Cooked Red Lentils (Adapted from Ottolenghi)
Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list and the few unusual ingredients. This is a simple cooked red lentils dish with a wonderful, complex flavor. If you can't find fenugreek or asafetida, it's fine to omit them. And see the notes section below if you'd like to simplify the recipe for a less-complex but still divine pot of lentils.
Calories: 401kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups (380 grams) dry red lentils
- 3 cups (710 ml) water
- 1 medium bunch 4 ounces/(113 grams) cilantro
- 1 large yellow onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3- inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- 10 curry leaves
- 3 ½ cups (4 peeled chopped tomatoes fresh or canned
- 1 tablespoon (honey
- ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek optional
- ⅛ teaspoon asafetida optional
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons butter optional
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils well under running water, until the water runs clear. Then place them in a bowl with the 3 cups water and soak for 30 minutes. Do not drain.
- Meanwhile, mince the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Finely chop the cilantro, including stems.
- Place the mustard seeds in a 5-quart Dutch oven or other pot with a heavy bottom, and cook over medium heat until they begin to pop.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and olive oil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.
- Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and curry leaves, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
- Add the lentils and their soaking water, the tomatoes, honey, fenugreek, asafetida, and salt, and stir to blend.
- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are fully cooked.
- Stir in the butter, lemon or lime juice, and cilantro.
Notes
- Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. This is a beautiful book and very much worth owning.
- At some point years ago for reasons I can't remember, I started making this dish with olive oil, and it works just fine. But you're welcome to use a more traditional choice like safflower oil or another neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
- Curry leaves come fresh or dried. You can use either version in this recipe, though fresh ones have a lot more flavor. If you're lucky enough to have an Indian market nearby, buy them there, or at Whole Foods. Or get them online here or here (be sure to read reviews if buying on Amazon). If you can't find them, you can leave them out.
- Fenugreek seeds and leaves are both used in cooking. This recipe calls for ground fenugreek (sometimes called fenugreek powder or ground methi). It has a beautifully aromatic, slightly sour character that adds a wonderful complexity to this dish and many Indian curries. Buy it online at Penzeys or The Spice Way if you can't find it locally, though it's easier to get in American supermarkets than you may think. It's okay to leave it out if you can't get it.
- Asafetida (also spelled asafoetida and sometimes called hing) is a dried, powdered resin that's common in Indian vegetarian cooking. It's part of the celery family and, in tiny quantities, magically enhances the flavor o curries. Buy it here if you can't find it locally. It's okay to leave it out if you can't get it.
- The flavors of this dish only improve as it sits, so feel free to make it in advance. Cook it anytime during the day and let it sit at cool room temperature, then reheat before serving.
- Leftovers keep well tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a year.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.6g | Protein: 17.4g | Fat: 15.4g | Fiber: 9.2g