Fall brings on a need for all things warm... abundant amounts of coffee and tea are consumed, the sweatpants make their nightly appearance, and dinners are meant to defrost you from the inside out. Whether it's soup (like we had last night) or a spicy dish, I love cooking during the fall. Tonight, I wanted my version of comfort food - some kind of rice dish. I've been drooling over all of Happy Herbivore's recipes and knew I wanted to try the Red Lentil Dal! The spices and aromas of this dish are delectable and I loved how easy it was to make... a new staple dinner dish!
Red Lentil Dal
(adapted from Happy Herbivore)
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
3 ounces tomato paste
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp garam masala
Saute onions and garlic in a large pot with 1 cup of water until tender.
More water can be added if this mixture becomes dry or sticky.
Add all spices except for coriander and garam masala and cook for a few minutes.
Add broth, lentils, tomato paste, and coriander. Turn heat up and cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Once lentils are tender, add garam masala. Cover and set aside for a few more minutes, then it's ready to serve!
I chose to serve my lentils on a bed of brown basmati rice, but it can be accompanied with naan bread or ate by itself as well. I made the rice using 2 cups of rice to 4 cups of water ratio... I wanted leftovers and this makes plenty for two people!
What is your favorite Fall food that warms you up?
-KateLainey
