Red Lentil Dal Recipe

Submitted by nsgamer

Makes 4 servings

if you are willing to cook "beans", the easiest (no gas problems) are the dry lentils. Red lentils are extremly easy to cook. pricier than green lentils but so much faster it might be worth the price difference. It also has enough of a difference from green lentils that they just do not taste the same when substituted. if you like Indian food you could look up recipes under Dal to experiment- you can cut down the spices to your taste. Depending on how much stock, water you add it could be made as thick as a hummas dip or be of a soup like consistency. it freezes fairly well -a good thing because its richness and blandness allows it to go bad faster if forgotten in the fridge more easily than acid tomato sauces if you tend to try to cook for more than one meal. One favourite of mine is to boil lentils in water till cooked.(fairly thick consistency-like ketchup or thicker is my preference - some people like it more liquid) Meanwhile slice onions very thin , then fry them in a bit of hot oil. Take it off the heat when it starts to brown (its best thoroughly brown but not burnt - the hot oil will keep it cooking if you do not remove the onions from the oil - so take care -overtime you will figure out how to cook to get it just right). Add some mild curry powder (say about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to about 1 cup of dry red lentils being cooked) to the hot oil. heating in oil I think brings out the best flavour. leave in in the oil for about a minute and add all to the cooked red lentils. Salt and pepper to taste. Cooking in stock (cubes,powder) changes the flavour. You could add stuff like carrots, eggplants, zucchini,etc and let them cook in the mix too. Firm tofu for extra protein, might work if you were careful stirring. That and rice is a favourite(comfort) food to me-so much so (I eat too much) that I restrict eating it.

Ingredients