South Indian Spicy Lentil Stew Recipes

INDIAN SUMMER STEW: BUTTERNUT SQUASH, COCONUT, AND LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Rinse the pigeon peas in a couple changes of water.
• In a large soup pot, combine the squash, drained pigeon peas, tomato, coconut, turmeric, cumin, and enough stock to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
• To temper: In a small skillet, warm the canola oil until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and when they stop popping, add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt. Swirl the skillet so the contents cook evenly, and cook another 10 seconds. Then pour the contents of the skillet into the soup, along with the salt. Spoon a ladleful of soup back into the skillet (it will sizzle, be careful!), and pour back into the soup pot. Finish with the honey, lime juice, and cilantro. Adjust the seasonings, to taste, and enjoy a little Indian summer in the middle of your winter!

SAMBAR (SPICY LENTIL AND VEGETABLE STEW)

Steps:

• Combine water, toor dal, onion, tomato, pumpkin, okra, peas, and radishes in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook until dal, pumpkin, and radishes start to soften, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds. Stir in garlic, red peppers, curry leaves, and sambar powder. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Stir seasoned oil mixture into the stew and cook until flavors combine, 25 to 30 minutes more. Stir in tamarind, salt, and red chile powder.

INDIAN LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Soak lentils in water to cover for 1 hour. Wrap cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods in a small square of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with string.
• Heat oil in a 4-qt. heavy pot over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking. Add onions and cheesecloth bundle and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chile, garlic, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric, bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes.
• Drain lentils in a sieve and add to onion mixture. Stir in water, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes. Discard cheesecloth bundle and stir in salt. Arrange zucchini in an even layer on top of stew. Cook, covered, until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle stew with cilantro and serve over rice.

SPICY INDIAN LENTIL STEW (DAAL)

Steps:

• Rinse the yellow lentils, red lentils, and mung beans and put them in a medium saucepan with 5 cups water, salt, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon ghee. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are easily mashed, about 30 minutes.
• Heat remaining ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they sputter. Add onion, chile peppers, and ginger; stir-fry until onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro and cayenne. Transfer mixture to lentils.
• Let mixture simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

KEERAI MOLOGUTAL (SOUTH INDIAN SPINACH-LENTIL STEW)

Steps:

• Make sure that you don't dry the spinach after washing.
• Cook the chopped spinach in a microwavable bowl, covered, in a microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes, with 1 teaspoon salt, stirring thrice.
• Set aside to cool.
• Add water, lentils, and turmeric in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
• Do not drain.
• Grind coconut, cumin, red chili, with 1/2 cup water in a blender, to a paste.
• Remove from the blender and set aside.
• In the same blender (you needn't wash it), separately grind the spinach coarsely (don't make it into a paste!).
• Mix the spinach, coconut paste, and cooked lentils (along with its water) together in a large pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from the flame and set aside.
• While the spinach-lentil mixture is boiling, in a small frying pan, heat the oil, and add mustard seeds and Urad dal.
• When the mustard sputters, pour the contents of the frying pan into the spinach-lentil mixture.
• Stir, and serve hot, over plained steamed rice.

SEASONED LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Bring dal, 1 1/2 cups water, and turmeric to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered (check occasionally, and if mixture appears dried out, add up to about 1/4 cup water), until peas are soft and break when pressed with a spoon, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if using split peas).
• Meanwhile, dissolve tamarind concentrate in 2 tablespoons hot water, breaking it up with your fingers.
• Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook fenugreek seeds and asafetida, stirring, until fenugreek seeds begin to brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 2 cups water, potato, vegetables, chile, cilantro, sambar powder, tamarind mixture, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Mash dal in saucepan with a potato masher or back of a spoon to form a coarse paste, then stir into vegetable mixture. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring in water as necessary to thin (consistency should be thinner than pea soup). Season with salt and lemon juice.