasty and the stem is soft and cooked.
  • While the cabbage is roasting, make the rasam. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the garlic to the pot and stir for about a minute or two until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the spices (cumin through rasam powder) and stir for 30 seconds until the spices become fragrant.
  • Pour the canned tomatoes, lentils, stock and water into the stock pot, and stir to combine. Bring rasam to a simmer, partially cover, and let simmer about 20-30 minutes until the lentils have fallen apart completely. Stir occasionally, particularly toward the end of cooking time to ensure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • When the cabbage has cooked for 30 minutes, mix 2 Tbsp tamarind paste with 2 Tbsp of water. Drizzle the tamarind-water mixture over the cabbage wedges generously, and bake for a further 10 minutes.
  • When the rasam is cooked, add salt and remaining 1 Tbsp tamarind paste to the pot. Stir to combine, taste, and add any extra seasoning as desired. Simmer for another minute or two for the flavors to meld. The texture of the final product should be between a soup and a dal.
  • To serve, ladle rasam into separate bowls. Cut each wedge of cabbage into 4 or so slices, and place slices on top of rasam. Serve with cauliflower rice, or chickpea flour flatbread if desired.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in air tight containers for at least a week!