It’s time to share my all-time favourite recipe, ever. I’m basically a huge fan of lentils and any dish with them makes me happy. I’ll always remember the first time I had a dish with lentils in it. I was visiting my friend’s house (I must’ve been about 12) in Kuala Lumpur and her Mum was making us lunch with these strange looking beans. I asked, and she proceeded to tell me all about lentils and the traditions of Mauritian cooking. Now, she may have lost me in some of the details, but I will say that I absolutely loved the dish she cooked. To be honest, I haven’t thought of that moment, ever. Brings me back.
Food memories!
When it comes to lentils, they are a staple in my household. I always have green or puy lentils cooked/sprouted and ready to be eaten in salads and stews. With red lentils, they are like a secret and magic weapon, because of how easy they are to cook and how delicious they taste. They are so warming and comforting. There are two important things when it comes to cooking lentils. First, soak them before hand! Not only will this aid in digestion and remove any legume-typical-discomforts (aka farts) that occur, but it will decrease the cooking time (winning!) Second, when you’re cooking lentils, always wait until the end of the cooking process before adding salt. The reason being, if you add salt too early- it will actually harden the lentils, taking away from that soft, amazing and warming taste.
And you’re set! This recipe is super versatile. I basically use the lentils + leek (or onion) + garlic + ginger as the base, and then I add things based on what I have and what I feel like. You can cook them down and keep it as a daal, or you can add things like sweet potato/pumpkin and greens and make it into more of a stew. Also, I like to make a big batch, and then have it as left overs for the following days mixed in salad, on it’s own, and mixed with quinoa to make a pilaf! LOVE lentils, basically.
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1/2 leek, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 inch piece of ginger root, minced
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 1 handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 cup water
- water to soak lentils
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 chilli, minced
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- *optional: baked sweet potato, pumpkin
- *optional: handful of greens (kale, spinach)
- quinoa OR rice (wild, black, brown)
- Soak your lentils and grain (quinoa, rice) overnight or for at least 3 hours in water
- Strain water and set aside the lentils
- Place your grain in a pot with 2 cups of water (for 1 cup of grain) and cook on medium for 15 minutes. Set aside, covered, to maintain heat
- In a medium pot, on low heat, add coconut oil, leeks, ginger, chilli and your spices (aside from sea salt and garlic) and cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Once leeks are translucent, add in your garlic and sautee on low
- Add the red lentils and 1 1/2 cups of water, stir and let it cook for 10 minutes
- Once the water has been absorbed, add in the coconut milk and cook for another 5-10 minutes
- At this point, if you are adding baked sweet potato or pumpkin, you can now
- Turn off the heat, add in the optional greens and the cilantro, and stir and cover for 2 minutes
- Serve with a side of your choice of grain (I use quinoa or black rice)
