One more Cupboard Challenge - and then I'm going to open it up to all of you. If you have anything in your cupboard that you're puzzling over or a combination of ingredients that you'd like to throw out to the crowd, email a picture and we'll lay down your challenge!
For today, here's a slightly different challenge. I have a lot of lentils in my cupboard - two big bags. One is of mixed lentils and the other is urad dal, often used for South Indian dosai. I love lentils, but I don't cook them every week, and I wanted to ask for your favorite ways to eat them.
I have a simple lentil soup recipe. Soak 2 cup of lentils for at least two hours. Dump water and cover lentils with stock or water. Simmer one hour, then add 2 carrots and 1 small onion chopped small and saute under soft. Add 1 teaspoon salt simmer another 1/2 hour or more until lentils are soft. If you store for the next day, you might need to add more water or stock. You add some ham or a ham bone for extra flavor.
Here is another one:
Creamy Lentil Casserole with Dried Apricots (Monday to Friday--by Michele Urvater
Makes 4-6 Servings
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 teaspoons curry or chili powder
1 cup millet or brown rice
1 cup dried lentils (I soak them for at least one hour)
4 cups chicken broth or water
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup dried apricots
Plain low-fat yogurt or sour cream (optional)
1. Preheat the ov en to 375 F.
2. Heat the oil in a 4 quart ovenproof pan or casserole over medium heat. Add the curry powder and millet and saute, stirring occasionally, until the millet begins to smell toasty, about 1 minute.
3. Add the lentils and broth. Bring the liquid to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and bake until the grain and lentils are almost completely tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut the apricots into halves.
5. Stir the apricots into the casserole, cover, and bake until all the ingredients are cooked through and hot, about another 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve with a dollop of yogurt if you like.
I love lentils. I make curried lentils with sweet potatoes and carrots (curry paste, coconut milk, lentils, onions, carrots, sweet potato). I make lentil soup (onions, carrots, lentils, chicken stock, kielbasa, bay). Yum.
I make this recipe for Curried Lentils and Rice quite often: http://www.recipezaar.com/55135
All in one pot!
My favorite lentil dish is Mujadarrah, a lebanese lentil & rice pilaf topped with crispy fried onions. So easy & so delicious.
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced into rings
1 1/3 cups uncooked green lentils
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
(I like to play with spices, usually a combo of cumin, coriander, garlic)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain Fage or Greek strained yogurt
(I like to add 1 clove crushed garlic and the juice of one lemon to the yogurt for a bright kick)
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.
Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt and remaining onions to serve.
I love lentils - Especially because they are as nutritious as beans, yet take less time to prepare. Here are my favorite lentil recipes.
Puy Lentil Salad with Feta
Rosemary Lentil Vegetable Soup
Oops, my links didn't come through. Let me try again
Puy Lentil Salad with Feta
http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2007/01/puy-lentil-salad-with-feta.html
Rosemary Lentil Vegetable Soup
http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2006/12/soups-on-rosemary-lentil-vegetable-soup.html
I LOVE anything with curry and lentils is one of my favorites. Whole foods has a recipie they sell at their prepared foods counter that is made into a kind of veggie 'burger' and i love it. But really any recipie is good and the one posted abvoe is pretty much how i make it and its great!!!!!!
I have 2 recipes using dhal (lentils) in my blog. One is recent - as a dalca (Malaysian lentil stew) using lamb sausages. The other is from a year ago - using lamb.
Urad dhal can be used in stir fry recipes - excellent with greens, potatos and other veggies.
Grind the lentils into a paste, just enough water to grind. DO NOT make the paste runny or otherwise you cannot make them into a ball.
Put salt + cumin ( for 1 lb of lentil paste - use 2 table spoon of toasted grinded cumin, paprika (optional ) and fry the lentil balls in oil. You can eat them with any dip or chutney.
Enjoy - comfort and cozy for this weather
I posted this elsewhere last week but since this item is specific to lentils, will repeat that a great and unique spread for flatbread or homemade croutons is to puree plainly prepared firm (not mushy) lentils with prunes stewed in a bit of vermouth till soft. Season and serve slightly warm.
Besides using the peeled and split urad dal for dosai and iddlies and uppathams, I use them all the time in my south Indian veg preps, usually they're fried until toasty brown and add a nice nutty taste. That's only a teaspoon or so at a time though.
It looks like your mixed dal might have quite a bit of toor dal in it, and my favorite way to eat that is in sambar (with iddlies and coconut chutney)!
regards,
trillium
coconut red lentil soup
saute red onion, one minced thai chili, lemongrass, garlic, grated fresh ginger. Add stock or water and boullion and coconut milk. Add 1 C. lentils. Simmer 40 min.
Puree in batches.
yum.