This recipe for vegan red lentil dahl has been adapted from an amazing book by Rebecca Katz called The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. It is the perfect combination of sour, sweet, and salty. It is one of those dishes that bring true comfort.
We are already half way through lent and I haven't told you guys that the hubby and I decided to do the plant-based diet thing again. Just to recap, we've given up all animal products for 40 days. Not having cheese in my life has been hard, but manageable. Seriously though, this time around it has been much easier. The challenge, however, remains the same. Coming up with a variety of dished has been difficult, especially when you don't have items like bacon, cheese, or eggs in your fridge.
There are some great blogs and books out there with many, many recipes. I don't know if it's just me, but they all seem to be very similar. How many versions of veggie burgers can you make? They all seem to revolve around the same recipes, lentil loaf, quinoa (lots of quinoa), chili, marinated tofu, and of course some dish involving chickpeas. If you have any vegan or plant-based blogs to suggest I'm all ears. Instead we've been eating a lot of Korean, Indian, Thai or Chinese food.
I'm planning on doing some research on cuisines around the world that were once plant heavy or remain so. Hopefully then I'll be able to come up with recipes that are not poor versions of meat dishes, and let the vegetables and grains be the centerpiece. We'll see how it goes.
The Recipe: Vegan Red Lentil Dahl
This recipe for lentil dahl is one of my favorites. You can serve it with basmati rice, a salad, and some kind of flatbread.
Vegan Red Lentil Dahl
Pin Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 tbsp. EVOO
- 3/4 tsp. Cumin, seeds
- 3/4 tsp. Mustard seed
- 1/2 Onion, yellow, diced small .
- 1/2 tbsp. Ginger, fresh, minced
- 1 tsp. Turmeric, ground
- 1 tsp. Cumin, ground
- 1/2 can (7 oz.) Diced tomatoes
- 6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 1 cup Red lentils, rinsed well
- 1/2 Cinnamon, stick
- 1 tsp. Lime juice, fresh
- Mint or Cilantro finely chopped 1/
Instructions
- Set a large pot to medium heat and add oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and saute until they begin to pop, then quickly add onion, ginger, turmeric, ground cumin, and a pinch of salt. Saute until onion begins to soften, about 3 min.
- Add the tomatoes and saute for 2 more minutes. Pour in ½ cup of broth and reduce by half.
- Add the red lentils and stir, then add remaining broth, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boíl, then turn heat down to a simmer, cover and let cook for 30 min. or until tender.
- Add salt and let simmer for another 5 min. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour in lime juice.
- In a blender, puree the soup until very smooth. Adjust consistency according to preference with more broth.
- Return soup to pot and reheat. Serve with chopped cilantro.
Notes
You make a great point about the notion of unsatisfying meals that emphasise the lack of meat in the diet, rather than celebrating the abundance of plant. That's why cuisines that have evolved based on the plant life around them rather than an obsession with the meat can provide more satisfying flavours.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has this point of view:)
Delicious!
Have you checked out the recipes on Post Punk Kitchen (theppk.com)? I admit--there's quinoa and chickpeas over there, but there's also a wide variety of ingredients and flavors.
I remember Mark Bittman did a roundup of quick, easy vegan recipes that I imagine would appeal to omnivores: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/01/magazine/eat-vegan-recipes.html?ref=magazine&_r=0
Thanks for the recommendation!
I have addd this to my list of must make!
This looks beautiful and so good. thanks.
The ultimate comfort food here in India....
I wish I knew more about Indian food. Thanks for stopping by.