Last Saturday I took a class on Simple Cooking. We had delicious beans, rice, and coleslaw dishes. I was inspired to find the local store that someone said had a great selection of dried beans and lentils. Tonight I dug out my copy of Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook and decided to try a variation of the recipe for East Indian Spinach and Lentils.
Ingredients:
- 1 large onion, chopped (I used a small onion plus the rest of the scallions I had in the frig)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp ginger root, finely chopped
- 2 tsp whole cumin seed
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 fresh hot chili pepper, chopped (I didn’t have one so I substituted a dash of red pepper flakes)
- 2 C red lentils, rinsed (I used whole green lentils)
- 5 C water
- 2 large potatoes, sliced (optional; I didn’t use because I didn’t have any. In hindsight I should have chopped up that kohlrabi that’s sitting in my frig)
- 1 bunch spinach, chopped (I substituted chard)
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (I forgot this and didn’t miss it)
- rice or chapatis or something else starchy to eat it with. Or I guess you could eat it as a soup. I went with brown basmati rice.
Directions:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 3 Tbsp oil and brown the onion.
- Add the garlic and ginger root. Stir in the spices (careful not to burn!). Stir in the lentils and coat with the spice mixture.
- Add water, potatoes (if using), spinach/chard; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
- Serve over rice.
The Verdict: Sigh. I had forgotten how much I love Indian spices. When DH got home the first thing he said was “wow, that smells great!” And it went together in a snap. Why do I not cook with lentils more often? It was so good. DH added shredded cheese to his (at least it wasn’t chicken!) I think I prefer the chard to the spinach, although I’ve not had it with spinach. The chard was just so good. Next time I’ll go a bit lighter on the hot pepper flakes.
This post shared at Real Food Wednesday, Frugal Food Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, I’m Lovin’ It, Frugal Friday, Food on Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Friday Potluck
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This is making my mouth water … it looks fabulous and reasonably easy. One question … do you think one could use ground cumin instead of the seeds? Thanks, so much, for sharing!
Small Footprints recently posted..Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)
Absolutely!
Aha. And that would explain yesterday’s trip to Mediterranean Island… Such an incredible place. It’s really limiting to think of it just as a “Mediterranean grocery” when the Karadshehs make such an amazing effort to stock goods from all over the world. Makes it a great place to search for almost any ethnic or unusual ingredient!
This dish sounds wonderful, by the way; thanks, as always, for sharing.
It IS amazing. I could spend hours in there looking around.
I have never seen chard prepared this way. This dish looks great. I am definitely trying this soon. Thank you for sharing!!
Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger) recently posted..Zucchini Banana Bread
Yes, it’s amazing what you can do with chard! Heading over to check out your zucchini banana bread.
I just realized I sprouted 4 cups of lentils instead of 2. I was trying to think what I should make with them and this will be the perfect thing! thanks for the recipe!
I love when that happens!
Wendy,
My husband saw this in my email and said, “Whose blog is that? That looks great! ” We love lentils.
I’ll have to return the favor soon w/ some recipes that we have.
.
please do!
OH I adore indian – It’s always a mouth party!
great recipe!
LIB
http://bit.ly/obLcAH
Liberty recently posted..Feet don’t fail me now
Oooh I love me some Indian food. Thanks for sharing!
Love the blog!
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This sounds fantastic…and so satisfying. I love greens of any sort and mixing them with lentils is awesome
Heather @girlichef recently posted..Cherry Basil Collins + a product review: Purity Vodka
I made this for dinner tonight and I will be making it again for sure! I soaked and sprouted my lentils, used kale instead of spinach, and sliced up some tomatoes in it. After tasting it we thought it needed something extra so we stirred in a can of coconut milk. It did the trick, made it creamy with a really nice flavor. We are big cilantro fans so I made sure to put it on the table so people could add it in to their personal dishes. The only other change we would make is only adding 1 tsp instead of 2 next time. Thanks for sharing!
coconut milk is a great idea! So glad it turned out. Don’t you love how recipes evolve? Now I’m going to try it with coconut milk, who knows what else next time