Cozy Red Lentil Dal with Ginger & Turmeric
This dal is the meal that's most often repeated in our house. It's my favorite savory breakfast on cool mornings, it travels well in a thermos for work lunches, and it's a quick last-minute pantry-meal when I have little else in the fridge. For the latter, I like to throw whatever vegetables I have on hand (carrots, beets, kale, or frozen peas/spinach) directly in with the lentils as they cook to streamline the process. Otherwise, if you have the extra five minutes to separately roast zucchini and saute tomatoes, per the recipe, it's most definitely worth it.
In fact, one of the most common pitfalls I see in our eating culture today is a lack of flavor in meals. I'm talking about the satisfying, substantial depth of flavor you get by 1) cooking at home and 2) using a range of spices or fresh herbs, salting at each step of the process, and layering ingredients and textures like you see here with the toppings for the soup.
This isn't complicated, it just takes a little thoughtfulness, some practice, and a willingness to carve out time in life to BE in the kitchen. This is coming from somebody who enjoys the output much more than actually being in the kitchen. But I recognize that food is like sleep and relationships. We interact with it several times each day, and the quality of our food experiences, even the anticipation of good meals, absolutely impacts the quality of daily life.
In this dal, red lentils are simmered with onion, turmeric, chili powder and curry powder. Kale is added towards the end, and the soup is finished with ginger and lime. For the topping, I like separately roasting zucchini with cumin seeds because of the previously mentioned flavor and texture differentiation. The cumin seeds get crispy and their smokiness is more pronounced. Tomatoes are sauteed in ghee with ginger and cumin seeds to warm up and get a little jammy. They give the dal a bright and juicy burst of flavor. If you're short on time, you could skip the saute and top with raw cherry tomatoes for a similar effect. And if you're really short on a time, topping with an extra squeeze of lime, cilantro and toasted cashews will do the trick.
Cozy Red Lentil Dal with Ginger & Turmeric
Serves 4
Notes: For the topping, I like separately roasting zucchini with cumin seeds for crunch and sauteing tomatoes with ginger for a bright, juicy burst of flavor. If you're short on time, you could skip the saute and top with raw cherry tomatoes for a similar effect. And if you're really short on a time, add whatever vegetables you have on hand directly into the soup to cook with lentils. And simply top with an extra squeeze of lime, cilantro and toasted cashews.
Ghee (or avocado oil, coconut oil)
1 small onion, diced
2 scant tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1-2 tsp. chili flakes (depending on spice preference)
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 cups (400 gr) red lentils, rinsed well and drained
6 1/2 cups (1.5 L) water
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch kale, stripped from stems and chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 in. (5 cm) piece of ginger, minced, divided
Topping
4 small, narrow zucchini and/or yellow squash
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, divided
Cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to roast at 400 F/ 200 C.
Melt a few generous knobs of ghee in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Once melted, add onion, chili powder, turmeric, chili flakes and curry powder. Stir to combine, cook one minute or until spices are fragrant.
Stir lentils through to coat in spices, then add water and salt. Raise heat to high, cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cooked, covered, for 10 minutes.
Add kale, cook five more minutes, covered. Remove from heat and stir in lime and half the minced ginger.
While lentils cook, slice zucchini in 1/2 in rounds. Transfer to large baking sheet, drizzle with avocado oil, 1 tsp. cumin seeds (reserve remaining 1/2 tsp. for tomatoes), salt and pepper. Toss and spread out in a single layer. Be sure zucchini coins don't overlap so they brown instead of steam. Roast 10 min, just until golden brown in places.
In the meantime, add a knob of ghee to a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once melted, add remaining half of minced ginger and remaining 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds. Saute for 20 seconds, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and season with salt, toss together and cook just until tomatoes warm through and begin to soften. (1-2 minutes)
Ladle stew into bowls and top with zucchini, tomatoes and cilantro.