Red Lentils Revisited

When I first became a vegetarian, I tried a lot of different foods that I would never have tried as a meat eater. One of those was red lentils, in which I did not like and have not eaten up until recently. I can’t remember how I made them, but my introduction to them was that of disdain and confusion. They were mushy, bland, and not even red!

It seems like red lentils have grown popular again, and after seeing many recipes and hearing much praise for this legume, I gave them a second chance last month. I must admit that I am now a fan, and love them for their taste, versatility, protein, and quick cooking time.

I can’t recall if I’ve seen red lentils at Albertsons and Walmart, but you can definitely find them at Sun Harvest, Jerusalem International Foods (5360 N. Mesa), Spice Market (5435 N. Mesa), and other import stores around town. Eastsiders can most likely find red lentils at Cielo Vista Natural Market (8900 Viscount), Wan Jia Le (9501 Gateway Blvd. W), and Super Target.

I’m sharing two recipes with you that seem very similar, but really do have different flavors and textures. The first recipe is perfect for tailoring to your preferences, and especially good for getting rid of any vegetables you may have laying around. The original recipe called for zucchini, but I didn’t have any, and I needed to use up a large tomato quickly. I decided to add in frozen peas for texture, and because they’re one of my favorites.

I made the second recipe last night because I wanted to incorporate carrots, red bell pepper, and red lentils together. You may be wondering why I just didn’t make the first recipe since I just told you that you can alter it as you please. Well, I didn’t have any coconut milk and I wanted a slightly different flavor. I loved the flavors and texture of this recipe. It had a sweet, nutty flavor and a golden, rich and creamy texture.

Coconut Red Lentil Curry Over Basmati Rice

Coconut Red Lentil Curry
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 6 servings

½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tblsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (less if using vegetable stock)
1 (2 1/2-inch) fresh jalapeño or serrano chile, finely chopped, including seeds
1-2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
½-1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1 handful of fresh cilantro

1. Cook onion in oil in a 3½- to 4-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden (about 6 minutes).
2. Add ginger, garlic & cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, & chile & cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add tomato, stir, then add in water, lentils, & coconut milk.
4. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add peas & simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heat through & lentils are tender.
6.Season with salt & serve with cilantro sprigs scattered on top.

Red Lentil Carrot Soup & Basmati Rice

Red Lentil Carrot Soup
(also adapted from Gourmet magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 4-6 servings

¾ cup red lentils, picked over & rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
¼ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
½ pkg of baby carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
cayenne to taste
fresh cilantro

1. Saute onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until golden.
2. Add bell pepper, carrots, & garlic; cook for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add coriander, cumin, & turmeric; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add stock & water; bring to a boil.
5. Add lentils & cook, covered for about 15 minutes or until veggies & lentils are tender.
6. Puree in batches, leaving some of the veggies & lentils intact for texture.
7. Add cayenne pepper & season with salt & pepper.
8. Garnish with cilantro & serve with Basmati rice.

Lentils and Ru

Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race started up again 2 weeks ago, and so did my dinner and Ru tradition! If you’re not familiar, RuPaul is a drag queen who gained popularity back in the 90′s with her hit song Supermodel (You Better Work). RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality show on Logo where several drag queens compete to become “America’s next drag superstar.” Last year, it became a weekly event for me to cook dinner for a few friends and then watch Ru. “Indian Night” turned out to be a favorite dinner from last year, so I decided to kick off this season with Indian food.

Indian cooking can be overwhelming and intimidating due to the usually super long list of ingredients that are sometimes unattainable here and the time consuming preparation. It’s one of my favorite cuisines, but I don’t cook it very often because of the aforementioned reasons. Indian cookery also varies by region and household, so it’s hard for me to choose which recipes I want to try. I found some pretty easy, slightly Americanized versions from Cooking Light that are good crowd pleasers. Fortunately for us El Pasoans, Indian ingredients can be found at some grocery stores, Spice Market (westside, next to Chut-ney on N. Mesa), RV International (also on Mesa), Jerusalem International Foods (Mesa), some Asian import stores (northeast and east), and World Market (east).

Side Note: The Vegetarian Society may offer authentic Indian cooking classes in the spring! I’ll keep you updated.

For the following lentil recipe, I like to use small lentils that I buy at Jerusalem International Foods. They don’t cook quicker, but they have a more tender texture that I like. I also puree the can of diced tomatoes because some household members are opposed to chunks of tomato in their food. I also always make sure to pick up some naan bread (Indian flat bread) at the Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Lentils Eleganza!
Yield: 6 cups

1 tbsp. olive oil
½-1 c. chopped onion
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground cumin)
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 c. chopped fresh tomato)

2 ½ c. water
1 c. dried lentils
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
¾ tsp. salt

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients; saute 2 minutes.
2. Add tomato; saute 1 minute. Stir in water and lentils; bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.
4. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt.

Cover Girl Curry
Yield: 4 cups
Original recipe can be found here (contains chicken)

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ c. diced onion

1-2 tsp. ground cumin (I use 1)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/3 c. veggie broth
½ c. lite coconut milk

¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground red pepper

fresh (cooked) or frozen (thawed) vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, & peas
1 tbsp. cornstarch

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute for 2 minutes. Add next 4 ingredients; cook until fragrant. Add tomato paste, stirring constantly.
2. Add broth, coconut milk, and veggies; bring to a simmer.
3. Mix cornstarch with a bit of cold water. Slowly stir into curry mixture until blended and thickened. Add more cornstarch if necessary.
4. Serve with lentils and Basmati rice or Thai Jasmine rice.

Black Bean Patties

I was perusing a Martha Stewart Living magazine when I came across this recipe over five years ago. I had never made a veggie patty from scratch, and the ingredients really intrigued me. I also liked that this burger recipe didn’t use eggs as a binder.  This is still one of my favorite recipes.

I love this recipe because it uses ingredients found in Indian cookery that give the patties a complex flavor. The basmati rice really enhances the other ingredients, while providing a subtle nutty flavor. The ketchup and hot sauce round out all of the flavors with their acidity. I reduced the amount of salt in the recipe because I thought it made the patties too salty. Be careful when handling the patties, they’re delicate and prone to crumbling. I have also cooked them in the toaster oven. Baking the patties gives them a crisp outer crust. You can also freeze the patties for later use.

Have you ever made your own veggie patties? What are your favorite recipes?

Makes 8 small patties or 4 large patties

5 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 ½ cups cooked or canned black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup cooked Basmati or Jasmine rice
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I use slices of whole wheat sandwich bread)
Hot sauce (I use Tabasco)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1.  Begin by cooking the rice according to package directions.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add cumin, turmeric, and ketchup. Cook for 1 minute.

3.  Combine onion mixture, beans, and rice in a food processor, and process until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs, and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Drop ¼-cup balls of bean mixture into skillet. Flatten into 3-inch patties. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Repeat process with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bean mixture. Serve immediately with ketchup, if desired.

To see the original recipe or get a printer friendly copy, visit Marthastewart.com: Black-Bean Burger Recipe – MarthaStewart.com

Black bean patty in a panini

Patty w/calabacitas & cilantro sour cream