Dinner – Red Lentil Dahl

We spent today doing typical Sunday things. We slept in. We wondered around the Syracuse Antiques Exchange. We went grocery shopping. And while grocery shopping, we visited all the lovely ladies who stand around Wegmans on Sunday afternoons handing out samples. One of those ladies had samples of Orgain, an organic meal replacement shake. (The Creamy Chocolate Fudge is smooth and pleasantly bittersweet like a nice dark chocolate. I immediately carted a few home.) While chatting with her, she gave us a copy of the Nature’s Marketplace flyer from Wegman’s organic section, which is filled with coupons and healthy living tips. Inside was a recipe for red lentil dahl, a recipe taken from The Modern Vegetarian by Maria Elia.

I rounded up the ingredients and put this on the menu for tonight’s dinner. It is rich and layered in flavor and boasts seven grams of fiber per serving. It is warm and spicy and the perfect one-pot dinner for wannabe vegetarians such as myself on a cold winter’s night. At the last minute I actually added about a cup of frozen green peas and let them cook in the dahl just long enough to be warmed through. I loved the extra addition of something bright and fresh along with the lemon juice amidst all the spices.

Red Lentil Dahl

1-3/4 c red lentils
2 Tbsp oil
3 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1 white onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 red chili, seeded, finely chopped
3 tsp curry powder
4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp tumeric
Pinch of chili powder
1 Tbsp tomato puree
2 cinnamon sticks
2 c low-sodium vegetable stock or water
Sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Bunch of mint, chopped
Bunch of cilantro, chopped

1. Rinse lentils. Place in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then drain in a fine sieve, rinse with cold water and drain again.

2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds. (Stand back – as they hit the hot oil they will sputter and spit.) Cook for 30 seconds. Add onion. (This will reduce the temperature in the pan immediately; be careful not to burn the seeds or the dahl will be bitter.) Cook over medium heat until softened. Add ginger, garlic, chili, curry powder, cumin, tumeric, and chili powder and fry for 3 minutes. Add tomato puree and fry for 1 minute.

3. Add lentils, cinnamon sticks, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender and dahl has thickened. (Add a little water if too thick.) Remove from heat, season with salt and add lemon juice to taste.

4. Let cool a little bit before adding mint and cilantro (otherwise they will discolor). Serve warm.

{Photo from Edible Aria.}

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