Spicy Lentils South Africa Recipes

SPICED LENTILS

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup red or yellow lentils, 4 cups water, a pinch of turmeric and a 1-inch piece chopped ginger to a boil; simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk vigorously; season with salt. Cook 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 sliced garlic cloves and 2 to 3 dried red chiles in a skillet with 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Add 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Stir into the lentils with some chopped cilantro.

SPICY LENTILS (SOUTH AFRICA)

Steps:

• Dissolve salt in enough boiling water to cover lentils. Add lentils.
• and cook until tender about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with potato masher.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry onions and garlic until onions are golden.
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in lentils and heat until thick. Serve hot.

SOUTH INDIAN SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the dahl, tomatoes, okra, carrots, potatoes, tumeric, salt and tamarind paste or lemon juice. Stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the dahl is tender--approximately 30 minutes; add more water if necessary.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, heat the oil and lightly fry the ground cilantro and cumin over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, chile and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, covering the skillet as the seeds pop. Add the fried spices to the cooked dahl and vegetables. Add the sambhar masala and mix well.
• The stew can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance.

SPICY LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 8 more minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper; mix in chicken stock and lentils.
• Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.

SPICED LENTILS

Steps:

• Bring first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon oil to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 18 minutes. Mix in chili powder and cloves; stir 1 minute.
• Stir onion mixture into lentils. Season with pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with curry powder, then cilantro.

SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Pick over lentils. In a bowl soak lentils in water to cover 1 hour. Wrap cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods in a small square of cheesecloth and with kitchen string tie into a bundle. Separately chop onions and tomatoes. Wearing rubber gloves, seed and devein chile and finely chop.
• In a 4-quart kettle cook onions in oil with cheesecloth bundle over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Stir in tomatoes, chile, garlic, masala, cumin, coriander seeds, and turmeric and simmer 10 minutes.
• Drain lentils in a sieve and add to onion mixture with 4 cups water. Simmer mixture, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes.
• Cut zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Discard cheesecloth bundle and arrange zucchini in an even layer on top of curry. Cook curry, covered, until zucchini is tender about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle curry with cilantro and serve over rice.
• *Available at East Indian markets and some specialty food shops.