Sausage and Lentil Curry-Spicy

My mother was coming over so I was trying to cook a fast lunch for us.  I was going to make a sausage curry and a separate mild lentil curry.  Those two curries are great (been there done that), but I felt like experimenting.  I looked at the two ingredients and realized that sausage and lentils go well together so why not try to use them both in one spicy curry.  I was a little nervous while I cooked this dish. What if my mother thought it was too crazy, after all she's is the curry expert with 60 years of cooking curry under her belt.  When lunch time arrived, it was my moment of truth.  I served her some of this curry with my mild cauliflower curry and deviled onions.  I was enjoying  the entire meal, but I waited to hear her verdict. Will it be "Yay or Nah"?  Then it happened.... she asked for a little more of this curry because it was tasty. Eureka!  I may have struck on something here. :) 




 Ingredients:
1lb of sausage (crumbled out of the casings)
2 cups of dry brown lentils (see note)
1 (15oz) can of diced tomatoes
10-15 curry leaves
2-3 serrano chilies sliced
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbs of ginger and garlic paste (or one of each)
2 Tbs of curry powder
1Tbs of chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of fennugreek seeds
1 cup of coconut milk
squeeze of lime juice
1 (1 inch) piece cinnamon stick
Salt (or seasoning salt) and Black Pepper to taste

Note: Do not use a lentils that will fall apart or become mushy. The brown lentils keep their shape well after the cooking process.
Note:  You can use any kind of sausage you like, pork, chicken, lamb etc...

Directions:
Brown the sausage in a large pan.  If you need to drain any excess oil out of the sausage do so. My sausage was pretty lean and the I used the rendered fat to cook the onions, green chilies, curry leaves, fennugreek seeds and cumin seeds for 2-3 minutes.






Then add the ginger/garlic paste, curry powder, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper and chili powder. Saute for 1-2 minutes.


Then add the rinsed brown lentils, can of diced tomatoes and 4-5 cups of water. Cook for 20-30 minutes on medium-high eat until the lentils are tender. Most of the water should have cooked out.
Note: if you need more water while cooking the lentils add as needed.


Once the lentils are cooked add 1 cup of coconut milk and simmer for another few minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning. Then turn stove off and finish off with a squeeze of lime juice. Eat with rice, roti etc.. Enjoy.







Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Channa Dhal-Indian Style Lentils

Hi Everyone, I am guest posting at Kimberly's blog called  Learn to Cook with Badger Girl  today.  Kimberly is a wonderful lady that is really into healthy eating and  food .  I wanted to showcase a dish that would represent her love for healthy food and dairy-free eating so I though a lentil style dish with coconut milk would be a perfect fit.  This type of lentils is called Channa Dhal or split chickpeas and is available at all Indian Grocers.  This is a vegetarian dish that fills you up with healthy fiber and protein.  I actually made it with coconut milk so it's vegan too.  I hope you drop by her blog and say hello.

Ingredients at a Glance:
2 1/2 cups of dry Channa Dhal (Lentils)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 cinnamon stick (1inch long) **do not use powdered cinnamon**
1/2 a large onion chopped
2 serrano chilies diced (seeded for less spiciness)
2Tbs grated ginger
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1Tbs mustard seed
1Tbs cumin seed
small handful of curry leaves (optional)
red chili flakes to taste
1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes
salt to taste
1 cup of coconut milk

Directions:


Rinse and soak 2 1/2 cups of dry Channa Dhal for 3 hours in water. The Channa Dhal needs to soak so it can cook easier. You will see after soaking the Channa Dhal will double in size. After it's soaked rinse again and then put in a pot to cook with twice as much water to boil.




Boil the channa dhal with turmeric and a cinnamon stick on medium heat for 30-40 minutes or until the Channa dhal is tender enough to crush in your fingers. In the last few minutes of boiling, add salt to taste so the Channa dhal has some time to absorb it.  Turn off the heat now and start the tempering process

***Use only cinnamon in stick form, not the powdered.
.




I call the next step "tempering" or it can be called "tarka" in Indian cooking.  It's basically frying spices and herbs to flavor the lentil dish.  Here are the ingredients you will need: onion chopped, serrano chilies diced,  grated ginger and garlic minced, mustard seed, cumin seed, a small handful of curry leaves(available in Indian stores) and one can (15oz) of diced tomatoes or two fresh tomatoes diced. 





Tempering Process:

Once the Channa is cooked to the desired consistency, you can start the tempering process. One medium high heat add  2tbs of oil. Once the oil is heated put in the mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves.  You will see the seeds spluttering while they release all their flavors. 





Now add the onion, chili, chili flakes,  garlic and ginger and fry.  Then add the tomatoes and fry.





Add the cooked Channa Dhal (there maybe some liquid from the boiling (hopefully not too much). Stir all the ingredients together then add your coconut milk and simmer for a few more minutes. Taste for salt and serve with rice. Enjoy.









Serves 6-8 people Serve it with Rice and other meat and vegetable curries. Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Channa Dhal-Indian Style Lentils

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Spicy Lentil (Masoor Dal) Soup

 The soup pot has been making a lot of appearances on my stove since the cold weather finally arrived this winter. I wanted to make one of my favorite guilt-free soups since I'm trying to eat a little healthier after my holiday indulging. I love this spicy Masoor Dal soup that is truly a protein packed one pot meal.  Although I did not make this a vegetarian meal, it can easily become one by simply substituting vegetable stock. Masoor Dal is readily available in Indian Grocers and some larger grocery stores in their international section.  

Ingredients:


2 cups of uncooked masoor lentils (washed)
3 cups of water
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 green chilies sliced
10-12 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic grated
1Tbs of fresh ginger grated
1 cup of canned diced tomato




4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
red chili flakes to taste
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs of lime juice (more for garnishing)
1 cup of coconut milk
salt and pepper as needed

Note:  If you do not have curry leaves at your disposal (they usually can be found at Indian Grocery Stores), substitute a bay leaf.  You don't have to fry them like the curry leaves, just put it into the soup while it's boiling, but remember to take it out of the soup before you puree.

Directions:
 
 Wash your masoor lentils well with water until the water runs clear. Boil the washed lentils in a large pan with water, cinnamon stick and ground turmeric until water cooks out and lentils are very soft and tender (do not add salt while cooking lentils). If you need to add more water to get your lentils cooked fully cooked do so as needed.  Remove the cinnamon stick and set cooked lentils aside until later. 
 


In a large soup pot, add 1Tbs of canola oil.  Once heated add your curry leaves and cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.  Then add your chopped onions and green chilies and cook for 1-2 minutes.




Next add your grated ginger, garlic, dried thyme and red chili flakes. Cook for another minute. Then add your diced tomatoes and rice wine vinegar and 3/4 of the cooked lentils.


Add your 4 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Finally add your coconut milk and taste for salt and seasoning. I like my soup semi-smooth so I used hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup (but not completely).  You can also put it in a blender to do this. Once the soup is almost smooth, add your remaining cooked lentils to the pot.  Finish off with some lime juice to taste.


 Serve with more lime juice as garnish, crusty bread or poppadoms.  Enjoy.




Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Spicy Lentil (Masoor Dal) Soup

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https://jessica-dorrell-pictures.blogspot.com/2012/01/spicy-lentil-masoor-dal-soup.html

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