It is spring here.
Gardens are waking up and jobs around the house beckon. It’s time for an energy boost.
Looking for more protein in your diet to power you through some of those jobs?
Lentils are a good choice. A cooked cup of red lentils contains 18 grams of protein. On top of that, there is 12 grams of protein in a cup of chickpeas. Both are featured prominently in this recipe.
There are interesting textures in this “stew,” too, with the lentils and chickpeas. You can make this dish as chunky or as smooth as you want. Serve it as a side dish or a vegetarian main.
This is a recipe from Nagi Maehashi’s Delicious Tonight cookbook. You can order this book through your local bookstore or on Amazon here..
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen. I had some beautiful beet greens from Sunday’s farmers’ market and added them to the dish. This is another of those recipes that tastes oh-s0-much-better on the days after it is prepared.
Indian Lentil Coconut Stew-Soup
Ingredients
- For the stew:
- 1 fourteen ounce can coconut milk
- 2 T. ghee
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 fifteen ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 fifteen ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 C. water
- 1 C. dried split red lentils
- 1 fifteen ounce can of chickpeas (drained)
- For the spices:
- 1/2 t. ground cayenne (or to taste)
- 1/2 t. ground ginger
- 1 t. ground turmeric
- 1 t. curry powder
- 1-2 t. ground cumin
- 1 1/2 t. kosher salt
- 2 t. ground coriander
- For Garnishes:
- Cilantro
- Beet Greens
Directions
- Step 1 Divide coconut milk, reserving 1/4 C.
- Step 2 Melt ghee in large Dutch oven and saute onion and garlic for several minutes. You want the onion to soften but need to be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Step 3 Add the spices. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
- Step 4 Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, coconut milk, water, lentils and chickpeas. Stir to mix. Simmer (uncovered) for about 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft.
- Step 5 Serve garnished with beet greens and/or cilantro. I sauteed the beef greens in some butter. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk over the stew. Alternatively, drizzle cream over the stew. Serve with rice and/or naan.
