South Indian Spicy Lentil Stew Food

LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the meat if using and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and spice and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add 6 cups water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the lentils and herb and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add a splash of vinegar to taste and serve the stew in bowls. A fried egg on top would be delightful.

SPICY VEGAN LENTIL DAHL

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a 3-quart stockpot or other medium-sized soup pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the chopped onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.
• Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.
• Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Cook several minutes more, or until the soup is at the desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed.
• Garnish with a dollop of dairy-free soy yogurt if desired. Serve hot and enjoy.

SAMBAR (SPICY LENTIL AND VEGETABLE STEW)

Steps:

• Combine water, toor dal, onion, tomato, pumpkin, okra, peas, and radishes in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook until dal, pumpkin, and radishes start to soften, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds. Stir in garlic, red peppers, curry leaves, and sambar powder. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Stir seasoned oil mixture into the stew and cook until flavors combine, 25 to 30 minutes more. Stir in tamarind, salt, and red chile powder.

SOUTH INDIAN PALAK DAL- SPINACH & LENTILS STEW

Steps:

• Make sure you have these ready before you start cooking: 1. Seasoning (dry red chili, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chili pepper and urad dal) 2. Tamarind, salt, turmeric, jaggery, kootu podi (optional) 3. Garlic and onion 4. Pressure cooked dal and tomato 5. Fine cut spinach and cilantro.
• Add tamarind, salt, jaggery to pressure cooked dal and mix well.
• Set IP to 'saute' mode, heat oil. Add garlic, onion, saute for a couple of minutes. And seasoning ingredients. Cook for a minute.
• Add turmeric, dal, and cook for a minute. Now add kootu podi and mix well.
• Add cilantro and spinach, mix well and turn IP off. By adding greens in the end and not cooking them much, helps retain most of their nutrients.
• Transfer to serving bowl. Serve hot.

INDIAN LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Soak lentils in water to cover for 1 hour. Wrap cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods in a small square of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with string.
• Heat oil in a 4-qt. heavy pot over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking. Add onions and cheesecloth bundle and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chile, garlic, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric, bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes.
• Drain lentils in a sieve and add to onion mixture. Stir in water, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes. Discard cheesecloth bundle and stir in salt. Arrange zucchini in an even layer on top of stew. Cook, covered, until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle stew with cilantro and serve over rice.

SOUTH INDIAN SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the dahl, tomatoes, okra, carrots, potatoes, tumeric, salt and tamarind paste or lemon juice. Stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the dahl is tender--approximately 30 minutes; add more water if necessary.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, heat the oil and lightly fry the ground cilantro and cumin over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, chile and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, covering the skillet as the seeds pop. Add the fried spices to the cooked dahl and vegetables. Add the sambhar masala and mix well.
• The stew can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance.

KEERAI MOLOGUTAL (SOUTH INDIAN SPINACH-LENTIL STEW)

Steps:

• Make sure that you don't dry the spinach after washing.
• Cook the chopped spinach in a microwavable bowl, covered, in a microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes, with 1 teaspoon salt, stirring thrice.
• Set aside to cool.
• Add water, lentils, and turmeric in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
• Do not drain.
• Grind coconut, cumin, red chili, with 1/2 cup water in a blender, to a paste.
• Remove from the blender and set aside.
• In the same blender (you needn't wash it), separately grind the spinach coarsely (don't make it into a paste!).
• Mix the spinach, coconut paste, and cooked lentils (along with its water) together in a large pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from the flame and set aside.
• While the spinach-lentil mixture is boiling, in a small frying pan, heat the oil, and add mustard seeds and Urad dal.
• When the mustard sputters, pour the contents of the frying pan into the spinach-lentil mixture.
• Stir, and serve hot, over plained steamed rice.

SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Pick over lentils. In a bowl soak lentils in water to cover 1 hour. Wrap cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods in a small square of cheesecloth and with kitchen string tie into a bundle. Separately chop onions and tomatoes. Wearing rubber gloves, seed and devein chile and finely chop.
• In a 4-quart kettle cook onions in oil with cheesecloth bundle over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Stir in tomatoes, chile, garlic, masala, cumin, coriander seeds, and turmeric and simmer 10 minutes.
• Drain lentils in a sieve and add to onion mixture with 4 cups water. Simmer mixture, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes.
• Cut zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Discard cheesecloth bundle and arrange zucchini in an even layer on top of curry. Cook curry, covered, until zucchini is tender about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle curry with cilantro and serve over rice.
• *Available at East Indian markets and some specialty food shops.