The more people you cook for the more challenging it becomes. Not just the extra food you need to make, but also with each person adds different taste buds to accommodate for. In our household hubby and I like spicy, hubby even spicier than me, but Anzia, our 9-year-old finds fresh garlic too spicy. It is often easier to make a separate dinner for her when we are going the spicy route.
When I decided to make lentils I wanted to make one dish the entire family could eat. I prefer the spicy Indian or Ethiopian varieties of Lentil stews, as does hubby, but they would definitely not make it past our little ones tongue, so I decided to play around and make everyone happy.
Thanks to all the readers on Facebook who shared their favorite lentil recipes. I literally spent the entire afternoon reading up on different ways to prepare lentils. I decided to bring together two Indian recipes I came across, Dalcha and Masoor Dal. I left out all the spicy ingredients out and added them to the relish. It actually worked well, because we were all able to add the perfect level of heat to our own dishes.
Notes:
*You may replace Better than Bouillon and water with your favorite vegetable broth. If you use low sodium you may need to add a bit more salt.
*If you are using canned chickpeas, drain before using.
*It is always recommended to use gloves with jalapenos or spicy peppers. If you don’t have gloves, make sure when you are done to wash your hands with baking soda to remove oils. There is nothing worse than touching your eyes after playing with hot peppers. Trust me, I know!
*In the Dalcha recipe I read it didn’t talk about removing the cardamom pods so I did not. While eating I bit into one and didn’t care for it, so you will probably want to try to remove them before serving.
Makes 4 meal size serving
Stew Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 lb potatoes peeled and diced
3 carrots diced
2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
2 cloves
4 whole cardamom pods
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and stones picked out
1 head cauliflower chopped
10 oz cooked chickpeas
4 cups water
2 tsp Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base
1 bay leaf
Directions:
In a large pot, heat oil and salt for a few minutes over medium heat. Add onion, potatoes, carrots and garlic. Saute for 15 minutes. Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, lentils, and cauliflower. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add water, bouillon, and bay leaf. Stir. Bring to a boil. Once, boiling reduce to low and cook covered partially, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook for thirty minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve with Jalapeno Curried Relish.
Jalapeno Curried Relish Ingredients:
4 fresh jalapenos
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
favorite curry powder to taste – I used 1 tsp
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp black pepper – to taste
Directions:Cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds and white membrane. Peel garlic cloves. Place jalapenos (skin side up) and garlic on a pan lined in aluminum foil in broiler. Broil until skin begins to turn black. Times will vary depending on broiler. Mine took ten minutes. Turn garlic over half way through so that both sides brown.
Once roasted, dice jalapenos and garlic. In a bowl mix jalapenos, garlic and remaining ingredients. I recommend that you add curry powder and pepper in small increments and taste before adding more. It gained heat while sitting.
Do you have a go to lentil recipe? Here are some other great lentil ideas from our Facebook friends:
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Sarah Zorich I LOVE Scott Jurek’s mushroom lentil burgers recipe! Not a soup, but SO GOOD!
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Lorelei Lee McInerny Best lentil soup ever!
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/12/curried_lentil_soup
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Barbara Wiss It’s hovering around 70 degrees here in Chicago today… but I love lentil soups & stews! I’m staying tuned -
Apryl Lyttle Here’s my fave: http://www.effyeahitsvegan.com/1/post/2012/12/hearty-vegetable-lentil-soup.html
This soup is the reason I started my blog. Everyone who would eat it would ask for the recipe.
This soup is my absolute favorite soup. It’s so good that I find myself making i…See More -
Theresa Romero http://forealslife.com/blog/2012/11/recipe-vegan-lentil-burgersforealslife.com
Have you ever had a bad veggie burger? If you’ve tried many, you have. They can …See More -
Shelley Larkin-krebs I’m in Seattle too! -
Elisabeth Rose So far, my favorites are a simple recipe with just garlic and chili pepper. Fried onions are added on the top and lemon wedges or lemon juice squeezed on top. The other is much more involved. Its a chili with lentils replacing the meat and the texture/flavors are wonderful. -
Jeanine Kiser Curried Lentil stew with banana bread. Complimentary flavors. -
Melinda Rice Iam in Tacoma…nasty weather today!!! -
Karen Todd I just finished the leftovers I froze of smoked lentil and olive soup. It has lot’s of smoked paprika, fire roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives and spinach. I can’t remember the source but think maybe Post Punk Kitchen. As with most lentil soups, this got better with time. -
cameraphonevegan.com sun came out!! -
Sarah De la Cruz I know, isn’t the weather weird here today? My go to lentil recipe is for Mango Lentil Dal, using red lentils and I serve it over a carrot ginger basmati rice. You can find my recipe here: http://frieddandelions.com/mango-lentil-dal/
frieddandelions.com
Here is the companion piece to my Coconut Carrot Rice that I told you about yest…See More -
Josh Bunnelle I like to toast my lentils in coconut oil and then simmer them in coconut milk and curry MMMMMMM!!!! -
Rhonda Fletcher Olson Sweet potato Dahl with red lentils and kale. -
Sheila Dawn Lentils, black beans, and currants cooked in veggie broth with fresh garlic. SO good. -
Laurie Lovelace I need one. I have bag of red lentils what should I do with them? -
Alexandra AndJason Sinacori We like all of them. πoc* -
Fée du Nord here we love indian style lentils!! -
Velon Jean Savoie Snobby Joes from Post punk kitchen!
Don't Fear the Vegan 