Friday, May 27, 2011

Quick Dal

Here's an easy dinner for one you can prepare on a weeknight when your refrigerator is looking pretty bare. If you don't have all these vegetables and spices on hand, you can improvise with whatever is available.

Ingredients
  • 1/3 c. rice
  • 2/3 c. water (for rice)
  • 1/2 c. lentils
  • 2 c. water (for lentils)
  • 2 T. safflower oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1/4 t. ground cumin
  • 1/2 t. turmeric
  • 1/4 t. cayenne
  • 1/4 t. garlic powder
  • a pinch of ground cloves
  • a pinch of ground cardamom
  • a pinch of ground coriander
  • a pinch of salt
Preparation
  1. Place rice and 2/3 cup water in a rice cooker and press "Start".
  2. Rinse and sort lentils.
  3. Put lentils in a medium saucepan with all spices except salt and add 2 cups water.
  4. Boil the lentils for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and cover.
  5. Heat safflower oil at medium in a skillet until it shimmers.
  6. Add onion, celery, and carrots to the skillet, stir well, then cover and cook until vegetables are soft (about 8 minutes).
  7. Remove cover, increase heat to medium-high, and brown the vegetables slightly, stirring occasionally.
  8. Add cooked vegetables to the lentils. Cook covered for 45 additional minutes.
  9. When lentils are done, add a pinch of salt and stir to mix.
  10. Serve lentils over rice.
Yield: 1 serving

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