Best Lentil Dal Ever!!!

[Grammy Ginger]

I've been trying for years to recreate a good lentil dal without oil or ghee. I finally did it. It's better than any I ever ate out.

Serves 2-4

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 thumb ginger, micro-planed
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 serrano pepper, seeded and minced OR some red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 T curry powder (my favorite is Sprouts brand)
2 T chopped, fresh curry leaves (optional)
2 c water
1/4 c split red lentils
1/4 c green/brown lentils
1 c chopped spinach or baby kale
1/4 c chopped cilantro (optional)

Water saute onion, celery, and carrots until onion is soft and begins to brown. Stir in ginger, curry leaves, pepper, and curry powder. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes but do not burn. Add tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen anything that stuck. Cook down tomatoes for a few minutes. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender OR ipot manual 15 minutes quick release. Stir in greens and cilantro. Salt if you must. Lemon or lime make a good salt substitute here. I serve this with brown rice idli and salad.

[Idgie]

Thanks for this! We love dal, and my favorite recipe has lots of oil in it.

[patty]

Will give it a try.

Aloha, patty

[Lyndzie]

What’s your brown rice idli recipe? I’d like to get the whole experience!

[Grammy Ginger]

It's kind of a process, but I can't eat wheat bread anymore. That makes naan and other yummy bread out of the question for me. I don't make idli in the traditional way. I always look for shortcuts and substitutions that make things healthier and more efficient.

soak together overnight:

1/2 c urad dal or red split lentils (urad dal is traditional but harder to find-urad won't color your idli-red lentils will make it slightly pink)
2 c brown rice (white is traditional but I always choose whole grain)
1 t fenugreek seeds (optional but traditional)
(sometimes I also add 1/2 c steel cut oats)

drain

blend in a high-speed blender:
soaked mixture
enough water to make it like a thick pancake batter

It is traditional to ferment this for a few hours, but I add lemon juice instead. You can also keep idli batter in the fridge for several days. If you wish to do so, only add lemon and baking powder to the portion you plan to use. If that portion is 1/4 use 3/4 t lemon and 1/4 t baking powder.

When you are ready to make idli, stir in.
1 T lemon juice
1 t baking powder (not exactly traditional but useful to make whole grain idli lighter)

There are many types of idli cookers, all of which I've tried. I like the microwave one best. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F ... UTF8&psc=1

Most recipes ask you to use oil. I don't. Sometimes they stick a little. Patience in removing them helps.

You can also use this batter to make dosas (crepes) in a regular non-stick pan. I prefer the idli.

Enjoy.

[Lyndzie]

Thanks, Ginger! My girls would love pink ones. I’ll give it a go.