Curried Red Lentil Dahl

Karen Elizabeth's Note:

When I first posted this recipe, I hadn't made it, I had posted it for a tag game, but encouraged by the positive reviews it has received, I made it this weekend, and took it as a gift for my friend, who loves hot curries and dahls. Its a little hot for my personal taste, but she loved it! Easy and quick to make, it comes from the Very Easy Vegetarian Cookbook, by Simon & Alison Holst

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion , diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic , minced
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 cup split red lentils
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
• salt
• 1 -2 tablespoon chopped coriander , leaf

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and is turning clear.
3. Add bay leaf and spices and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
4. Tip in the lentils and the stock (made with the water and the stock powder), bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan with a lid whilst simmering, so that the liquid does not evaporate too quickly.
5. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 25 - 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the coriander and serve.
7. Suggested accompaniments, steamed rice, naan bread, poppadoms.

Reviews

[Nancy's Pantry]

Made this delicious lentil dish for dinner tonight. We served it over rice and add a green salad to go with it. The only change I made was to reduce the amount of chili powder as I used Indian chili powder and it is very hot! I used a quarter of a teaspoon and it was just right! I have never cooked red lentils before -- I had a blast at the Indian Market loading up on spices and other wonderful goodies. Now I have plenty of red lentils on hand so I will definitely make this dish again. Made for the AUS/NZ Reunion Tag, December, 2011.

[gingersnap]

Yum! Delicious,easy and so flavorful! I added fresh baby spinach and squirted my portion with lemon as suggested. I doubled the recipe and also added a can of chickpeas for a little extra protein. So excited to eat the leftovers tonight!

[Mgnbos]

This was easy and delicious. I was bit concerned about the texture as I added both mustard seeds and cumin seeds, perhaps too crunchy?, but turned out to be nothing to worry about in the end. I served this with Madhur Jaffrey's cauliflower with tomato and garlic naan.